By Owen Fay . Posted on January 23, 2023Consumers today have a wide range of choices. They are no longer restricted to what is offered in their area or sometimes even in their countries. Whether they are exploring a store shelf or an online shop, they want a seamless buying experience. Similarly, consumers love the unique packaging that adds to the buying experience. Packaging design aesthetics range from attractive colors to nostalgia, and they draw on the familiarity of the known to convey optimism and enthusiasm.
Your brand can stand out from the competition when your graphic design and product teams put effort into distinctive packaging. With thousands of businesses competing for consumers’ attention, the brief moment when they look at your product might make or break your business. Although there is a vast range of interests, one thing is for certain: the packaging design can greatly impact buying behavior and lead to a larger customer base.
Briefly said, your product’s branding is greatly influenced by the packaging. Unique packaging aids in persuading potential customers to make the purchase decision by showcasing your benefits and conveying the values of your business.
This article will cover 11 ideas, tips, and suggestions for creating unique packaging that brings awareness, loyalty, and sales to your business.
1. Embrace Color
Color is very important concerning selling your products. According to studies, color enhances product awareness by 80%, whereas 85% of consumers cite color as the main reason they choose a particular product.
Some colors are so recognizable that you can recognize a company just by looking at them without being shown a logo or any other brand identifiers. Think about Mcdonald’s or Coca-cola, we all know their distinct colors.
It’s simple to embrace color for packaging if the item you advertise already uses vivid, attractive colors. But practically speaking, sticking with a strong color palette is a good idea. Draw inspiration from your product’s vibrant colors if it has them. Incorporate splashes of vibrant hues into your packaging. Bright color combinations will help get your client’s attention. That’s all there is to it, because of this, joyful colors are popular in packaging design concepts for 2023. Ecstatic hues abandon formality and are a good choice for drawing attention to your package.
2. Simplicity
Sometimes keeping things simple is best, and the product packaging is no exception. Achieving simple packaging involves more than just reducing the design components. It is also a method for efficiently packing the product in the shortest amount of time.
Simple packaging shines out on a crowded shelf due to its straightforward design. It offers the precise information that the customer is looking for. Most of the brands have grasped the charm of simplicity. It’s important to avoid complicating the product’s first impression, giving the consumer only the necessary information can get your message across quickly and effectively.
Brands can save both time and money at any point in the packaging process by choosing simple packaging. It also contains the flexibility to create varieties. Some brand owners, for example, don’t like to revamp the complete box when they introduce a flavor or variety. The same packaging design becomes recycled material with minor modifications in color and other design elements. The businesses also maintain their brand identities in this way.
3. Keep it Playful
Consider using your packaging as an opportunity to be creative and playful. One of the best strategies for making an interactive experience out of a product’s packaging is through illustrative storytelling. Customers looking for a real product experience might be drawn to a product with distinctive font and fun images.
Any industry or product these days has fierce competition, making the need to draw in customers that much more important, the draw to your products over others might be found in playful and unique packaging. The font and color scheme further enhances the playfulness used for the product. A short narrative with strong branding can easily be told with some unique and fun packaging. While being playful and engaging, using a range of styles and colors in an openly combined way tells the brand’s story. Therefore, you can communicate your brand’s message by creating fun packaging.
4. Create an Experience
When designing your product packaging, think about the user’s journey. Whether it’s on a website or in person, creating an experience for customers is the best way to increase the likelihood of a sale. You can’t just stuff your things into a plain box and easily call it a day without any effort, you need to create an experience with your packaging to stand out.
You must go above and beyond with an eye-catching design of your packaging if you want to differentiate yourself from your competitors in the age of unboxing videos and never-ending social media rants about the entire package unboxing experience. Keep in mind that consumers can interact with things both physically and visually. Consider using your touch and vision senses simultaneously to offer your customers a seamless unboxing experience. For instance, a simple layering of the package provides the luxury element and can convince users to spend a little more because you give them more than just the product.
5. Think About Interior Packaging
Your package’s exterior should be intriguing, however, what about the interior that holds the product itself? Packaging’s interior and exterior both hold great importance. When handling their packaging requirements, many brands, however, undervalue the significance of the inside packaging.
Interior packaging elements can be crucial to your eCommerce business plan. Display each component of your product separately if it has several sections and pieces.
Consider the act of opening a box. Do you have several components or pieces bundled together? Well, this is when interior packaging plays a great part. When used properly, interior packing components can keep your delicate products safe, protected, and positioned while traveling from your store to your customer’s homes and offices. In addition to product protection, interior packaging can delightfully display the products and provide a better experience to users.
Properly handling your interior packaging can increase brand recognition, guard against product damage, and deliver a satisfying and ideal customer experience. Experiment with colors, layouts, and other interior components to bring the finished product together.
6. Give a Sneak Peak
Editing images and photorealistic representations that usually don’t correspond to the truth of what’s inside have come to the attention of consumers in recent years. In that regard, a better strategy can be to avoid misleading clients while simultaneously incorporating images and, if possible, a “sneak peek” of the item to create eye-catching and enticing packaging.
It’s a nice touch to be able to see exactly what you’re purchasing. When you give users a preview of the box or package, there is a better chance that they will interact with and purchase your product. There won’t be any surprises when customers open the product at home if they can see inside the package and judge the quality of your product while purchasing. They will buy it without a doubt because they can identify the excellence of your goods by looking at them before purchasing.
7. Stay on Top of Trends
Make your package more relevant by building it with current trends. Staying current, when possible, is one of the most effective methods for giving your package a unique flair. Product packaging is ever-changing, and a good business will continuously optimize its packaging to appeal to customers. Staying on top of trends can be a great way to appeal to users.
The most recent trends in product packaging design can be interpreted as a reaction to and representation of the times. While trends are always changing you can appeal to more users by keeping up with them. Looking into how the most popular brands are packaging their products and adapting your designs to meet consumer expectations is a great way to stay ahead of the competition. Take inspiration from current trends in packaging and add your spin to it while creating the packaging of your product.
8. Think Eco-Friendly
People are becoming more and more aware of the issue of sustainability, which has recently taken up a significant piece of public discourse.
Making eco-friendly packaging and reducing plastic waste are investments in the future for all of us. However, on a more practical and financially advantageous level, this can also create more clients for your company. Being environmentally conscious is a terrific approach to building brand loyalty. More significantly, 56% of consumers support companies that share their beliefs.
Therefore, adopting a sustainable packaging strategy goes beyond increasing earnings right away.
It entails interacting with your clients and creating lasting relationships. Giving the packaging for your product a purpose is one approach to being environmentally friendly. For example, a Dutch business, “Slopes & Town,” offers products like socks and belts with many uses made of bamboo and recycled plastic. Sustainability and minimizing waste are the company’s guiding principles. Ecologically responsible packaging, usually constructed of recycled material, can be a unique selling point and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
9. Customizable Design
Custom packagings are a fantastic way to provide clients with a special unwrapping experience and demonstrate your company values. Your ideal customer may encounter your product for the first time in a box. Therefore, your packaging must accurately depict your products. Your brand’s values should be reflected in the design of your customized packaging. Everything from a tissue box to gift wrapping, printed typefaces, packing papers, and even more can be customized in a variety of ways. Additionally, you can imprint all over your custom boxes to present your brand in fresh ways and provide clients with a pleasing experience.
The price tag that comes with customized branded packaging can be a drawback. These costs span both time and money. While customized packaging can be more costly, it also gives your customers a better experience and shows that you care about their interactions with your business. Custom packaging can be difficult and is not the most popular packaging technique, but it is an exciting and engaging way to delight customers.
10. Vintage-Inspired Packaging
“What’s old is fresh again” is celebrated on vintage packaging. Nostalgia has a huge impact on people, regardless of age. In 2023, a lot of businesses use vintage packaging to market goods that capture earlier ideals.
The vintage look from the 1970s never truly goes out of style; rather, it simply goes to sleep for a couple of seasons. And in the wake of the pandemic, trends in everything from interior decoration to clothing to packaging design are returning to the warm color palettes and cozy, flowing images of the 1970s.
The ’70s vintage aesthetic is characterized by earthy color palettes, particularly those in shades of brown and orange, bubbly serif typefaces, and dense, wavy patterns. This fashion-for-design product packaging embodies cool familiarity and cool uniqueness. For instance, the farm-to-table movement inspires the porcelain dinnerware that HeirloomHomeStudio creates and sells on Etsy. Their items have a vintage aesthetic, and their brand emphasizes simplicity. Their modest printed boxes perfectly capture the vintage atmosphere.
11. Luxury Packaging
Packaging unique and luxurious products must be carefully designed and carried out. It’s the very first thing a customer notices. It is a sign of the caliber of the things it contains. Something that ought to arouse desire and anticipation for the hidden treasure it holds. Thus, emphasizing the visual and physical senses for something like a luxury brand can be quite successful. Attractive packaging also contributes to the brand’s emotional appeal, enhancing the product’s elitist nature. This contributes to a brand’s marketing strategy by inspiring a desire in the customer.
It is also important to think about how elegantly the packaging is handled and opened. Apple thoroughly incorporated this into the design of all of its product packaging. Luxury packaging adds to the experience and shows the consumer that every part of their interaction with the brand is thoughtful and worth the cost.
​Unique Packaging Goes Beyond Looks
Business owners must understand that the packaging of their products conveys a lot about the contents. It conveys information to prospective customers about quality, volume, worth, applications, and even functionality. You can’t leave your packaging design to chance, especially because corporations spend more on research and innovation than advertising.
The overall price of manufacturing a product has a lot to do with its product’s packaging. The price per unit of your product will increase due to the cost of packaging in addition to the price of raw materials, manpower, transportation, and marketing.
Research indicates:
- If customers purchased a product inside quality packaging, 52% of customers say they would go back to that store for shopping.
- More than 90% of packaging is already in recycled boxes
- Over 40% of customers post pictures of intriguing and distinctive packaging.
Consider the design, size, usefulness, and components of your package before choosing them. Ensure that it is robust, simple to open, and portable. Incorporate handles or some other means to make the goods easier for a customer to take up if it is heavy. Consumers predict that if the packaging is fancy, the product will be a high-end item.
Test Your Packaging with Poll the People
Packaging is the first interaction of customers with the product. Therefore, it is important to test the effectiveness of your packaging designs. Packaging should align with the brand’s mission. Otherwise, it will fail to attract customers no matter how visually appealing it is.
Package design testing with Poll the people will help you to choose the best design, material, images, and messaging for products and packaging. If you are developing a new product for your business, testing the product’s design, packaging and application will show you if you are on the right track.
Our platform helps marketers, designers, and product managers become superheroes by reducing risk, driving conversions, and improving your design effectiveness.
We unleash the combined power of AI and human insights to create optimized assets fast. With our dedicated user panel that gives you real human feedback on your designs and answers your test questions, you can use human intelligence to choose the best packaging. With any market research platform, the difficulty comes when you need to analyze results. But Poll the People incorporates AI into our results, with robust word clouds to examine results, demographic information to understand respondents, and our insights tab that summarizes the feedback. Poll the People gives you all the tools you need to eliminate roadblocks and optimize your packaging with better results, faster testing, and plans that fit any budget.
To run a brand test on Poll the People, you need to follow the following steps:
- Design your test with a question and your assets
- Choose the right audience
- Launch the package design test
- Analyze results with the power of AI and human insights
Unlike other platforms, Poll the People requires respondents to explain their choice. Therefore, you get real written feedback that tells you more about the test than the numbers. Each user will tell you why one version of packaging is better than another and help you understand what needs improvement in your product packaging.
Conclusion
Unique and Innovative packaging serves many purposes than just aesthetics. If done well, your packaging will draw the attention of potential customers and aid you in growing your business in a crowded market.
Never put off designing your packaging or assume the product will speak for itself. It would be foolish to dismiss the importance of boxes and other packing materials as a marketing strategy. Considerate packaging design techniques like the ones described above can assist you in bringing in new clients while retaining existing ones.
Before releasing your product packaging, it is always advised to conduct a design test to ensure that you are not wasting your time, effort, or money. You can test the various facets of your brand that contribute to the success of the product with Poll the People.
Are you ready to begin your packaging design test? Start evaluating today with Poll the People!
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eden rock
I love how versatile custom boxes wholesale are. I can personalize them with my logo and brand colors, creating a cohesive and memorable unboxing experience.
Custom boxes and packaging