More and more retailers turn to packaging agencies these days to reach their main goal: obtain more purchases in their store. But what is the exact role of packaging in the choice of purchases?
Packaging plays a big part in the encounter between products and clients. The human brain has the tendency to mainly memorize shapes and colors. A combination of graphic design and a special shape can attract the customer, as well as a striking visual identity. Like the bottle of Orangina, of which the shape is a major part of the brand. It’s also possible to give customers a unique tangible experience, by playing with the materials and the intensity of the ink, the prints and the colors used.
Besides the aesthetic aspect, packaging serves as a communication tool to connect products and customers. This offers customers a bigger transparency by answering to their needs, since customers lately want to know more about the origins of the product, ingredients, etc. Packaging is also considered as a beacon of trust between the brand and customer, therefor the ultimate spokesperson of the brand.
What a waste?
In the light of recent environmental issues, packaging has fallen out of grace with many consumers as they link it to ocean pollution and the deformation of our landscapes. Nevertheless, a lot of companies are engaging themselves to become more responsible and to act for a better future. Carrefour Belgium has understood this loud and clear: the company has integrated a responsible way of working with plastic and packaging in general. The desire to reverse the trend, to develop a packaging that responds to environmental issues, has become one of the main principles of the group.
To summarize, packaging has to be perceived and understood by brands as « a massive pillar in the relationship with the consumer, a proof of engagement and a sign of good faith ».