Point of sale packaging needs a visual representation to entice the customer to decide to purchase
How do we go about getting display packaging right?
Most marketers that we work with have extensive experience with external marketing drives to pull the customers into the store (websites, marketing campaigns, social media and brand reputation to name a few), creating the demand to push more product into the store (standard pull creates push which is a great way to work). We find that they rely heavily on this marketing or advertising drive because it is something relatively measurable through engagement metrics… but believing that this will be enough to create the demand for the store to hold the product, the brand’s range and drive sales towards and beyond the goal sales levels could see them losing sales at point of purchase, it’s a bit like tripping over the finish line. Increasing your engagement and interest may increase sales through a larger audience but is not enough to increase conversion, like ensuring the engaged customers purchase the product when presented among its competing offers in store.
The good news is, we can measure the conversion rate within the store landscape too… we know that 76% of purchase decisions are made in the store (some researchers report up to 82%), they also report that up to 62% of shoppers make an impulse purchase and a further 16% make an unplanned purchase. However this varies in each specific industry. A customer visiting the store, even if they are predisposed to purchase your product may change their mind to purchase another product based on what they hear from the store staff and what they see while they are in store (price of competitors, tactility of the packaging including quality and perceived value, and information available about the product in person).
Unfortunately, there is not always a guideline readily available beyond copying your competitors and meeting your perceived customers requirements for in store packaging, so we will try to explain some simple tools that you wont find in text books to help.
So how can we put the best foot forward to?
There are a few things that I would careless not to mention, some packaging requires mandatory labeling like ingredients and allergens for food packaging, there are some expected qualifying items that are found on the products in the category on the market that may be deemed required to meet the customers information search checklist and it is extremely important to remember who the customer is… For example, if you are selling a breakfast cereal for children, while you want to make it appealing to the child so they will eat it in the home (and maybe ask for it in the store), you ALSO need to make it appealing for the parent or carer so they will decide to purchase the product.
Let’s dive into the things that you wont find in text books that can universally work on all products.
Let the packaging quality meet the product placement.
- This may seem illogical, but I would ask you to consider some thoughts, a premium product in a cheap box may come across as unworthy against its competitors on display, the customer may simply be deterred by the lack of pride in the product, even may find joy in spoiling themselves with the ‘better looking’ offer in their price category;
- Having an economic product in a premium box may come across as a waste, thoughts like “all the cost is in the packaging and not the product” or they may just consider that something is wrong with the product like it is meant to be a premium product but they quality just wasn’t good enough (perhaps they get alot of returns).
Getting the 10, 5, 2 & 1 of packaging right, this represents what the customer will see at these specific distances from the product measured in meters.
- At 10 meters the packaging should: Have visible branding, something enticing for the potential customer to come to 5 meters and ultimately create a destination for the product range/type
- At 5 meters from the product: You should be able to clearly identify the product, qualifying agents (product in action, industry expected imagery) and preferably the price unless it is excessive.
- When the customer get to 2 meters from the product, you want to reward them with clearly marked benefits (using icons is a great method), pricing and warranty. They should be able to identify the finer details of the product and clearly see everything that is on the box itself.
- A customer at 1 meters can already understand what the product is, its specific features, benefits, brand and qualifiers. At 1m the customer should be ready to pick up the package and read the details on the back, the features and specifications that support the benefits that are displayed on the front. By picking up the product you have an opportunity to really reassure them that this is the product for them and give them any final selling points to walk away with the product.
Present a product in the same manner that sales people would sell it.
The idea with a selling story is that in most respects, your customer is not an industry expert, they are looking for a product that will benefit them and meet their needs. The selling story can lead the customer through the information search process but the idea of a sales person or in this case package presentation, is a similar idea a permission marketing. Each step you present them and each step further in the process is a success to your marketing plan and increases their likeliness of purchasing your product.
- Identify your three to four main benefits that the product was designed to offer the customer.
- For each benefit compile a list of all the supporting features (preferably keeping these to three to four for each benefits unless there is more)
- Compile all the relevant specifications under each feature they support.
The benefits in this structure should be clearly presented on the front of the package, then the structure of the benefits, product features and supporting specifications can be structured together under each grouped feature and benefit on the back of the box. Don’t make the customer switch between a feature list and specification list trying to figure out what specification supports which feature and come to their own conclusion of how they support the benefits, tell them… give them the confidence that this product was designed with them in mind and the product is competently designed to meet their needs.
Without going on and on down each nuance of different styles of packaging, acetone windows to see the actual products and specific industry norms, any business should be able to create a frame work and structure to design packaging that appears professional and presents the customer the information and confidence they need to confidently purchase your products.
