Packaging design in the competitive struggle

Marketing research shows that more than 70% of shoppers decide which product will end up in their cart only while standing in the store, so it is difficult to overestimate the importance of packaging. Commercial packaging has long gone beyond its original function — to preserve the appearance and original characteristics of the product. It is a key brand tool for attracting attention, creating and consolidating its image among competitors.

Role of design

Store shelves are bursting with an abundance of goods, therefore, a thoughtful packaging design is intended, among other things, to present the product to the consumer from a positive side, entering into a kind of dialogue with the buyer. In addition to distinguishing and distinguishing a product from analogs, design can affect other competitive advantages:

• Promotes gentle transportation and display of goods at the point of sale. The perception of a potential customer for products in packaging without damage and with an attractive appearance increases the demand for such products. In addition, the ergonomics of the packaging is important — the more optimal the design, the more units of goods can be transported at a time, saving on delivery.
• The packaging can help to conveniently use the product, for it includes dispensers, sponges, brushes, and more. For example, the now-known packaging of compact powder with a sponge appeared in 1932 and made a revolution, leaving the manufacturer of this novelty in history forever.
• Application safety. The childproof features included in the packaging can also be a key factor in product selection.
• Authentication. Many manufacturers use holographic effects or excise stamps to protect their products, which indicate the originality and exclusivity of the product.
• Providing the consumer with important information about the composition, properties or, for example, environmental friendliness.

Modern trends

With the development of the consumer market, product packaging is also undergoing changes in the following key areas:

• Environmental friendliness. Packaging made from sustainable materials strengthens the brand’s reputation and positively influences demand.
• The rise of online trading. When selling on the Internet, when the buyer is left with only the visual perception of the goods, the brightness, color and originality of the packaging design are more important than ever. Therefore, the requirements for print quality and a variety of colors are growing. The NTL Upakovka company, possessing modern equipment and technological base, offers its customers the most modern and original packaging design solutions — from different textures to holographic effect.
• Packaging as an element of the game. Modern society is notable for its infantilism, which is reflected in the design of packaging, which tends to entice the buyer into the game, for example, to collect all the heroes of a famous film.
• High information content. The consumer’s need to know as much as possible about the product and the legal requirements force the packaging manufacturers to place as much information about the product as possible on its «cover».

Combining all the trends within the packaging of one product is a complex design project. The more successful it is, the higher the consumer demand and the company’s profit, as well as the lower the cost of active advertising.