While creating a product to sell, proof of concept of the use of the product is just the first step. Once the product itself is ready, the next step is to get it to the customers, efficiently. For FMCG products or any product that is sold off the shelf, the shelf impact is something that needs to be studied well.
Shelf impact is the assessment of a package’s ability to sell itself in a competitive market. It takes into observation the behavior of various buyers to measure how customers identify the product they need and how they choose from the numerous options of brands available.
In this blog, we will discuss how packaging design can be improved to have a powerful shelf impact.
While the most impactful way of getting customers to pick your product off the shelf is to test the market for various designs and trust the numbers (in sales), there are some measures that can be taken in advance to improve your chances of a higher impact.
First, know your audience.
Defining who the target audience and buyers of your product are and making note of their common values, general behaviors and preferences can help in creating a design that will catch the eye and appeal to the customers.
For example, if your target audience is buyers who care about sustainability, packaging made out of sustainable materials will have an upper hand over another packaging. In this case, the buyers’ emotions associated with sustainability will play a much stronger role than the visual impact of the packaging design.
Next, ensure the packaging clearly and boldly communicates what makes the product inside stand out.
Features such are high nutritional value, exceptional durability, high quality should be either represented by the visuals on the packaging or should be stated in words to bring awareness to the shoppers.
Lastly, curiosity really pulls out those credit cards from the wallet.
Innovative design that has not been seen before can push a shopper to buy something they were not even looking for. And while such a buy does not ensure a recurring customer, it definitely exposes your product to a wider audience.