General / May 16, 2017
No matter how much consumers may need your product, a product’s packaging can potentially make or break their decision to purchase. Each product has its own unique packaging requirements and specifications, making it nearly impossible to achieve total perfection. That said, there’s always room for improvement.
It’s unlikely your product packaging will satisfy all consumers, but if you can produce a package that better connects your core consumer market with your brand, then you’re on the right track. While some shortcomings are inevitable due to product, industry or financial limitations, there are several packaging mistakes that brands can and should avoid.
Let’s break down four of the most common packaging mistakes that you and your flexible packaging partner can control.
Pinpointing which features are most important to your target market is an important but challenging step in the packaging process. Consumers have certain expectations when it comes to packaging – from the way a package is shaped to how it opens and closes to its overall size.
With flexible packaging, brands may find themselves overwhelmed with the wide variety of features and customizable options available at their disposal. Don’t overwhelm your consumers with a package that’s decked out with extraneous features. Instead, take the time to narrow down the types of features that are most relevant to your product and industry.
Mislabeled packaging can be a costly mistake that’ll ultimately hurt both your brand and your customers. Whether it’s a simple typo or something more severe such as inaccurate allergy and nutritional labeling, your product packaging must be proofread with extreme precision before hitting the shelves.
Without proper attention to detail, you’re putting your product at risk of being recalled, and in addition, putting your consumers at risk with misleading and deceptive labeling.
Excess packaging materials can create a couple different dilemmas. For one, excess materials generally mean the packaging is more wasteful and less sustainable which can be off-putting for environmentally conscious customers.
Secondly, excess materials can reduce your product-to-package ratio, giving consumers a package that may seem large on the outside but contains very little product on the inside. Flexible pouch packaging remedies material excess by increasing product-to-package ratio and providing lightweight material solutions that lowers negative environmental impact after use.
For many consumers, their first experience with your brand happens when they stumble upon your product at the store. The packaging itself needs to not only establish a good first impression, but also send a consistent message that sticks with consumers when they leave the store and visit again in the future.
Without consistent branding that’s fully integrated across all packaging channels, consumers are less likely to remember the product and its brand message. Even if consumers are already familiar with your brand, it’s important to provide them with a package that’s consistent with what they connected with in the first place.
Of course, the above mistakes just scratch the surface. If you want more expert advice about the dos and don’ts of product packaging, fill out our sidebar form and partner with Eagle Flexible Packaging today.