Consumers are faced with more choices than ever with supermarkets, warehouse retailers and megastores giving them endless aisles to browse. In this crowded retail environment, you need something to help your product stand out.
Shelf appeal is one of the longest standing tactics for encouraging customers to choose your product over competitors. In this blog, we explain shelf appeal and share 5 tips for improving your packaging.
What is shelf appeal?
The concept of shelf appeal is as simple as it sounds – it’s all about making your product appeal to the customer, so that it stands out.
There are many ways to create shelf appeal; from where your product is placed on shelves to which aisle customers find you within. But, possibly one of the biggest factors in helping customers choose a product is the packaging it comes in.
What type of packaging goes on retails shelves?
There are two types of packaging that could catch a customer’s attention on retail shelves. First, there is the product packaging. This packaging offers information about what’s inside and helps customers compare different products.
Second, there is shelf-ready packaging which keeps your product organised and easy to shop on busy store shelves. Without proper shelf-ready packaging, your product could become scattered and disorganised – making it hard for customers to find what they are looking for.
Once opened, most shelf-ready packaging leaves just a little space left for design. It’s important to use this space wisely with designs that stand out – such as bright colours, keeping your logo front and centre or highlighting product benefits.
5 tips for improving your shelf appeal
There are lots of tried and true methods in packaging design that help with shelf appeal. Here are 5 ideas to get you started.
For help with packaging design, simply request a quote and our team will get back to you within 1-2 business days.
Draw on colour psychology
The colour of your packaging may be the most important element for shelf appeal. Bright colours help you stand out and catch attention.
But, that doesn’t mean you should jump straight to vibrant red. Different colours offer different meanings, so you want to be sure to send the right message. Colour psychology is a helpful tool for getting your packaging to resonate with your preferred audience.
For example, red is a popular colour in food packaging because it is known to stimulate the appetite. Green is another popular food packaging choice which suggests your product is fresh, healthy or organic.
We explain more of the colour meanings in our previous blog on colour psychology.
Get your text right
Text choices are another key element of your design. Most consumers don’t have long to make a choice, so you need to use clear, readable text to help them decide.
Text size is important – large text is typically easier to read, especially from a distance.
Choosing a font that is easy to read is important too. Most packaging uses sans serif fonts – these are the ones used online and in platforms like your email provider.
Finally, when you think about what to say; remember that short and sharp messaging works best. Focus on just one key message in each empty space.
Utilise hierarchy in your design
It might surprise you to know that designers are the ones who decide what order you read packaging. They use the principle of hierarchy to make some messages stand out first, while others naturally come second or third.
The size of text and images, their placement on your packaging and mixing up different fonts are all hierarchy tricks that can be used to determine which message is noticed first.
Hierarchy is a useful concept when you have an order to the messages you want to send. For example, a drink bottle might highlight the product type first (juice), followed by the flavour (orange) and finally, the brand.
A person looking for an orange juice at lunch can then quickly find the product they want and lastly, identify if it’s from a brand they trust. Ticking all these boxes in the right order can help them to make a quick purchase.
Give seasonal packaging a try
One of the tricky parts in business is getting people to try a new product when they already have one they know and trust. Novelty packaging can be a way to get them across the line.
Designing special packaging for certain times of year or limited release products can give people an added incentive to buy your brand. Once they have tried the product, hopefully the quality has them choosing you next time too.
Seasonal packaging is often most successful at gifting times of year; such as Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. Novelty packaging can double as a gift box which saves time for the customers who purchase it.
Try a POS display
For your product to get noticed, it needs to be in the customers’ eyeline. Only a certain number of products can fit this prime position on the shelves. If you’re struggling to catch attention from a top or bottom shelf position, it might help to try an outside-the-box solution.
POS displays are a great way to increase attention from customers by taking your product away from busy shelves.
There are lots of different types of POS displays to choose from; such as floor stands, counter displays and promotional installations. If you need help deciding, contact our team for advice and a free quote.
Quality packaging, made in Melbourne
Echo Cartons have over 25 years’ experience in corrugated box manufacturing. We pride ourselves on our friendly team, fast service and great quality boxes. Based in Braeside, Melbourne; we’re the packaging supplier of choice for Australian SME’s. When you’re ready to start a packaging order – simply request a quote.
