Is It Time to Update Your Product Packaging?
When was the last time your product packaging designs got an update?
When the success of your business relies on the sales of products, one of the most important things to invest in is your sales marketing strategy. Part of this strategy is the design of your product packaging. This includes not only the first packaging design, but updates to that design over the course of your business.
Taking time to refresh your packaging design helps with sales and staying competitive in an ever changing market. It may also help you build better client relationships by growing with your audience as their needs change.
One of the most important things a packaging refresh can do is to show your customers that you care about them! It shows that you have taken time to grow with them and understand what they value. Investing in a redesign also shows that you value your brand and your product.
Remember, the packaging is the first thing a customer sees. The packaging says just as much about the product as it does about the brand. So, do your product packages still say what you want? If you’re not sure, keep reading to see if it may be time for a packaging refresh!
1. Your Product Is Not Seeing Expected Sales
One of the first indications you may need a design update is when you notice you are not hitting the expected sales goals for that product. You may also notice a decline in sales. This is one of the reasons it is important to add packaging redesign to your regular marketing strategy. Including it as part of your strategy ensures that you will review the design more frequently. The more frequently you can review the design, the quicker you can see how it is performing. This way you can pay attention and make adjustments sooner, rather than later, to keep hitting your sales goals.
2. Continue to Stand Out From the Competition
One of the reasons your sales may be impacted is due to the competition. The world of sales is always changing. New products are constantly being added to the market - especially in the food and beverage industry. New brands are often more up to date on the latest trends, as they have done the most recent market research in order to appeal to their audience. This gives them an advantage when they launch a new product.
In addition to new brands and products, other older brands are trying to keep up with the new competition as well. Brands that are in the know will recognize the need for change and take action to create new designs to stay competitive. Giving your product packaging a refresh is one of the best ways to stay relevant and competitive in an ever changing market.
3. Grow With Your Customers
As your brand grows and changes, so does your audience. Therefore, what originally appealed to your audience may no longer be appealing. Consider this from the perspective of a brand whose target audience is parents. If a company launched their first product ten years ago, the generation of parents they appealed to during that product’s first year are no longer their audience. They now have a brand new generation of parents they need to engage. While a product itself may not need to change, the way it’s packaged may need an update to stay modern and relevant.
This isn’t just about product packaging that is designed for parents, any product designed to appeal to a specific age group needs to be revisited frequently. Part of appealing to generational audiences is to be mindful of not just a change in age, but a change in values. An example of this is how more and more consumers are choosing to purchase products based on the materials used for packaging. This is why a packaging refresh may not have as much to do with the visual aspect, as much as it has to do with switching to sustainable packaging.
4. Changes to the Product
Staying relevant and competitive isn’t just about the visual design of a package. Packaging also needs to be updated anytime there is a change to your product. These may be changes you are required to make, or changes your company chooses to make. An example of a required change would be if you have a package for a food or beverage product that needs to be updated to include new required Federal regulations. If your company makes a change by choice, for example changing an ingredient in the product, you would need to change that on your packaging.
While you could just add the new information to the old packaging, consider the other reasons above. Adding a new ingredient may be the perfect time to create a new design! This can be especially effective in products where you want to highlight the new ingredient to appeal to your audience, for example, if you switched out high fructose corn syrup for real sugar.
5. Show You Are Invested in Your Product, Company and Customers
Consumers today are much more aware of what products and brands they invest in. This new awareness has led to holding brands more accountable in how they do business, as well as how they give back to their communities and the environment.
This is seen in how more brands are listing specific types of ingredients on their packaging, such as labeling a product as non-GMO or organic, or switching to sustainable packaging. In addition, many companies now make an effort to invest time or money into their communities to build positive relationships. Brands are becoming more transparent because their customers made it clear it’s important for them to purchase from brands that have similar values as they do.
Investing in updating packaging is one way you can reflect your customer’s values. It is a visual way that quickly shows you are listening to the people who buy your products, and that you care about their input. This shift to more transparency is significant in how consumers and businesses are working to build relationships that go beyond a single sale.
So, does your packaging still reflect your customer’s values?
Remember, the packaging is the first thing a customer sees that helps them decide whether to invest in your product, so take some time to update your packaging to show you are invested in them!
Comments