Packaging Your Coffee for Success

Do not judge a book by its cover. This is what our parents told us when we were growing up. As with a lot of things our parents told us, we did not listen. We do judge books by their covers. Our eyes are drawn to the things that are pretty, to the things that look good. This is a cornerstone of consumerism.

Regardless of how good the product is, if the packaging is not attractive, then we are not attracted to it. Now, you can moan about how short-sighted that is of people. But, there is no point in complaining about something that you cannot change. If you can’t beat the system, then maybe it is time to join it.

The coffee industry has an enormous consumer base. But, there is also an enormous amount of competition in this market. Dozens of brands battle with each other daily for their portion of the market.

Each one claims that their product is the best, but they do not simply rely on these claims to boost their sales. They market their product. They pay attention to detail, and they package their coffee in such a way that people want to buy it.

It cannot be stressed enough, packaging is important. How you present, your product will have a direct correlation on how much product you sell.

What do you want your brand to say?

Your brand tells a story, your story. Before you hit the shelves, you need to have a very clear idea of what story you want to tell and how you want to tell it. What kind of experience do you want to offer people?

All of this should be encompassed in your brand. This same brand is how you are going to interact with your customers. This brand is going to represent you on the shelves, and if not done properly, then your representation is going to be minimal at best.

During this creative process, it is advised to employ a professional. A graphic designer is one such professional. These people are perfectly suited to put your vision down on paper. They know how to present things in such a way that it draws the customers eye.

They can make your product stand out on the shelf. They can make your product audible. These people do not generally come cheap, but a professionally designed brand is well worth it.

What kind of container are you going to use?

When it comes to coffee, there are a wide array of container options. The question is, what kind of container do you want and what do you want it to say about you? A cheap container might say that the product is cheap.

A nondegradable container might say that you are not concerned with the environment. A glass container might signify a prestigious product. This is what will be going through customers minds when they are scanning the shelf. They are also thinking about storage. Or the stand up coffee pouches that are in trend and are a sureshot way to increase sales.

They are wondering where it is going to go in their kitchen and whether they need to decant it to look presentable or whether the container is functional and attractive enough to be left as is. The question is asked again, what kind of experience do you want to offer your customers? What do you want them to think about your product?

What label do you have, and does it match your container or pouch?

It is all well and good having a brilliant and eye-catching brand. But, if your label is not big enough to display the brand or worse still, it is missing vital information then what is the point?

When matching your brand to your label and your label to our container, you need to consider whether you are making the information easily accessible to your customers or not.

People do not want to have to squint to read the product information. They are also not going to buy a product that has an overlapping label because it is too big for the pouch. A mismatch like this looks tacky.

It does not look professional or well thought out. In the sphere of coffee, each roast needs to be labeled as such. People have preferences when it comes to coffee, and they want to know exactly what they are getting.

Tasting experiences can be great, but people do not want to buy coffee without knowing what coffee it is. They are also not going to spend ages perusing the label for this information. It must be visible enough to make for quick and easy shopping.

Play around with colors

There is something called color psychology. People in marketing and advertising are aware of this, and they use it to manipulate customers emotions. This may sound rather devious, but it actually happens without you knowing. The idea is that certain colors elicit different emotions in people.

For example, people associate blue with calm and trust while they associate red with heat, passion or love. This is a very simplified example, but it is used to illustrate the point.

Different roast should be associated with a different colour, and this color should mirror the atmosphere that you are trying to create with said roast. By paying attention to details like this you will not only have a happy customer, but you will have returning customers.

Use social media and technology

This is the digital age. We all live in it and for the most part, we all kind of love it. Things like Facebook and Instagram are just plain fun. They allow us to connect with people and share our lives with our loved ones in a unique way. A successful brand takes advantage of this. They have social media accounts for their brand that people can interact with.

This will make your brand seem more accessible and less unknown. By letting your customers interact with you and your brand, you let them feel like they know you. Like they know the product. The experience becomes personal.