Packing is a part of making mix i.e. product, price, promotion and placement and some of the marketer regard as 5th P of marketing mix. It’s also communication the brand personality, brand image. To distinguish product in shelf from competitor, marketer endow more on packaging than product inside. Attractive packaging is essential to lure or pursue the first time buyer as most of the consumer evaluate the product by it packaging. Until 1950 not much attention was given to the product packaging. Most items were packaged in functional wrappers that were designed to protect and deliver. But that has all changed. These days, impulse purchasing makes up almost 75 percent of the consumer spending, and if the package fails to project the right message, it might be left sitting alone on the shelf.
Marketer keeps in mind some of the important point while getting design the product packaging.
Identify the problem: it is essential to study the consumer perception regarding existing packaging before changing or making change in it. Does Brand need to attract all together new segment? Does it quality of packing is issue, does it design or size, does it has negative effect due some blunder of past so need to refresh the image? For example In 2003 Cadbury change its packing to resolve the issue of the finding of worms in its chocolate bar by the state Food and Drugs Administration, Cadbury India is working towards strengthening the packing of the Cadbury Dairy Milk range. Cadbury introduced sealed packaging that offers a high level of resistance to infestation from improper storage.
Change without any particular justification some time also affect brand image and sales too. The very good example of how packaging affects the buying decision. Tropicana introduced a new carton for is “pure Premium” citrus juices, the old packaging featured a distinctive logo and an iconic “straw stuck in an orange” image. The new packaging was bland and generic. No other changes were made to the product. The taste was the same and the cost was the same. All that changed was the packaging. But somehow it doesn’t work and the sale of the Tropicana gone down 20% in one and half month.
Target group and influencer group: it is also require knowing the target group’s buying behavior. Published statistics vary slightly but in general it is recognized that women account for between 80 and 85% of all consumer purchases. When certain product categories are involved women far exceed those buying percentages, like the Over The Counter pharmaceutical category and the food category where women account for 93% of purchases With this tremendous influence in purchasing, it follows that women also have a tremendous influence on packaging, including everything from the ergonomics of today’s automobiles to the closure on a bottle of vitamins. The color preference of women is different than the men. Women prefer packaging that has appealing shape, visual characteristics, functionality, and that is easy for them to handle, store, as well as open and close. Every good example is women calcium sendo packaging and Tirupati edible oil packaging. This packaging developed keeping in mind the requirement female target group.
Packaging conveys product characteristics: color, design aesthetic and material used in packaging convey the characteristics of products. GENCO found that the majority of shoppers will not buy a Product if its packaging is damaged. The study also revealed that shoppers’ trust in a product or Brand declines steadily when its packaging is damaged—up to 55% of shoppers left the brand, And 36% opted to purchase another brand. f we integrate this study’s results to understand the role of packaging in consumer processing, In a product display, consumers will notice the packaging color first, then the shape and finally the detail of a product. The distinct Cadbury corporate color of purple is thus a key selling feature. This color is now synonymous with Cadbury’s milk chocolate and as such provides the company with a distinct competitive advantage in the marketplace.
ITC launches its kitchens of India brand of packaged ready to eat India gourmet recipe in the premium segment with the brand promise of a delightful dining experience. The brand had to be differentiated from other ready to eat brands in the economy segment positioned as convenience food, in addition the quality had to be in line with international standards to utilize a huge and growing export market for authentic Indian cuisine. The attractive graphics convey the theme of royal food and conforms to international labeling standards. This has helped kitchen of India to not only become the standard for the premium ready to eat food market in India, but has also helped them penetrate markets in the united states and Europe
In 2006 Heinz fridge door fit bottle launched, offering storage flexibility which increased ketchup consumption by 68% is a good example of how packaging can drive sales. so packing not only help in branding building but also help to increase the sales of products too.
According to Sis international research unique shapes, structures and delivery systems help differentiate products from competitors. Packaging is read not up and down, but at the left and right corners of packaging. Thus, reassuring claims benefit by being placed in these corners, while primary claims benefit by being in the center of packaging. Research also suggest Customers desire simplicity in messaging due to many conflicting messages, competing products like private labels, and complicated products.