When you’re getting started with your product, it’s hard to understand the role that retail packaging plays in your marketing and selling it. In fact, it’s one of the most vital decisions you’ll ever need to make. The chief thing is to realize is what packaging factors will drive your product’s success — or its failure.
No Package – No Product
Well, you do have your product, but without that all important outer “dressing,” it’s just not the complete picture. It doesn’t matter what type of packaging you need. Say you have something like cologne, prescription tablets, a bag of snacks, or even peanut butter. Without the bottle and pump, blister pack, container, and closure or cap, flexible bag, or jar with a closure, all you have are beakers of cologne, large dispensing containers of pills, or vats of snack food or peanut butter. So where would your product be without retail packaging when it’s time to hit the shelves?
Another thing to consider is this; will your product need a package that’s part of the product itself, or will it serve to be a protective device that shows the product? It’s also time to decide if your product’s packaging will impact its shipping and merchandising.
Retail Packaging: The Face of Your Brand
Packaging is the face of your brand. It identifies your product on the shelves, but also tells your customers a lot about what’s inside that package. Your packaging should clearly communicate everything you want your brand to represent:
- Do your customers feel that your product will help them feel better?
- Will your customers feel that they can trust your products?
- Will your customers believe they are getting value for their money?
- Will your product stand out among its competitors?
- Does its retail packaging work as a type of billboard to gain customers’ attention?
- Will it stand out with its color, design, and packaging materials?
At the end of the day, customers only spend around 2.6 seconds looking at a product. When they see yours in an aisle, the look of the bottle, container, jar, or pouch will tell them a great deal not only about your product, but about your brand and company.
How to Sell Your Product
So how can your product be made attractive to customers?
As you’re developing your product, perform market research. Go into shops, stores, and other places where similar products are sold.
A product can taste great, help in health and wellness, or provide children with the latest game or treat, but few people will buy it if it’s too expensive, in unappealing packaging, in unsuitable sizes, or if the labeling’s not attractive or uninformative.
With market research, you can find out this information:
- Determine the size units and prices of competing products by store location
- Examine any quality weaknesses of the competing products
- Examine the containers of the competing products as related to what you’re planning to use for your product
- Examine the labeling and what legal requirements need to be included on the packaging
- Consider the use of your brand name
- Does your product compete on price with other products?
- Does it compete on quality?
- What other sizes are stocked on the shelves?
- What packaging do customers and stores want and can you supply these?
- What labels are required by law and what information is needed on them?
- Is your product going to carry a brand name?
Other things to consider as you’re preparing to sell your product with an eye to your retail packaging:
- Is it eco-friendly
- Is it a consumer luxury
- Is it a cost-conscious generic
You need to get assistance with what you want to see in your product’s presentation after that market research. What shapes, sizes, closures, and materials work the best with your product? It doesn’t matter what your product does – there will be a retail packaging solution for you.
Packaging That Says “Wow!”
When thinking about your retail packaging, you want to create a concept or brand presentation that is entirely new — and don’t forget to think about your market research, too. You want to aim for the “wow” factor. Think big. Think “The X Factor.” Find that niche and fill it. Take an emerging consumer trend and run with it and get it to snowball. You’ll know it’s a success when you can get your product and its packaging out and about to a wider strategy.
Be creative and engaging. You’re only limited by your imagination. Look out of the box for your retail packaging. Make it:
- easier to open
- more fun to use
- with a longer life
- more sustainable
It doesn’t matter if you spread, spray, drop, squeeze, drink, or pour your product. Go ahead -get to owning the shelves with your product.
Choosing the right retail packaging for your products can be difficult but is vital to your branding. MJS Packaging offers the best customer service and lowest prices for your pharmaceutical product packaging. We have exclusive access to manufacturers from all around the world, so we can advise you on the best bottles, tubes, closures, caps, and other packaging needs you may have.
