How you package your brand is just as important as the quality of the product inside. Arca.com suggests 70% of consumers form impressions of a brand based on packaging alone. Today’s retail landscape is constantly changing.
As a brand, you need to stay up to date on emerging trends while keeping your products, branding, and CPG packaging current. This ensures customers remain aware of your relevance.
Why Should You Change Your Packaging?
Knowing when to change your packaging is key to continuing product sales. Regularly updating your packaging design will keep your product looking fresh on store shelves. This also helps you reach new consumers.
CPG packaging tells consumers why they should buy your product over others. Updating it helps you refine your brand. It also helps you reach different audiences.
When Is It Time to Make Those Changes?
Determining when to change your CPG packaging or knowing what changes to make isn’t easy. You want your brand to remain recognizable, but you need a fresh look and feel.
If done right, a packaging design update can improve your brand image and significantly increase your sales. Here are reasons why you may need to consider making changes to your CPG packaging:
1) Dated design - It can be difficult to know when your packaging is out of date, but if your design style is no longer used or your CPG packaging looks old compared to your competitors, you're probably due for an update. Browse competitors’ products and read up on trends to see what’s working and what isn’t.
2) Product reformulation - Consumers need to know what has changed about your product and how they will benefit. Changes in features and ingredients are great examples. Announce these changes with a new packaging design that communicates the changes. This cuts down on any confusion by shoppers about the previous formulation versus the new one.
3) Brand refresh - This might occur if you're adding new product lines or if you want to target new audiences. Figure out the message you want to send. Then come up with different colors, fonts, and images to get that message across.
How Can You Update Your Packaging Design?
Be careful when updating your CPG packaging. Making the wrong changes can result in consumer reduction and sales. The Branding Journal warns against this, citing the 2009 redesign by Tropicana of their packaging, resulting in a 20% decrease in sales. This shows how drastically packaging design can affect a company.
Making the right changes should increase sales rather than decrease them. Here are some tips to ensure you are making the right CPG packaging choices:
1) Determine the goal of your redesign. Are you going for subtle upgrades or a complete overhaul? Keep your consumer base in mind when planning these changes. They should still be able to readily find your product on store shelves while benefitting from the new packaging design.
2) Figure out what functions your design should satisfy. Why are you making a change?
3) Understand your target audience. Know their behaviors and demographics such as age, gender, education level, etc.
4) Think about the goals you set and how your target audience will perceive the change. Continue to reevaluate your new packaging design to learn whether it's working. Test the design with your target consumer before launching it in stores or online.
PKG Brand Design is always on the forefront of new CPG branding and packaging initiatives. Please subscribe to our blog for the latest package design industry news!
