Oftentimes, shopping is a difficult task. This probably sounds odd, because who doesn’t love shopping? Yes, it can sometimes be a great way to spend an afternoon and purchase some new clothing items or a device that you have wanted for a long time.
However, in this article, we are going to focus on shopping for groceries and other small items. It is a fact that nowadays there are so many different kinds of the same product and choosing the right one for you isn’t always easy.
For example, let’s discuss buying a face cream – there are dozens of these, manufactured by different companies, usually with the more or less same ingredients, and they all have the same purpose. So how do you, as a customer, choose which one to get?
Usually, the first thing that attracts us to a certain item is the packaging, and this is going to be the main topic of this article. We are going to tell you what features of packaging draw the attention of the buyers which then leads them to make a purchase.
1Product recognition
The main reason why every company works hard on coming up with a unique design is to create brand awareness. We can all agree that this is the first thing that shoppers notice. People are creatures of habit, and that habit is very hard to break. Due to this reason, some of us don’t like experimenting meaning that once we find an item we like, we usually stick with it.
Most of the time, shopping is just another errand that we have to do, and when we enter the store, we usually go right to the sector where we are going to find what we are looking for and just grab the same item we have already used.
Major corporations understand this and it is why they hire professionals to create a design that people are going to immediately associate with their products.
2Colors
The second feature that attracts the customers is the color. Here, we are not only talking about brand recognition. Let’s put it this way. You have to buy chocolate cereals for example. So you go to the local grocery store, stand in the aisle, look at the shelf where dozens of these are displayed, and which ones do you notice? The ones in brown boxes.
This is a natural selection that our brain makes. You are looking for a specific item and those are the only ones you see. Due to this fact, companies tend to choose the colors that are going to help you associate the packaging with the product inside. Basically, it is another marketing strategy that is going to help them increase their revenue.
3Patterns
We have mentioned how you can associate colors with the type of item, but now let’s discuss how patterns used on packaging can convince you to buy a product. This is especially important if that kind of item is usually purchased as a gift like a scented candle or some decorative item.
It is a fact that when we buy presents we want them to look nice. Manufacturers of these items dedicate a lot of time to designing the packaging, because not only does it have to attract the customers but also to be aesthetically appealing to everyone.
Now, when it comes to choosing the right colors, the target audience is the crucial element. Before coming up with the design that is going to help the company build brand awareness, they do thorough research among their clients. They think about their age, gender, and other things when creating this design.
For example, if their customers are usually millennials or teenagers they are probably going to choose some bold colors and patterns that are more likely to appeal to the younger audience. On the other hand, if their product is intended for older people, then their choice is probably going to be something neutral.
4Quality
Furthermore, the quality of the packing is an equally important feature because buyers usually associate it with the quality of the item that it holds. It is a general rule, and when shoppers opt for a high-quality box, they expect it to reflect the product inside.
This is why large companies like Apple invest a lot of money into their packing. When one sees the box with that apple sign, they know that some great and valuable device is inside.
On the other note, companies such as Amazon, which has millions of customers all around the world and that does not sell only one type of product, tend not to invest a large amount of money into the packaging. This is totally fine because people know what they are getting and are familiar with the company and their work.
As you can see the quality of the box is usually in proportion to the value of the product. However, this isn’t always necessarily true. Nowadays, there are many businesses like www.imcolorprint.com that offer customized boxes which means that today there are no limits when it comes to designing these.
5Impulse buying
Finally, let’s discuss something that is called an impulse purchase. When have all experienced this – we go out to buy a new pair of jeans and return home hours later with numerous bags and a totally new outfit completed with the accessories.
The same thing happens when we go to a store to purchase maybe a new shampoo and end up buying five other beauty products. Why do we do this? Well, oftentimes we can blame the packaging of these products, especially when a company launches a new design.
The new packaging attracts our attention, and sometimes, even though we would never buy that specific item, on these occasions we do. This is the reason why it is called ‘an impulse shopping’. Oftentimes we purchase things that we don’t actually need, and afterward, we usually regret buying them.
To sum up, in this article, we have tried to explain to you how the major corporations try to draw the attention of the people to their products. Think about these five points the next time you find yourself in front of a shelf deciding whether or not to make a purchase.
