Product Packaging Strategy

Meaning of the package

Many products entering the market must be packaged. Packaging can play a minor role (for example, it can also play an important role for people who are not expensive hardware products (such as cosmetics)).

Some packaging is known worldwide: bottles like "Coca-Cola", "Legg" pantyhose for women, egg-shaped containers, and many marketers call Packaging 5th P, the first four P They are Price, Product, Place, and Promotion.

We define packaging as: Packaging refers to the design and production of containers or dressings for a series of activities. This container or wrapper is called a package. Packaging can include up to three levels of material. The first level of packaging refers to the container closest to the product. For example, a bottle with a "repair after shave" is the closest package to the product. The second level of packaging refers to the protection of the first-level packaging material, which is discarded when the product is used. The cardboard box used to pack the bottled "cleansing liquid after shaving" is a second-level packaging that provides further protection and promotion opportunities for the product. Transfer packaging refers to the packaging necessary for product storage, identification and transportation. For example, a corrugated box with six dozens of "Chen Xiang cleansing liquid after shaving" is a transport package. In addition, labeling is also an integral part of packaging. It is composed of printed information indicating the product, which appears on the packaging or is integrated with the packaging.

The meaning of packaging

At present, packaging has become a powerful marketing tool. Well-designed packaging can create convenient value for consumers and create promotional value for producers. A variety of factors will promote the further development of packaging as a marketing tool in the application. As more and more products are sold in self-service on supermarkets and discount stores. Now, packaging must perform many marketing tasks. Packaging has many aspects.

1. Protect the goods for easy storage and transportation. The basic function of product packaging is to protect the goods and facilitate storage and transportation. Effective product packaging can play a role in series protection products such as moisture-proof, heat-proof, cold-proof, anti-volatility, anti-pollution, fresh-keeping, anti-fragile and anti-deformation. Therefore, when packaging products, pay attention to the selection of product packaging materials and the technical control of packaging.

2. Packaging can attract attention, explain product features, give consumers confidence, and form a favorable overall impression. Increasing consumer affluence means that consumers are willing to pay more for the convenience, appearance, reliability, and reputation of good packaging. Companies and brand image companies have realized the great role of well-designed packaging, which helps consumers quickly identify which company or brand. Each film purchaser can immediately identify the well-known yellow-colored "Kodak" film.

3. Packaging also offers innovative opportunities. Packaging innovation can bring great benefits to consumers and also bring profits to producers. In 1899, Unida Cookie Company innovated into a package with a fresh-keeping device (paperboard, internal paper-wrapping, and external paper-wrapping) to make the shelf life of cookies longer than biscuit boxes, cookie boxes and cookie buckets. Kraft Foods developed a canned mix cheese that extended the shelf life of the cheese and earned the company a "reliable" reputation. At present, the company is testing bactericidal pouches, which are containers made of metal-mixed plastics and are a replacement for cans. Some companies first place soft drinks in canopy cans, or place liquid sprays in button cans to attract many new customers. Now, wine makers are experimenting with packaging formats such as canned lids and cartons.
Influencing Factors and Principles of Packaging Strategy Decision

Developing effective packaging for new products requires a lot of decisions. First, establish the concept of packaging. The concept of packaging is defined as to specify what the packaging should be or what a particular product does. The main role of packaging should be to provide protection for high-quality products, introduce a new way of use, suggest a certain quality of the product or company, or some other role.

General Foods has developed a novel dog food that is shaped like a small pie. The management decided to maximize the visibility of the unique and delicious appearance of these pies. Visibility is defined as the basic idea of ​​packaging, and management authorities have considered several packaging solutions accordingly. The company finally chose to pack a transparent film on the plate.

In addition, decisions must be made on other elements of the packaging design, such as the size, shape, material, color, text description, and branding of the packaging. The content of the decision must also include: a large number of written instructions or a small amount of text description, the use of cellophane or other transparent film, plastic or sheet-like dishes, and so on. The various elements of packaging must be coordinated with each other. Packaging size involves packaging materials and colors. The elements of packaging must also be coordinated with pricing, advertising, and other marketing elements.

Once the package is designed, some tests must be conducted. The purpose of carrying out engineering test is to ensure that the package can withstand wear under normal conditions; the purpose of carrying out consumer testing is to ensure that favorable consumer response is won.

And, even if these experimental measures are taken in advance, there are sometimes fundamental flaws in the packaging design: For example, a food company has developed a pressurized can of barbecue sauce called “spray spray cans”. Market trials found potential hazards in packaging: "We thought we had a good can, but we were fortunate that we initially conducted trials only in stores in Texas and California. Once the cans were warmed up, And they started to explode. Because we didn't sell around the country, we lost only $150,000, not millions of dollars."

A well-designed package for a new product may cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and take months or even a year. We cannot overemphasize the importance of packaging because we see that packaging can play a role in attracting and satisfying consumers. However, companies should note that society has become increasingly concerned about packaging, and companies should make corresponding decisions to serve the interests of society and serve the immediate customers and the company’s goals.

In addition, product packaging also has some basic principles:

1. Applicable principles. The main purpose of packaging is to protect the goods. Therefore, first of all, according to the different nature and characteristics of the product, reasonably select packaging materials and packaging technology to ensure that the product is not damaged, not degenerate, no deformation, etc., try to use packaging materials that meet the environmental protection standards; secondly, we must design the packaging reasonably and be convenient for transportation. Wait.

2. The principle of beauty. Sales packaging has the function of beautifying the goods, so the design requires a novel, generous, beautiful appearance, and has a strong artistic.

3. Economic principles. Under the premise of meeting the marketing strategy, the packaging cost should be reduced as much as possible.

Product Packaging Strategy

1. Similar packaging strategy. Enterprises use the same patterns, similar colors, the same packaging materials and the same shape for their products to facilitate customers to identify the company's products. For customers who are loyal to their companies, similar packaging will undoubtedly have a promotional effect, so companies can save the design and production costs of packaging. However, a similar packaging strategy can only be applied to products with the same quality, and it is not appropriate to use products with large differences in product quality and disparate quality levels.

2. Supporting packaging strategy. According to consumer spending habits of various countries, a number of related products are packaged and packaged together to provide convenience for consumers to purchase, use, and carry, while also expanding the sales of products. Intensifying a new product in ancillary products can make consumers unconsciously become accustomed to using new products, which is conducive to the introduction and popularization of new products.

3. Use the package again. When the product in the package is used up, the package has other uses. For example, perfume bottles of various shapes can be used as decorations, and exquisite food boxes can also be reused. This packaging strategy can make consumers feel more useless and cause their desire to buy, and the repeated use of packaging also plays a role in advertising the product. The cautious use of this strategy by the casks avoids the impact of higher commodity prices and the impact on product sales.

4. Comes with a packaging strategy. The re-billing of gift wraps or objects in the packaging of goods is described, or the packaging itself can be exchanged for gifts to attract the patronage effect of the customers, resulting in repeated purchases. China's export of "ballet pearl paste", each box comes with a pearl pin, the customer purchased a total of 50 to guest a beautiful pearl necklace, which makes the pearl cream in the international market is very popular.

5. Change the packaging strategy. That is, change and abandon the original product packaging and switch to a new one. As packaging technology and packaging materials are continuously updated, consumers' preferences are constantly changing and new packaging is used to make up for the lack of original packaging. Enterprises must also cooperate with propaganda work while changing packaging to eliminate consumer perception that product quality is declining or otherwise Misunderstandings.

Reprinted from: China Design Printing Network