A product that has been packaged well, with quality, function and appearance at the forefront of the design is known to increase the perceived quality of the item inside. The packaging can even affect how we view the brand, the usability of the item, and how it relates to alternative products. The packaging and transit packaging used can have a considerable effect on the positioning of the product, and if the design and execution are completed successfully, it can have a positive impact on your brand awareness and strength in the marketplace.
As many say, you taste food with your eyes before you have even eaten it and the same goes for packaging. If the item doesn’t appear in the way the consumer expects, or the packaging standard isn’t as high-quality as they anticipated, it can have a negative impact on their overall perception of an item, resulting in them selecting the competitors’ products rather than yours. In a study commissioned by Packaging Innovations London, products that were identical in their form but presented in a variety of packaging solutions were analysed. The items with the higher-end and supreme quality packaging were rated as much as 35% better overall and were much more appealing to the consumer. Consumers in the trial were also willing to pay a considerably higher price for an identical item if it was packaged in high-end packaging.
Businesses world-wide spend a considerable amount of money and investment researching and designing the primary (has immediate contact with the product, for example, polyolefin shrink wrap and the secondary packaging (provides additional protection, for example, card board boxes) of their product, but don’t consider the transit packaging. With more and more consumers choosing to do the clear majority of their shopping online, transit packaging is playing a bigger and bigger role each day.
When an item is received via a delivery to the home or work place, it is the transit packaging that is first seen by the consumer, which typically, is either a brown box or an unbranded plastic bag. This presentation doesn’t contribute to the consumer experience, as although the consumer knows what is inside the box, it is difficult to differentiate the transit packaging from any other product, it could be as unexciting as laundry liquid from the commercial cleaning shop.
Transit packaging can be exciting, and many businesses are missing the opportunity to increase their brand awareness by not carefully designing the outer transit packaging of the product and ensuring their brand or company is easily distinguished from the box. Consider high-quality transit packaging, that adds to the consumer’s experience of buying into your brand.
The solution? Ensure your transit packaging incorporates your brand. The messaging should be integrated across all the packaging you use. Not only does this benefit how your product is presented, but provides consumers with consistency from your brand, increases the brand awareness, improves the consumer experience and perceived quality of the item and ultimately, markets your product.
What transit packaging does your business use? Have you considered how it is affecting the perceived quality of your product? Let us know via our social media channels!
