Packaging is a key factor for any company. How can it be optimized to attract more customers and control costs? This article gives you all the keys you need to achieve these goals!
What is packaging?
Packaging is the wrapping that holds a product for sale. Packaging has several roles: it must obviously protect the product it carries, but it must also show your brand identity and your assets to encourage people to buy from you. It's a marketing experience in its own right.
Packaging functions can be divided into three main aspects:
- A logistical function: products need to be optimally protected and preserved during transport. This obviously applies to food products, but also to electronic products or stationery, for example, which can be damaged by the elements.
- An informative function: customers need to be able to easily find information on the product, what it's made of, how it should be used or consumed, whether it's recyclable or organic, but also on the packaging itself (where to dispose of it, for example).
- A marketing function: packaging must make the customer want to buy, sometimes without even seeing the product in the packaging. It must therefore convey your brand's identity, your brand image... As soon as the customer sees the packaging, he needs to know which company it is. This means focusing not only on visuals, but also on your brand's strengths (production or creation methods, origin, organic, ethical, eco-responsible, etc.).
Why optimize packaging and what are the benefits?
Product packaging can be optimized according to the three functions mentioned above. This may involve optimizing the visuals to attract more customers, optimizing the information to make the product more attractive and easier to read, or modifying the packaging to reduce costs and save time during packaging.
How to optimize packaging?
Optimization can be achieved in several ways:
- The first thing to think about is your target market: packaging is different depending on whether you're selling to individuals or professionals, whether you're targeting a high-end clientele or not, a younger or older clientele... The more targeted your clientele, the better you'll choose your packaging, and the more you'll reach new customers.
- The next step is to choose the packaging material and size, which will affect costs. The material depends on the product to be protected and the risk of damage, and its size must be designed to protect the product as well as possible, without being too large.
- You also need to think about shipping. If the only way to transport your product is from your store to your customer's home, the packaging won't be the same as if the products have to make a long journey that risks damaging them. This is particularly the case if you sell online.
These points encompass the logistical function of packaging. But information and marketing functions can also be reviewed, as can brand image. With clear, legible and eye-catching information, packaging is more interesting and attractive to the customer.
All these considerations lead to the best possible choice of packaging, reducing costs and attracting more customers, while offering quality products in good condition.
Packaging must also make it easier to display and store products. To find out more about our ergonomic shelving solutions, take a look at our offers.
