There are many times we are required to think outside the box and, other times, inside the box. But, the key to standing out from your competition comes from thinking about the box itself. Whether it’s a pen or mints you hand out at community events, or cute packaging fit with creative design work, unique packaging can create a memorable shopping experience for your customers.
Cute packaging transforms your products into an experience, captivating customers and leaving a lasting impression. Small business packaging is the perfect introduction to your business for online orders and helps keep your brand at the forefront of customers’ minds for in-store purchases. It’s like clever advertising, but more effective. In fact, according to a recent study, 94% of initial customer impressions are design-related.
But, it gets even better: Creative packaging ideas have the potential to turn first timers into repeat customers. According to PakFactory, 52% of customers express their likelihood to return to a business for future purchases if the product comes in premium packaging. And, there is real science to back that up. According to marketing psychologists, cute and creative packaging stimulates impulsive areas of the brain, and generates rewarding responses. Boring unappealing packaging, on the other hand, triggers negative emotions.
Packaging isn’t simply a container to house your products–it’s an art form that sets businesses apart, entices customers, and creates a powerful connection between brands and consumers.
The best small business packaging ideas speak directly to your target customers. To get started, consider their age, gender, and shopping habits. Think of your packaging as a portable billboard for your brand. It speaks to your customers when you’re not around and, when done well, is immediately eye-catching enough to draw them in to learn more.
Colors, visuals, typography, and shape are the four core elements of packaging design you need to keep in mind when determining how you want to visually represent your brand.
Not all colors are perceived equally. To stand out, you have to play the color game! One study found that nearly 85% of consumers cite color as the main reason they buy a particular product. According to marketing research, the most eye-catching colors are red, yellow, green, and pink. While using one or more of those may physiologically increase the likelihood that someone will look at your package, choose colors that speak to your brand. Different colors elicit different emotions. In the United States, red evokes love, passion, anger, and action. Blue is associated with tranquility, trust, stability, and sadness. Yellow is associated with happiness, and green is associated with money and the environment.
Visuals help in associating with the brand and create high recall value. They are graphical representations of the product inside, which one can easily understand without reading. Whether you have a company mascot or an eye-catching logo, visuals are essential in creating brand association and recognition.
Unique fonts do more than create a cool look. They draw customers in and tell your brand’s story. Typography can strongly support branding and messaging by bringing customers’ attention to the brand name and product type. The font used on your package should align with your branding and add personality to make your product unique.
Different fonts carry different meanings. Want to present prestige, elegance, and maturity? Go with a fancy script font. Handwritten fonts are better for creating casual, playful, rebellious, and youthful feelings. Headline fonts will be your attention-grabbing, intense, truthful ones, while Sans-Serif print fonts present more modernity, directness, and simplicity. What about unique, whimsical, fun fonts? Decorative fonts could be a good option. When it comes to text, remember, too much information is overwhelming. Not enough information will only lead to confusion. To find that happy medium, ask yourself, “What are the 2-3 reasons this product is unique and necessary for your target audience?”
The shape of the packaging attracts consumer attention right away. Playing around with the shape may grab the customer’s attention quicker than other products on the shelf. In addition to the brand and the label, the shape of the packaging makes you stand out. Many producers focus mainly on the graphic side of the packaging, while its shape fails to stand out in any way.
There are many different materials to choose from. The most common materials include paper, plastic, and glass. Each material has its benefits and drawbacks; for example, glass is rigid but fragile, so it may not be ideal for shipping if your primary storefront is online. On the other hand, plastic is more flexible, but can be costly.
This is where knowing your target audience is essential. Using the CRM and customer engagement suite with a Clover POS system, you can learn about your customers’ age, gender, and buying habits. If you’re appealing to millennials and younger generations, choosing sustainable packaging may be more likely to draw more customers in, for example.
Unique packaging ideas come in all forms. Swag, for instance, can be great for branding and marketing, because it promotes your brand while also providing a useful item to customers. These items can be affordable and easy to distribute, making them a perfect option for extra advertising. While mints, hand sanitizers, and pens are always handy, the best giveaways speak to your business.
Packaging is an essential part of any business and can be used to stand out from the competition. Creative packaging ideas can help your business grow by increasing brand awareness and driving sales.
Package designers know that packaging that simply “holds something” isn’t good packaging. Good packaging is more than a vessel; it’s one of the most important elements in a brand’s marketing arsenal.
It’s no wonder that 31% of global consumers say packaging is extremely important to their overall satisfaction with a product. On store shelves, or even in an e-commerce setting, eye-catching, innovative packaging is crucial in shoppers’ buying decisions.
Brands today face many challenges, but smart brands know these demands also present opportunities. They know that packaging that solves problems differently can help their products stand out. But it takes creativity to design new solutions that address issues like user experience, sustainability, shipping, food safety, and more. To get a better sense of how creative packaging design is tackling these challenges, let’s take a look at a few examples across specific industries.