Shelf Appeal: Select the Perfect Package to Display Your Product

happy-coffee-shop-owners-300A company leader wears many hats. If it’s your company, you’re it. You’re in charge and the buck stops with you. You have all of the important decisions to make; from concepts to execution to getting the product on the shelves. It all rests in your capable hands. Some of these decisions are easy. After all, it’s your vision and your idea that has been put in motion to create a product. You found a need and you found a way to fill that need. Sounds pretty simple when you break it down like that, but the reality is far more complex. Every decision that you make can affect your bottom line and make or break your success in the marketplace. You want to make all the right choices to show your product to the public. This can be extremely difficult if you’re not a marketing person. Marketing has a lingo all its own, and much of it makes no sense to the layman. If you want to sell your product to the masses, you have to market it correctly. Part of being a successful marketer is grasping the meaning of the buzzwords and packaging your product to show it off to its best advantage. We’re here to help dispel the mystery surrounding the language and to assist you in selecting the perfect packaging to sell your product. New Buzzwords are being created all the time To be a successful marketer you need to be aware of these terms and their meanings. You also need to know when to drop the use of tired lingo and cut to the heart of the matter. store-shelf-colorShelf Appeal This is a term applied to store shelf displays. Products with shelf appeal use color and design to catch the consumer’s attention and outshine the competition. The next time you’re in a grocery store, take a walk down any inner aisle. Take note of the products that catch your eye. What is it about them that have such appeal? Is it the shape of the package, the colors, the lettering, or the placement? When you decide on packaging for your product, keep these points in mind. You want the consumer to look at your product first and longest and eventually select it to purchase. For your product to be successful, it must have shelf appeal. H2H You’ve probably heard of B2C or B2B Marketing (business to Customer/Consumer and Business to Business). H2H is a new buzz-term standing for “Human to Human” marketing. This is a pendulum swing from the high tech approach of the past few decades. Human to Human marketing recognizes the need for reaching out to people on a basic human level. This approach cuts away the dazzle and goes straight to the heart of the matter. The customer needs this product to fulfill a basic need and we are happy to provide it to you. When you are looking at packaging solutions for your product, you want to convey the human need your product can fill. Using product materials, labeling and branding, you show how you will fill this H2H interaction with something high quality and genuine. People will feel they need your product to fill that need. They will buy it. Win-Win We’ve heard this buzzword for years. When you sell your product and have a successful business, you win. If you give a percentage of profits to charity, you win and the charity wins. If your product makes the customer’s day better, solves a problem for them, or helps them live a better life, it’s a win-win. Every positive outcome for the consumer and the company together is a win-win for everyone. If you select the packaging that represents your company well, shows your product to the public in a positive light, and keeps the product fresh after purchase, that’s also a win-win. Re-sealable packages are a great option for this. If you are supporting environmental causes, you’ll want to use green to reflect that choice. Using color and branding design shows what you are trying to convey to your ideal customer. shelf-appeal2-300Display Solutions This term refers to the physical placement of your product in the store. Whether it’s a special spinning display, end cap shelf or hanging rack, the way your product is displayed is important to sales. You want your product to be visible and accessible to the customer. Some retail stores allow your input on the placement of the display, but others will use the display solution that fits with their store layout most conveniently. When selecting your product packaging, the display solution is very important. Do you want to order stand-up pouches for store shelves or packaging with a hole to hang it on a hook? You need to determine how your product will be displayed in order to make smart packaging choices. Specialty Markets Where your products are sold is as important as how they are displayed. You must know your market and the customers who buy there. Perhaps it’s a specialty tea shop or a coffee house. Pet food stores or boutiques have a different customer demographic than retail chains do. You want to tailor your marketing to the specific customer who frequents these stores. Your product packaging can blend in and become hidden with many similar products in a specialty shop environment. Choose packaging that makes a unique statement about your company and your product. This is where brand awareness and logo design can make or break sales. Nuances such as zipper closures and degassing valves for coffee can persuade a customer to choose your product. Customers will purchase products that come in a re-closable bag over one that does not because the product will remain fresh longer. They are likely to select a product that they can see in a windowed bag over one where the contents are invisible. You can use smart packaging choices to sway the customer in your favor.

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