Have you seen the packaging design of a ring box?

How the packaging creates the atmosphere that presents the product to the hopeful bride-to-be.

The design of the product box is simple and less complete but noticeable because packaging is always classy.

The "how" and the "means" of packaging work together to create an experience that enhances the product for the customer to purchase.

The many roles that product boxes play include; identification, protection, marketing, and transportation.  

In this article, we'll look at how packaging design can boost your business sales.

Contents

Packaging Design Explained
Before Starting Your Packaging Design
Packaging Design Process: 7 Steps To Consider
Importance of Packaging Design in Branding
How Packaging Design Acts As Sales Tool
 
Packaging Design Explained

It is the process of outlining creatively the exterior of a product. This includes the choice of material, and the combination of graphics, colors, imagery, and other important elements that will make product containers unique and attractive to the customers.

The goals of packaging design include:

1. Protection of the product
2. Brand visibility and identity
3. Drive the interest of the customer

These goals show that the function of packaging design as a branding tool is promoting the taste and feel of the product to the customer with the core aim of helping businesses meet their marketing objectives stand out in their competitive markets; and then generate sales.

 
Before Starting Your Packaging Design

Three questions that need to be answered before you design the packaging of a product:

What's the product?
Who's the product meant for?
How will they buy the product?

Well, this is not a tricky question; but should be an easy one for you to answer. You should be able to know;

What are you selling?
How big is the product? 
What materials is the product made of? 

This will help you determine if there will be any logistical cost for your product packaging. 

Who's the Product Meant For?

Understand if the product is meant to be used by children, adults, men, women, or both. Is the product for environmentally conscious people? Or, to those on a budget or with a lot of money to spend?

The packaging should be able to appeal to its target customer; understanding who the product is meant for is important because you have full knowledge of what to do during the design process. 

You should know that products for older adults may need bigger text. While products targeted for an affluent customer need to consider materials that create the feeling of luxury.

How Will They Buy the Product?

Will they buy it in a brick-and-mortar shop? Online?

You need to think about packaging the product differently if it is going to be sold online and shipped to the customer. Or if it's going to be sold on a physical store shelf.

Having answered these questions will guide you into making the right decisions during the packaging design process.

If you don't have answers? It means you're not ready to start the branding process. And that’s fine! Take your time and get it right before you jump in unprepared and then end up making a lot of mistakes that will lead to waste of resources.

But if you're ready, then let's jump into the next thing to do.

 
Packaging Design Process: 7 Steps To Consider

Many people are of the assumption that this process looks straightforward to do. Like creating a structure by adding an illustration and slapping some text and colors. And then your design is ready to use.

Here's the truth!

Packaging design is a process that requires you to have technical skills, think creatively and strategically to come up with a unique design that stands out on the shelf and finally ends up in a customer’s shopping basket. 

Product Briefing

This is the stage when communication is established with a prospective package design company and an introduction is given. The business explains the industry they are in, the kind of products they have and the benefits, the kind of customers they sell to, and the ways people buy their products. Specific requirements are provided by the business, especially if the product represents their brand. Then they should provide a web design company with their logo, fonts, colors, tagline, and more.

Research

The particular phase will help your designers to narrow their decisions and inform their strategies to come up with a unique and winning design. The research is to provide key information on your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, their strategies, the audience wants, needs, and buying motivators (drivers).

Concepting

Once your designers can define the product specifications, review your competitor products, and determine the customers' needs, the concept design stage will then start. This next step is when all the elements such as identity and positioning are considered. This is to make sure the design aligns with your brand identity and appeals to the target customer. At this stage, a combination of creativity and technical skills is needed to deliver concepts that will be submitted for selection.

Design Review and Refinement

Few concepts have been created by your designers for you to go through and provide feedback. You can request changes in areas like fonts, colors, imagery, and other elements to make the design meet up your expectation. The designers will work on the design to ensure it aligns with your brand identity and at the same time creates an emotional connection with the customers.

Print

At this stage, you have approved the final design and the time to bring it into a reality by printing it. Here, you need the services of a professional printing company to handle it to be able to have exactly what the designers did.  

Market Launch

The exciting step of the packaging design process is to launch your new product into the world. You need to plan everything on time so that this process will go smoothly and avoid stress.

Post-launch Feedback

This is to ascertain customers' interest and satisfaction in the packaging design since its launch. And if there are areas of improvement to ensure it stands the test of time.

 
Importance of Packaging Design in Branding

There are lots of aspects to consider when it comes to designing your product package. Ask yourself some questions like; does it convey your brand’s personality? Are the colors unique and eye-catching? This is to make sure the packaging design adheres to the brand's visions while appealing to the target audience.

There's a lot to keep track of. By conducting the necessary market research will determine the ideal action that you want customers to take (which is to purchase), and stay on top of the latest design trends in the market. Although certain trends in the market, like minimalist aesthetics, tend to stand the test of time.

Well, one thing you and your branding experts can take comfort in is that effective designs are always the features that will capture your customers' attention and embed in their memories about your brand. This means that packaging design is more than just a protective covering for your product but they are marketing materials on their own that plays an important role in driving more sales to your business.

 
How Packaging Design Acts As Sales Tool

In any supermarket, you will see a variety of products on the shelves or an ecommerce website. It is safe to say that 7 out of 10 purchases you made are based on its packaging design. Except when you have adequate information to opt for another product that doesn't have any uniqueness.

The truth is that many shoppers will choose a product with a unique packaging that will propel them to make a purchase which inevitably makes your product stand out from the competition in the market. This is because customers take their time and go through the label to be sure the product is right for them. Meaning the information placed on packaging plays an important role in your customers’ buying journey.

Displaying your brand logo with other elements on your packaging design will make your customers aware of your brand. And they will be more likely to remember your brand which can increase chances of future purchases. The increasing craziness of digital around millennial online shopping is a new trend where online packaging is playing a crucial role in creating a lasting impression on customers. Nowadays, online shoppers share a photo or video of a new product on the social media platform where they are unboxing a product and this innovative video convinces a lot of people to purchase the product.

Conclusion

There are a lot of options when it comes to packaging design but make sure you always consider your audience. Also brand, product type, industry, and other elements you need that will help your packaging stand out and increase sales. Successful packaging design is a tool that draws them in by promising them a great experience with the product inside.

So one way to make your packaging different from others is with your custom design and this increases sale. All you have to do is for your customers to notice your product in the crowd of competitors and go for it. But when they notice your product, it will increase sales, eliciting positive responses from customers.

Design plays a huge role in e-commerce as well. The number of visitors willing to become customers fully depends on the attractiveness of the website, that's why entrepreneurs spend a fortune on good designers.

I agree that entrepreneurs waste money on designers nowadays, even though it's not necessary. And I'm not saying that the quality of a website is not important at all. I mean, there are ways to reduce these spendings, for instance, working with outsourcing companies like https://www.awesomic.io/ instead of hiring a designer to the team. As for this company, the first week trial is only $7, and the monthly subscription is cheaper than the specialist's salary. Such services still provide entrepreneurs with high-end designs, leading to having a designer on payroll is a waste of money.