Choosing the Right Packaging for Your Product

Beyond serving the functional purpose of containing your product, packaging is a critical step to marketing and creating an image for your brand. Your customers will decide whether or not to purchase your good depending on how it looks in its final packaging, so you want to make sure that it reflects your uniqueness and creativity as a business. But there are a number of things to consider when making packaging choices. As with any marketing strategy, it pays to think about your target market and what will appeal to your customers in particular. Here are a few tips for thinking about your best packaging options.

Function

As eye-catching and exciting as we want our packaging to be, the first order of business when selecting your packaging is to determine the functional needs of your good. Two especially important things to consider are transportability and durability. Think through the whole life cycle of your good and it’s physical traits. Will it need to be shipped? Does it need to be able to withstand any harsh conditions? Does the product (and it’s packaging) need to last a long time or is it going to be consumed quickly? How can the packaging support ease of use for the customer?

Form

The form of your packaging builds on the functional element and begins to incorporate your marketing and design ideals. It can be as fun, interesting, and creative as you want it to be. And the more innovative the better, since you want your product to stand out and reflect your brand’s unique image. Packaging design can go many different directions. Maybe it’s the color, shape, or texture of the packaging that will draw customers. Maybe it’s the overall aesthetic or detail of the design. A good example of this is Amy’s Kitchen pasta sauces. It comes in an ordinary pasta jar but has a golden bow over the lid, which gives it that extra appealing touch. And, subtly, it says a lot about the brand. The bow suggests a level of care and quality that might not be seen in the packaging of other brands, even if the products are almost identical. Remember, a customer is ultimately going to judge your product (and choose whether or not to buy it) by the packaging that it comes in, how it looks, and what messages it sends about the product and your business.

Sustainability

Another great way to create an edge for your product is to incorporate green design into your packaging. Sustainability is a growing trend that’s not going away anytime soon, and it’s easy to tie environmental consciousness in with great packaging innovation. Not only can it work wonders as a marketing tool, but choosing the right packaging can also be a great way to streamline your business and save you a lot of money. Overpackaging or using the wrong type of packaging can lead to unnecessary expenses. And does any small business owner really need those? Think about using recycled or recyclable materials for your packaging. Or, even better, think about ways that your packaging, once it has been used, can be turned into an additional product for your customer? POM Tea is a great example of this, since they now carry a line of teas that come in a regular glass jar with a lid on it. On the label it says: remove the label, keep the glass. By innovating their design in this way, they’ve created a second desirable product out of their original packaging. And it removes the need for recycling or disposal entirely. Except for the label, that is.

Packaging is a powerful marketing tool and is the final image of your product and brand that customers will see before deciding whether or not to purchase your good. There are as many packaging ideas and designs out there as there are products and business, so make sure to take the time to create packaging that is going to reflect the best qualities of your own uniqueness and standards. But, most importantly, have fun with it! Because if you enjoy the combination of form, function, and reuse or sustainability that come together with your product, so will your customers.