Packaging in marketing: why is it important to work on it?
How do we define packaging?
The term packaging is an English word. It corresponds to a mixture of two French concepts: conditioning and packaging. However, the word packaging has many other connotations than these two terms. It is therefore necessary to break down all the concepts contained in this anglicism to understand it.
Packaging: the first key step
The packaging corresponds to the container of the product, such as the can that contains soda for example. It is the first packaging of the product, in direct contact with it. Its purpose is to allow the conservation of the product and its quality, to facilitate its use, to inform the consumer and to be locatable and captivating compared to the competing products.
Wrapping: the second key step in packaging
The packaging corresponds to the second container whose main function is to ensure the logistics around the product. It must protect the product against external damage, by protecting it from shocks and various possible manipulations in order to facilitate and and optimize the movement of goods and their storage, like the cardboard pack that wrapping the cans.
The concept of packaging
The notion of packaging has a strong aesthetic connotation. Thus, it encompasses the reflections on the appearance of the product and includes the notion of packaging and secondary secondary packaging. Packaging is concerned with the presentation of the product in the store for marketing purposes. The goal is to entice consumers to buy the product, but also to optimize the user experience.
What are the marketing functions of packaging?
The marketing functions of packaging are to be a display medium. It is therefore the secondary function of packaging since its primary purpose is to create a specific packaging to contain to contain, protect and preserve the product.
Marketing function of packaging: recognizing the product
The packaging makes it possible to recognize a product among all the others. It is necessary to imagine that the knows the product. He has already bought it, tried it and approved it. If the packaging of the If the product’s packaging allows him to find it quickly in the aisle among all the others, there is If the product’s packaging allows him to find it quickly when he passes through the aisle among all the others, there is a good chance that he will buy it again. In addition to recognizing the product, it also also allows to recognize the brand.
Marketing function of packaging: visibility
The packaging allows the product to be visible in the different self-service distribution channels. We are talking about supermarkets or points of sale, because they are places where they are put on an equal footing with other products, and where they must therefore differentiate themselves and attract the customer. The consumer is faced with a large choice of products with the same functionality, but the packaging must give it a better visibility than the others in order to have a chance to seduce the potential customer. This can be done through its shape, size, colors This can be done through its shape, its size, its colors, its originality or by the recognition of a brand. Thus, the packaging
gives visibility to the brand itself.
Marketing function of packaging: seduce
Attract the customer, challenge him, to encourage him to get closer to the product and look at it. This is the intrinsic function of the concept of packaging. The goal is to make the product attractive. There are different ways to seduce and this can be done intuitively through the aesthetics of the product. If the consumer finds it beautiful, he may be more inclined to buy it. But aesthetics is a very subjective subjective issue and that’s why it is not an absolute truth. This is why we also think about other criteria such as ergonomics or practicality.
Information function of the packaging: legal notices
It contains the legal information (sales name, name and address of the manufacturer, total net quantity, origin of the product, instructions for use, composition, sell-by date and barcode.
What are the types of packaging?
Technically, there are two types of packaging: the primary packaging which corresponds to the packaging and the secondary packaging. However, there are several ways to differentiate packaging. They have evolved over time and many time and many innovations have been made.
Functional, ergonomic packaging
We are thinking here of the famous example of ketchup bottles formerly made up of a bottle of a bottle and a screw cap. The major innovation was to change the cap to facilitate the pouring of the ketchup and to create the bottles that we all know today. Another known innovation is to create measuring caps for example.
Aesthetic packaging
Sublimating the product is the goal of the process. We can think of wine or spirit bottles wine or spirits bottles with singular shapes or patterns anchored in the glass, and and custom-made packaging.
Playful packaging
Making the product fun makes it more attractive. This is easier to do on a target population of target population of children for example. We are thinking here of cereal boxes, where games sometimes appear on the back of the box.
Ecological packaging
To make a packaging ecological, it is necessary to focus on the materials used such as glass, cardboard, kraft (very resistant paper) or wood to replace plastic. There is also packaging made of recycled materials or innovative materials eco-responsible materials. We can think of Tetra Pak packaging for example.
Packaging, materials and shapes
We can also separate the different types of packaging according to the materials used or the shape of the packaging. We have listed several packaging solutions here:
– Cardboard packaging
– Case
– Envelope
– Folding boxes
– Plastic packaging
– Glass containers
– Vacuum packaging for food products
– Tetra Pak containers
– Corrugated cardboard
– Wooden packaging
– Shelf stable packaging
– Metal packaging
– Sachets
– Recycled packaging
– Jars
The packaging has a role to incite the sale but also to develop customer loyalty after the purchase.
What are the criteria to be taken into account when designing of a product packaging?
The criteria to be taken into account are all those that can be used to stand out. We note here:
-
The shape, the design
The shape has technical functions such as protecting, containing and making ergonomic the use of the product. It identifies the nature of the product and the brand.
-
The materials
They are used to protect and display a certain position. The most commonly used materials are cardboard, kraft paper, glass and plastic. An innovative way to innovative way to differentiate is to use a less common material such as a recyclable and recyclable and biodegradable packaging.
-
The colors
They give indications on the nature of the product, for example the red for a cake strawberry cake. There are also color codes to be respected on certain products such as milk: whole milk (red), semi-skimmed (blue) or skimmed (green).
The color also allows to identify the brand if this color is different from the others and even more so if the brand is known. -
The label
It is also a means of communication via the product’s instructions for use, advice on use (cooking, dish suggestion) and advertising messages. (cooking, dish suggestion) and advertising and promotional messages. promotional messages. We think here of the Monoprix store which uses the labels to make puns or jokes related to the product.
To summarize, many criteria can be taken into account but they must all participate in one of these three functions: to protect, to seduce and to give information about the product. Our packaging specialists therefore work hard to create customized packaging according to the product range, the desired brand image, the message to be conveyed and the target consumer. If the packaging arouses emotions, is functional functional and gives information to the consumer, it increases the chances to sell the product. the product.