What is Product Packaging: 16 Most Asked Questions
What is Product Packaging
Packaging refers to the outer and inner covering used to enclose a product. It is the first point of contact between the brand and potential customers and greatly influences the customer’s buying decisions.
The packaging should provide adequate protection to the packaged product from any form of damage. It also helps to communicate the product quality and benefits to the customers.
The customers develop a perceived value and quality of the product based on its packaging. Customers are more likely to buy a product with catchy and utility packaging.
Packaging also becomes the product identity and helps to differentiate the product from the competition.
How to Design Product Packaging
It is important to design a good packaging for influencing the customer’s perception of the product and the product’s utility. The packaging should be simple and help the customers to immediately understand what the product is and how it is useful for them.
the packaging should be targeted towards the potential customer segment. It should be honest and clearly label the product’s content/ingredients, quantity, manufacturing date, best before date, etc.
It should not be misleading to the customer in any way. The packaging should be innovative and eye-catching to differentiate your product from the competition.
It should enhance the shelf impact of the product by making it stand out from other products displayed on the shelves.
Finally, the packaging should be practical and should offer ease of use to the customers.
How Does Packaging Contribute to Product Identification
Packaging should be done in a manner which is consistent with the brand and the product. This helps to create a brand identity for the product which can be recognized easily by the customers. High-quality printing, use of a logo, graphics, etc. all draw customer’s attention and builds a distinct brand identity.
Over time, a well-designed packaging becomes the identity of the brand and helps to differentiate the product from the competition. The customers can identify the product in crowded retail shelves only by looking at the packaging design.
How to Get Packaging for Your Product
Buying packaging for your product involves careful thinking and considerations. You should start by deciding the type of packaging you need for your product. You can search for multiple vendors for getting quotes for the type of packaging you need.
This is followed by creating a packaging prototype by putting the packaging graphics on a decline. You should decide and approve the color schemes and other branding elements on the packaging in this stage. The packaging labels should also be finalized during this stage.
Once the packaging design and branding elements are finalized, you should work out the production schedule and lead time with the supplier.
The packaging boxes should be inspected immediately after receipt from the supplier and any discrepancy or errors should be reported to them immediately for necessary corrective actions.
How to Create Packaging for a Product
Before you start the process of creating packaging for your product, you should be clear about what the product is, who is buying the product, and how are they buying it.
The branding and design elements on the packaging box should be consistent with the branding strategy of the company. It should use consistent colors, fonts, and logos which are being used by the company.
You should decide the different packaging layers- outer packaging, inner packaging, and product packaging which is needed for your product.
This is followed by choosing the ideal packaging material which depends on the type of product, competitor’s packaging strategies, and your budget.
You can work closely with the printer to ensure that the final packaging looks like what was planned. You should get feedback on all the key stakeholders before finalizing the packaging for your product.
If a Package Prevents Tampering with a Product, which Purpose of Packaging is Being Performed
One of the key purposes of packaging is to protect the product from tampering and damage. If the packaging is preventing the product from getting tampered, then it is performing the product protection purpose.
The packaging should protect the product from wear and tear and damage during transit and while placed on the retail shelves.
How to Choose Packaging for a Product
The starting point of choosing the best packaging for your product is to know your customers. The packaging should appeal to your customers and be consistent with your branding guidelines.
The customers should be able to identify your product from a distance by looking at the packaging itself. The budget also plays an important part in choosing the packaging.
You should work out your budget and assess what type of packaging fits best into it.
Packaging should also make it convenient for your product to be easily shipped to retail stores.
The packaging should be chosen to ensure maximum protection for the product, especially if the product is fragile and needs better protection. You should also choose eco-friendly packaging as it not only protects the environment, it also creates a good impression on your customers.
Why is Packaging Important to Product Planning
Packaging plays an important role in the marketing of any product.
In fact, some experts believe that packaging has become as important as the product itself.
Product planning involves designing a new product keeping in mind many factors like customer’s requirements and other market dynamics. Packaging planning is the process of designing the packaging of the planned product.
Packaging can be the difference between successful marketing of a product and failure to effectively market it. Packaging must be seamlessly integrated into the manufacturing process and it should not slow down the production process.
What do You Legally Need to Have on Product Packaging?
Each country has different rules and regulations on what has to be legally displayed on the product labels.
The products being sold in the US should comply with the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (FPLA) and Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulation (UPLR).
These laws require that the product packaging should mention details like the identity of the commodity, the name, and place of business manufacturer, packer, or distributor. The net quantity of the product, servings, uses, etc. should also be mentioned.
All quantities should be mentioned in metric (SI) units on the packaging. It is important to note that the FPLA applies to the net quantity of contents on the packaging for goods sold on the basis of weight. It does not cover products like electronics or industrial equipment.
What Software Programs do you Use to Create Product Packaging
There are many software programs to create effective product packaging. Some of the best software programs for designing product packaging are:
Artios CAD is one of the most popular and best software for packaging design. It has a large library of standard ECMA and FEFCO die-cuts. It is a comprehensive package which allows you to design dieline, 3D models of packaging, and print-ready packaging layouts.
An impact is also a good software for designing product packaging. You can create print-ready packaging layouts, displayers, and 3D box models using this software. It also comes with a die- making function which is useful for die-cut producers.
Kasemake is a packaging design software which allows you to design in accordance with FEFCO, ECMA, FSDUs, etc. You can import adobe illustrator and Auto CAD files to it. You can opt for buying a separate module which can provide you function to manage workflows to improve the coordination between sales and design team.
Does Packaging Affect How Much We Like a Product
The packaging is the first point of contact between the customers and the brand. It plays a major role in shaping consumer behavior and purchase decisions.
It is established that the majority of the buying decisions are made by consumers in the store and packaging plays an important role in influencing those buying decisions.
A well-packaged product draws consumer’s attention immediately and narrows down the competition effectively. Packaging decides the perceived quality of the product for most consumers.
Packaging also aids in building brand identity and helps the consumers to identify a particular brand on the retail shelves, just by looking at the packaging itself.
A lively and bright colored packaging with elegant design and graphics is likely to capture the potential customer’s attention and influence them into buying the product.
What do You Put on the Side of Product Packaging Box?
The sides of the product packaging box can be used for effective labeling.
It can provide the details of the product and other information like ingredients, date of manufacturing, best before date, batch number, price, quantity, etc.
It can also be used to showcase eye-catching design elements and graphics for capturing the customer’s attention.
How to Make Product Packaging in Photoshop
Photoshop is a widely used software for designing product packaging. You can take the help of experts or your in-house team for designing packaging for products using Photoshop.
The first step is creating the dieline which is a flat template of the packaging. It indicates where the packaging should be cut and perforated.
This is followed by designing the graphics and branding elements of your packaging. This helps to differentiate your product from the competition and draw customer’s attention to it. The designer will then create a 3D mockup of your packaging which will help you to see how your packaging will look in real life. You can make modifications to your packaging in this stage.
Once the packaging is finalized, it is time to move to print options. You should provide clear instructions to the printer on how you want the packaging to be printed.
How can Product Packaging be Improved?
There is always scope for improving your packaging to reach out and appeal to your customers in a more effective manner. You can start by looking at the packaging material used. It should be cohesive and consistent with your product and brand.
You should also mention the key details of your product and brand on the packaging and any other special process used in manufacturing for your customers to connect with the brand better.
If your packaging is unable to meet your expectations and lags behind in creating the desired impact on the customers, then you should seek the support of professional designers.
They will help to improve the look and feel of your packaging by enhancing the design and branding elements on it. If you are not using eco-friendly packaging, then you must take measures to immediately move towards using it for your products.
It creates a positive image of the brand on the customers and they prefer to buy products using eco-friendly packaging. It also protects the environment from toxic and non-biodegradable packaging waste.
Is Product Packaging Always Upfront About What is Inside
Product packaging should ideally provide honest information about the packaged product. However, there have been instances when the packaging has not been upfront and honest about providing information on the product to the customers.
Some products are known to provide incomplete details on the ingredients on the packaging. There are few terms like “natural”, “healthy”, etc. which are not clearly defined by the authorities and are hence used in vague terms by some manufacturers.
Studies have shown that only about 15% of the customers actually take time to check the product details, its ingredients, etc. on the packaging.
Having faulty or misleading details on the packaging is not a good practice and it corrodes customer’s confidence in the brand and hurts the manufacturer in the long run.
How to Coordinate Product Production and Packaging
Packaging has become a core and important element of the product itself. Companies need to reduce manufacturing time to quicken up the production process.
This helps them to manufacture more products for shipping to the retail stores. The current trend is the integration of packaging solutions into the production assembly lines.
This integration helps to save time and money and improves profitability. Integrated packing solutions automate the process of packaging to a great extent and reduce the chances of human error.
It also minimizes losses and wastage in the packaging process which can happen in a non-integrated packaging system due to human error. Integrated packaging systems also minimize the downtime between runs and increase the efficiency of production and packaging.
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