There are thousands of brands placed on the shelf, one of them being yours, but what makes the
customers pick yours?

It’s the packaging. A

packaging design

is much more than just a product’s safety belt. In today’s market it is
assuming the role of your brand’s in-store salesman that affects the perception of almost 76% of the
consumers. A bad packaging not just affects your consumers’ buying decision but also craft an adverse
brand image in the eyes of your consumers.

Aptly quoted by Baltasar Gracian “Thing do not pass for what they are but for what they seem. Most
things are judged by their jackets.”
Packaging as such an unavoidable means of doing business, must thus be taken care of during the
design. But have you ever wondered what makes a good and attractive packaging or what is it that
affects appeals to all the five senses of the consumers?
Well, here are a few considered points that affect the perception of a consumer:

1)

Visual

: Make it visually attractive. The visual appearance is what grabs the eyeballs to your product and get the
customer to get through the product. It must reflect the product features to the maximum or in other
words be a mirror to what actually the product is through the color, font and the shape of the product
packaging. Here’s one such packaging that I passed by that stuck my mind just as anyone would want
their customers to.

Such unusual and creative package is what the customers attract to at once and remember lifelong.
2)

Touch

: Choose a comfortable to handle packaging. Besides being an underestimated component of
packaging, touch is what the customer perceives the product by at the first hand. 50% of the
consumers image the product’s quality by the shape and texture of the packaging used. Many
soft drink bottles are based on this component, where they provide an easy grip and easy to
open and drink packaging. Get an idea with some of such packagings,

3)

Fragrance

: Let the aroma speak out the product. This has been a long standing marketing tool for various
products; the aroma speaks that is easy to convince the consumers. It gives a taste of what is
about to come. A scented polymer for example, can be used for packaging of foods to evoke an
idea of freshness and to enhance the smell of the packaged food. Same works with bathing
soaps, perfumes and other cosmetics where consumers smell the packaging to find the features
and quality of the product.

Such an engagement with the consumer is also a suggestive tool to improve the brand
awareness.
4)

Sound

: Sound tells the story of your product. The sound a product packaging makes when picked up,
handled, opened up or closed affects the customers’ perception about the quality of your
product. A metallic can for soft drinks clinking when placed together on the shelf, or a pocket
pack of refreshment candies rattling when picked up interests the customers. These specific
sounds are also quick to remember by the customers and hence are an easy way to hook in their
minds.

5)

Taste

Use a packaging that tastes good: This doesn’t mean using an eatable outer packaging but one
with visuals that evokes the taste buds and strikes the mind of the customer. Imagine an ice-
cream packaging with visuals of its crispy lower cone and the creamy ice cool flavored top and
crunches sprinkled on it or the fresh fruit juice with a display of a straw hooked in a fresh fruit.

Such an image on a packaging not just attracts your customers but also convince them of your
product features. A careful use of pictures helps to convince the customers to have a taste of its
deliciousness.

Although a majority of the sales rely on the quality and features of the product, professionally designed
packages with these five components in view are sure to hook in your customers and grab the attention,
while in store, being your best trained salesman.