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Consumer Appeal
“It’s all in the package,” is a favorite expression of
marketers. To sell your product, you must attract and
inform the customer. Unless someone has the
opportunity to taste your product, the only chance
you have of convincing a consumer to purchase is
through your packaging. Tour any supermarket and
note what catches your eye, and why. This will
convince you of the important role of package
design.
Look at the Competition
Before you decide on your package and label do
some market research. Start by visiting stores that
carry products you are interested in. Look at
competitors’ products. Look through the other aisles
while you are there. You just might find some new
ideas. Packaging changes constantly. What new
innovations are there in tamper proof, recyclable and
reusable packaging? Trade shows are great places to
learn about package and label trends. You do not
want to reinvent the wheel. You want to use existing
containers, boxes, tins and bottles in new and
exciting ways.
Your Market
Consider the consumer. Your market research has
identified your target consumer. You need to keep
this profile in mind when you design your package
and your label. The package should relate to the
product. The consumer should be able to tell what
the product is, based on the type of package, be it a
box, jar, bottle or plastic jug.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Paper
– generally low cost and readily available
– can be coated or laminated to improve
impermeability to liquids, gases and vapors
– can provide rigid outer wraps or boxes
– opaque and excludes light
– printable
– not resistant to water, oil, grease
Glass
– does not react with food
– can be transparent or colored to protect from
light
– strong
– can be heat processed
– brittle
– transparent
– heavy
– printing not common (expensive)
– requires labels to be applied
– safety of product (due to breakage)
Metal
tin steel or aluminum cans
flexible foils
– can be coated to prevent reaction with food
– can be heat processed
– can be hermetically sealed
– can be lithographed
– can be plastic coated for strength and heat
sealing ability
– good gas and moisture barrier in the absence
of pinholes
– may be printable
– expensive and requires expensive sealing
equipment
– lithograph printing expensive, usually need
additional label
– may have microscopic pinholes allowing gas
exchange with environment
Plastic
– range of materials with a variety of proper ties
(e.g. oxygen transmission, moisture barrier,
opaque or transparent)
– when laminated or co-extruded to give
special proper ties may not be recyclable
– printability depends on material used
– heat sealability depends on material used