It’s official, we are in full swing of the holiday season and with that comes anything and everything that can be packaged and sold for profit. If you’re a business that thrives off of B2C interactions, you need to make sure you’re capitalizing on how you’re marketing your product in an already competitive arena.

Sure, it’s ideal to put money and effort into different marketing mediums, but something as simple as packaging and labeling can go a long way too! It can be tough to sell certain products, but there are steps you can take to make sure you’re doing everything you can to hook-line-and-sinker that potential buyer.

You may have the best product on the face of the earth, but how effective is it, if you’re not appealing to potential customers? This might seem obvious, but it’s worth repeating. To reach consumers, you must think like a consumer. Refocusing your packaging and making it more appealing can increase consumer engagement by thirty percent, so why not take advantage of this basic marketing technique?

When you’re out shopping, how do you decide on the product that you want to buy? Keep in mind that the average shopper makes a decision on a product based on a very limited amount of time and interaction. This small time frame is your window of opportunity. Interaction can range from picking the product up or simply viewing it on the shelf, so it’s important to make a good first impression. When you’re shopping, what speaks to you? Is it price, design, wording, etc? This is also how your potential buyer thinks.

Color

Color is a simple way to make your product more appealing and the right use of color will help your product to stand out from the rest. Not only will the use of color be eye-catching, but it can also increase brand recognition by eighty percent.

A certain color or the mixture of colors you decide to use can subconsciously say a lot about your product. White gives off a simple or blank canvas feel, while black can be both elegant and mysterious at the same time. Blue is a color that overall is liked most by both men and women and is a safe and reliable color, while red brings passion and excitement.  Green signifies wealth and growth, whereas yellow suggests positivity and creativity.

Clearly there are more colors than the ones listed above and the use of multiple colors can have additional effects on your product. For instance, adding silver or gold to a base color of black, white or gray can bring feelings of sophistication and wealth.

10 Top Tips for Designing Awesome Packaging and Labels | Envato Tuts+

50 Insanely Creative and Stunning Packaging Designs | Canva 

Typography

When it comes to typography it’s all about the use of typeface/font and how it can be used to grab a

potential customer. It’s important to know what your message is and how it relates to your product.

Once you’ve discovered what message you want to convey, it’s time to select the right typeface for you. Two of the most basic forms of typeface are Serif and Sans-Serif. Serif is a type of typeface that has additional lines or “feet” connected to the ends. Among designers, serif fonts tend to be easier to read and naturally and easily move the eye along copy. The other version of this is sans-serif, which is typeface without the additional lines. San-serif typeface tends to be streamlined and modern, whereas serif is has a traditional and serious feel.

Classic examples of serif include Times New Roman, Cambria and Georgia, while old favorites Helvetica and Century Gothic are sans-serif. Buyers can associate a sense of trust simply from how a certain typeface makes them feel, so it’s important to pick a font that is both readable, appealing and one that relates to your message.

If you decide to make use of multiple fonts, make sure that they complement each other and don’t take away from the message you are sending. Having too much competition or stark contrasts between fonts can be distracting and can lose the customer.

You also don’t want to overcrowd the space, especially if you’re working with a small product. Just like competing fonts, having too much wording will feel cramped and messy and is an easy way to lose your potential buyer. That’s why it’s important to figure out your message and make it concise, yet informative at the same time.

Font Design – How Designers Choose Which Fonts to Use | Canva

How Typography Can Influence the Behavior of Your Audience | SilkCards

Graphics & Images

Logos and branding are very important aspects when it comes to appealing to consumers and getting them to become repeat purchasers, but the use of images and graphics can also have positive subconscious effects on shoppers. Graphics and images are not a necessity, but they can help set your product apart from competitors on overcrowded shelves.

Think about how bottled water companies appeal their everyday necessity item to customers. Many bottled water companies use images that relate to what they’re selling. For instance, bottled water companies use images, on their labels, of glaciers or mountains to signify refreshing water straight from the source. You may not realize it, but the simple use of these images can “manipulate” your views of a product in a positive way.

Another classic example includes hearty and tempting food illustrations on food packaging.  They say you shouldn’t shop on an empty stomach, so imagine what images of tasty food will do to a hungry shopper. Yup, you guessed it. These images will speak volumes to an “inhibited” consumer, provoking the desire to want to immediately buy the product.

The use of images, graphics and illustrations should be used to reinforce what you are selling. Holiday illustrations (and even traditional holiday colors, like orange and black for Halloween) also work well around various holiday seasons and can evoke certain emotions, like happiness on consumers.

5 Marketing Lessons from the Bottled Water Industry | QuickBooks 

Using Packaging to Connect, Starting at Aisle 7 | Print Mag

10 Consumer Behavior Facts Every Designer Needs to Know| AIGA

Whether you’re looking to make your product more appealing or looking to make a holiday impression, there are many ways you can use packaging and labeling to your advantage.

Andrew Gibbs said it best, “well-designed packaging has the power to turn a want into a need, and into a purchase…” so it’s time to the reins and optimize your product!