Think about the last time you picked up a book from the store. What was the first thing that caught your eye? More than likely, it was the cover of the book. The cover is one of the most important aspects of any piece of marketing, and it’s especially important for books. Why product packaging, the beauty and design of it are so important and how to make customer-friendly packaging that will help sell your books? Keep reading to find out whether you are running a small handmade cupcake business or waiting for some great casino bonuses!
Packaging
Many marketing rules often overlap with the laws of life. This rule works especially well in the mass-market retail market. Numerous marketing studies show that one out of three consumers make a decision about purchasing a mass-market product directly at the point of sale. The manufacturer has only about 10 seconds to make a favorable impression. How attractive the new label and name prove to be, and how closely they match the inner perceptions and tastes of most consumers, determines the fate of the product from trial purchases to regular consumption.
There are fewer and fewer opportunities for a manufacturer or retailer to make regular contact with the customer. Consequently, today it is necessary to think much more carefully and plan all marketing communications of the company: packaging, price, advertising, publicity, sales support and others.
Interestingly, the role of packaging and labels and point-of-sale design is increasing, while the role of traditional advertising is declining. The results of marketing studies have shown that the main reason for choosing mineral water, as well as the requirements for the product are:
- thirst-quenching;
- purity and environmental friendliness of the drink;
- healthful effect.
During the preparation of alternative creative solutions was an opportunity to test different approaches to create a product. This included testing different graphic solutions:
- types of fonts (straight or slanted, chopped or serif, etc.)
- colours, both the main element and the background of the label;
- content of the main graphic element (lake, droplet, “clean” graphics, and more).
Comparing the test results for different creative solutions makes a reasoned conclusion about which image, expressed in graphics, is closest to consumers. Most consumers described labels using images directly related to water and freshness:
- a spring high in the mountains;
- a forest stream;
- a mountain waterfall;
- ice cubes;
- natural scenery;
- dew, droplets, and more.
Therefore, all the visuals have to be related to the themes above. The association game is very serious for marketing; words, colours, design, texture, everything. You need to be able to sell a product in maybe a few seconds while you have a customer’s attention and be able to grab it.
Trials and testings are absolutely necessary for you to make a customer-friendly packaging. Next time you want to reinvent your design, make at least 5 more alternatives and make strangers choose which of them, in their opinion, is more buy-able.
Once you catch that intuition, you will navigate through it with more ease and more creative approaches. Still, the rules are the same: packaging is important, sometimes maybe even more than the quality.
