The power a brand and its packaging has over influencing customers in buying or not buying a product are indisputable. Who hasn’t seen innovative products in the market place that have not succeeded due to poor quality branding and packaging design? Or conversely who has bought a product because it’s packaging just popped off the shelf, however on getting it home the product itself failed to meet up to your expectations and to the brand promise? I know I have.  At some stage or another, we’ve all had the above experience and have been influenced in this way. This clearly illustrates that no matter how superior your product its success hangs largely on its branding and packaging.

It’s so important as a business owner or for someone who has a great idea and wants to launch a new product out into the market to be really clear on what are the brand building tools and the essentials. This ensures you’ll create a strong effect, a brand so that your product stands out and doesn’t miss out.

Given the importance of a product’s branding and packaging to its success it pays to be familiar with the basic essentials that need to be followed to ensure effective packaging for your product;

1. Form vs Function – The packaging should be able to protect your product during transit and as it is displayed on store shelves. It should, therefore, be easily stackable and transportable.

2.   Aesthetic Appeal – Packaging should have a “WOW” factor, it needs to be able to entice potential buyers to choose, pick and buy your product from the multiple options available on the shelves

3.   Informing and Facilitating the Decision to Purchase – The packaging should provide relevant information about your product and include; source, ingredients used, directions for use, etc. This information is vital in helping potential customers to decide whether or not to buy.

4.   Differentiation – Your product’s packaging should be distinctly unique to enable customers to identify it easily and to communicate its advantages over other similar products.

In a nutshell, effective product packaging is all about making a potential buyer’s decision-making process as simple as possible. Being audience specific and differentiating from the competitor is essential as is factoring in future product varieties and extensions. Packaging design, however, is no simple matter and there is a myriad of other variables to consider which is why I would always recommend an experienced creative agency as your best bet when launching your product. However, if you can use the above as a guide and checklist you are well on the way to having an effective launch into the marketplace.

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