EVOLUTION REVOLUTION

Packaging - The Effect of Coronavirus on Shopping Habits

During the lifetime of food & beverage retail, as our lives became much busier, the process of shopping has gradually evolved from a leisurely browsing experience into a race against the clock. It is said that customers spend just 10 seconds on average browsing before a decision is made.

This was considered the norm until the world was hugely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly shopping was associated with hygiene and risk. There was a huge uptake in e-commerce, home deliveries, click & collect. Even supermarkets now report that customers are doing larger weekly shops, but less often.

As our shopping habits change, and browsing becomes less practical, the accelerated way we now shop means that the larger and more familiar brands are high on everybody’s shopping list. For smaller brands with limited brand recognition, this is a difficult time which means that their packaging must now really stand out from the crowd.

When a customer is shopping your product category, visual data is key. Within a few seconds, colour, images, graphics and text are processed to create order out of the chaos. It is within this timeframe that your packaging must stand out, causing the customers eye to stop at your product.

So, how can this be achieved? Here are 5 tips on how to get your packaging noticed.

Structure

Most product categories packaging generally has a standard shape. This will have evolved over time to be the optimum, most cost-effective way of conveying that product. But what if you could develop something different, but still retain the necessary requirements of the standard packaging. If the standard is a square box, why not add an angled corner, a curve, a cut-out, or even move away from it being a square box altogether? Working with a packaging designer can help you develop your packaging into something that will instantly have a point-of-difference on the shelf.

Colour

Brands use colour by association. We all know Cadbury’s is a deep purple colour, whereas Coca-Cola is red and white. It could also be by definition of the product itself. Water in blue packaging, bread in brown packaging and so on. So, what if you were to add a contrast colour to your packaging, something that is not normal and well help to highlight your product on the shelf. In 2018, Nutella introduced a range of labels for its products that were designed by Ai algorithms. The result was a series of brightly coloured packs in total contrast to the classic white photographic label. This approach certainly created a point of difference, even by Nutella’s own brand standards.

Imagery

Product photography is key. As most food and beverage products are concealed within the packaging, it instantly shows the customer exactly what they are purchasing. Therefore, the imagery needs to be very good, or left to the imagination and not used within the design at all. No matter how good the brand or packaging, poor photography will not help to promote or sell your product.

Go Large

Packaging design is often considered as an individual element, but in reality, it will sit alongside many other brands in its category, all vying for attention. So how do you stand out in this situation. Consider the consumer standing 1-2 metres away from the shelves, the way to attract their attention is large bold graphics. Let them now in an instant, who you are and what you are.

Content

Once you have the customers attention, you need to keep this by making sure that the message on your packaging is not over complicated. It needs to be simple and tell a story in a few words to give assurance to the consumer that they have made the right choice. As shopping habits change, the need to purchase an item within a few seconds means that huge amounts of copy are not required. Simple, but relevant information is all that is required.

Please note that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to any other group or individual. To ensure you are fully compliant with all current legislation, please take legal/professional advice and do not rely solely on the information provided in these articles.