The Effect of Packaging on Consumers’ Buying Decision

If you were to choose between two boxes – a plain, brown box or a box with colors and designs – without knowing what’s inside, what would you choose? Surely, you will most likely go for the box that is most appealing to your eyes.

In the world of product marketing, packaging plays an important role as well. In fact, research showed that packaging is the most important tool in marketing any product. It’s not enough that you have a product that will make people’s lives easier and more convenient. How you will present this product could dictate whether or not you will survive the competitive market, which leads you to this next concern: how does packaging affect consumers’ buying decision?

First Impressions Last

Think of buying a new product as similar to a first date – you judge the book based on its cover. An impression is powerful that it could enable a potential consumer to decide whether or not to buy a product you are offering. Believe it or not, all it takes is just seven seconds and a potential customer can walk away if the product is not packaged well and the font, color, logo, and design are all over the place.

Since you didn’t make a good first impression, it will be harder for you to entice a customer to give your product a try – or even a second look.

A Glimpse On The Company And Its Values

Keep in mind that your brand or product represents the company and the values and principles it stands for. This will show in how a product is packaged and sold in the market. Every font, color, size, logo, and designs used, and how well various elements blend tells consumers that the company is managed well because it pays attention to details. In fact, the product packaging represents your brand’s promise to deliver not just a quality product but also a rewarding experience for consumers.

To Buy Or Not To Buy?

Seven seconds – this is the amount of time you have to convince a customer to buy your product before he walks away. This is why effective packaging is important because it could decide whether or not there is a sale. You need to put all the pertinent information in the packaging that will give consumers an idea of what they can expect from the product. If they are convinced, then they will buy; otherwise, they will go for another brand.

Brand Recall

Here is another reason why one should pay attention to the product’s packaging: it helps create recall on customers. For people who are not good with names, they will rely on the packaging to find and remember you, which is why one needs to ensure that the exterior is well thought of.

Take note that people can easily associate a product based on the outside. This is particularly important because there are lots of brands for a single product alone and the packaging is the first step in setting you apart from your competitors.

For instance, the packaging color affects the consumer’s buying decision because it is the simplest way of visually setting you apart from the other brands. Color sets the tone of your product and helps send a message to the people even without any texts. Font choice and size are important as well because consumers would take a few seconds to read what is written. The packaging’s uniqueness and innovativeness could also lead to brand recall because you are able to add more value to the product even without seeing the actual product yet.

This leads you to this next point.

Customer Keeps Coming Back

It might seem like a simple box you bought from Packlane, but how you were able to package a product could have a positive effect on customers.

It turns out that customers, specifically online buyers, will most likely buy to the same seller if the product bought was packaged nicely. Adding a personal touch to the packaging makes them feel that the seller exerts effort and pays attention to the tiniest detail to be able to provide a positive overall experience. That feeling of being appreciated is one of the reasons why online buyers stick to the same old sellers.

That’s not all. Majority of customers reuse product packaging boxes, cans, or bags after the purchase. This adds more value to your product and entices existing clients to come back to you.

The bottom line is packaging is an effective marketing tool that will entice people to buy your product. The more effective your packaging is based on how well all the packaging elements blended together, the higher the chances of getting a sale.

Still, this doesn’t mean that you spend too much on packaging and not on the product itself. Every consumer deserves a quality product that will make lives easier and more convenient. Make sure that your packaging is as good (or even better than) as the product and can meet up with consumers’ expectations to make them come back to you.