Packaging Design: Tips for 2024
Packaging design isn’t an afterthought. In fact, many well-loved brands place a priority on packaging design to enhance their customers’ experiences and develop a strong brand identity. As online shopping has become increasingly popular, packaging design is more important than ever. Pel Hughes offers some helpful tips to help you put your best packaging foot forward.
Best Tips for Packaging Design
Showcase Sustainable Elements of Your Packaging
Did you know that 70% of consumers in North America care about brands’ commitment to eco-friendly, sustainable practices? While packaging should be striking and memorable, it shouldn’t be overdone or wasteful. If you’re using recycled or biodegradable materials, showcase that. Dedicating a paragraph or bulleted list of your sustainability efforts on your website as well as adding eco-friendly labels to your packaging can go a long way with earning your customers’ respect and trust.
Use Minimalist Packaging Practices
Minimalist packaging design is appealing across broad demographics. It also allows you to place an emphasis on your products without distracting from them with cluttered, overly done packaging. From a consumer psychology standpoint, minimalist design lends a luxurious and upscale appeal, which further enhances the customer experience. Lastly, minimalist packaging design aligns perfectly with eco-friendly business practices.
Engage Customers with a Sensory Experience
Researchers estimate that 95% of purchases will be made online in the next 15 years. This shift to e-commerce will make packaging all the more important in developing a great customer experience. The days of using music, lighting, and specific scents in brick-and-mortar stores will soon be a thing of the past.
Fortunately, packaging can provide a sensory experience, which helps create strong bonds between consumers and brands. Adding QR code-generated media with video and sound is one method for evoking the senses. Scents can also be injected into packaging as well as pleasing tactile elements to help curate memorable experiences for consumers.
Add Personalized Touches
Personalized touches can go a long way with building brand identity and consumer loyalty. Using variable data printing, packaging can contain thoughtful notes as inserts, which are addressed to specific customers. Adding custom links (PURLs) and QR codes that are generated for individual customers are helpful for fostering a personalized experience, too.
Test New Packaging Design on Small Groups
If you’re planning on levelling up your packaging game, one cost-effective method for trying out new designs is to run small test groups. These small groups can provide beneficial feedback and help you gauge the appeal of new designs. Smaller runs also mean you can work out any kinks in production before deploying large scale packaging overhauls.
Pel Hughes provides innovative packaging design to businesses, non-profit organizations, and higher education institutions throughout the United States. We pair advanced printing technology and cross media marketing support with client-centered service. Give our team a call at (504) 486-8646 to request a quote.