Product Packaging: 3 Keys To Attracting Consumers Attention!

Q & A with Food Distribution Guy!

Today, we are in the midst of a pandemic we have never experienced before – COVID-19. Trying to ensure consumers self-distance, governments have suggested new parameters when it comes to grocery shopping. Long gone are the days of the past. Just yesterday I was advised I can no longer package my own bags in-store. As noted by Mr. Shawn Micallef, Toronto Star, April 13, 2020, “The everyday act of buying food has become a most unpleasant thing to do now, not just for the lineups and markings on the floor to obey, but also the built-in tension between customer and clerk: one has to stay there, one gets to leave.” Seeking to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible, families are preparing shopping lists to sustain them for the next week or two. If your brand is not on their list, you may be shut out. Thus, the daunting task of attracting consumers’ attention has become that much more difficult.

 

Today, product packaging is more crucial than ever in a brand’s journey, especially given almost 60% of product decisions are made at the point of sale.[i] Yet, packaging as the bearer of the brand message is still underestimated by many companies. The package is both one of the most important in-store marketing components for a brand and also the only component over which the manufacturer has complete control.

 

This week I had the pleasure to interview Mr. Marcel Fisette, Director of Creative Services, Source Nutraceutical Inc to discuss product packaging and the 3 keys to attracting consumers’ attention.

product packaging

Product Packaging – Three Keys to Attracting Consumers Attention!

As noted by Marcel, they include:

  1. Strong Brand Representation: The packaging design reflects the brand identity and brings the brand to life – from the visual appearance and feel of the packaging to its function and sustainability.
  2. Health Claims: Two in five consumers always look for healthy options. The majority of consumers (59%) always read labels on packaged food before buying it for the first time. [ii] Ensure your health claims stand out and are verified by a certified body. For instance:
  3. Sustainability: Designing product packaging with the main purpose of doing as little harm to the environment as possible. More and more consumers seek out sustainable product packaging. In the UK and US, 42% of consumers seek out products that are recyclable or that use sustainable materials when making day-to-day purchases.[iii] For instance, Flow Alkaline Spring Waters cap is made from renewable sugar cane.

Too often, companies still view their product packaging as an after thought. Yet, it is an effective and important marketing tool that helps promote the brand and should be used as an important medium for brand loyalty. Today more and more companies are incorporating packaging as the 5th P of marketing, Product, Price, Place, Promotion, and Packaging. When you have strong, attractive, and durable packaging, people will associate those same qualities with your brand.

 

Richard Baker is the Founder and President of Food Distribution Guy. Seek assistance Getting and Staying Listed, forward us an email: richard@fooddistributionguy.com. Or contact us here – we’re here to help your brand succeed!

 

 

[i] 3 Reasons Why Packaging is Becoming Increasingly Important as a Brand, www.lead-innovation.com, April 2019

[ii] Food Labelling Survey, www.foodinsights.org, January 2019

[iii] Why More Brands are Shifting to Sustainable Packaging, www.billerudkorsnas.com.