Over the last years, neurosciences have advanced exponentially, transforming our understanding of the process of decision making and the factors that influence it. This growth has favored the emergence of new approaches and the creation of tools with greater potential and precision for the design of strategies, brands and products. Packaging is one of the main elements of the process. Thus, it can benefit the most from these new approaches, especially in order to increase sales.
There are at least seven key strategies to help us to achieve this:
1. IDENTIFY THE MOTIVATIONAL DRIVERS
When we buy coffee, we’re not just buying a hot drink for breakfast. For some people, coffee represents energy, others associate it to a moment of relaxation, the perfect excuse for a conversation, the dessert’s substitute or part of a daily ritual. Volvo, BMW and Mercedes Benz offer three excellent brake systems. But the first brand sells the tranquility of feeling safe, BMW the pleasure of driving a high-performance car, and Mercedes it’s a symbol of superiority. Identifying these unconscious motivations allows us to understand precisely what our potential buyers are looking for and to create a unique offer. Likewise, it leads us to discover new consumption occasions and seize them.
2. KNOW WHO IS BUYING AND HOW THE DECISION IS MADE
The person that buys our product is not the consumer, but the shopper. Even though they may be the same person, their mindsets are different. Although everything is possible for the consumer, the shopper has to deal with reality; managing a limited budget and achieving every task in time and in proper form, while receiving the influence of his environment, to which he reacts unconscious and emotionally. The shopper’s mentality is intuitive and acts as if it was in autopilot mode that turns off only if he doesn’t find the product he was looking for or if he can’t choose another easily. Understanding his needs, the way in which he searches, rules out, selects, compares, evaluates and buys, especially if he’s not our target, gives us the opportunity to foresee the possible obstacles of the whole cycle and be able to avoid them beforehand.
3. UNDERSTAND THE CATEGORY AND THE POP
We know that the shopper navigates through the aisles of the point of purchase at high speed, covering the display racks with his peripheral vision, looking for signs that show him that he has found what he wanted. Understanding the situation at code level and the signs he looks for, or the ones that catch his attention, give us great advantage to captivate him.
4. CREATE AN EXPERIENCE
Spending in experiences is surpassing the consumption of objects. Trends show that we want to discover new sensations, travel with our senses, have stories to tell, feel alive and unique. Packaging, especially at the unboxing stage, has enormous potential and can even be enhanced through the digital world to offer a memorable experience.
5. DESIGN FOR ECOMMERCE AS WELL
The growth of online sale has created a new way of visualizing packaging: with two dimensions and reduced size (sometimes also quality). Integrating this into the design process allows us to develop a new plan adapted to this reality and a narrative that makes the package have an impact on this environment as well.
6. BEING SUSTAINABLE AS WELL AS SAFE AND FUNCTIONAL
Adopting sustainable practices is no longer a differentiating factor. Instead, it’s becoming an indispensable condition to compete in many categories of mass consumption. Packaging is a decisive point to show how carefully and responsibly we do things.
7. BOOST REPURCHASE
Recommendation among peers (known or unknown) is nowadays the main motivation to try a product. It’s the principal source we turn to when we want information and the one we trust the most. Thus, it’s essential that the packaging encourages consumers to give their opinions, write reviews and share content.
Together with Cruce Design Group, we have developed a strategic framework that enables us to transform this knowledge into inputs for the creative process and we’d like to share it with you.
Germán Videla
Associate Consultant
Strategic Planning & Marketing Consultant