COP 3 - Ways to make product packaging stand out on the shelf

The perfect packaging metaphor is from the old saying is 'You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink' The fundamental truth is that the final purchasing decision is made at the shelf edge in store. No matter how much effort company will put into advertising and sale promotion, if the packaging fails to deliver at the point of sale because the packaging is not attractive then all that investment spent elsewhere is largely wasted. So how to get people and grab their attention to the product? What kind of methods company needs to use to create packaging design to stand out on the shelf?

Target audience 

First of all its important to understand the target audience, putting together interesting design will draw eyeballs isn't hard. There are plenty of very creative designers who can create wonders, but if the packaging design is drawing the wrong eyeballs, what's the point?

Imagery 

Keeping the packaging design simple is essential but it doesn't mean the brand shouldn't use imagery effectively. The picture is worth a thousand of words, and when the company is dealing with only a few seconds that consumers take to look at a shelf, the company definitely need to come up with something that draws them very quickly.

Product and packaging should match 

For example a humorous label on high - end perfume won't cut it, just as stylish, sleek label isn't appropriate for a bag of potato chips. It establishes the wrong expectations which will make consumers be disappointed.

Right colors and shapes  

Choosing the right colours and shapes has a massive impact on people's buying decisions. Colours same as shapes attract different people and attract people differently as well. If the packaging design just looks like everything else on the shelf will lead the product to get unnoticed. For example 'diet' products like bars, yogurts or flakes very often uses 'slim' shape of the packaging same as a shape representing slim body shape. In the term of colours, colours are chosen strategically, so the packaging can help in boosting the sales. For example, the bright colours cannote the pops of the sweet or tangy flavor while subdued colours signify the complex flavors. This is why candies packed in shiny orange, red and yellow coloured wraps will attract more consumer than candies packed in dull colours.