Are you at risk of being seen and not heard?

Packaging is the custodian of a product and at the coalface of the consumer and shopper experience. The packaging challenge is that it has to work, not only at a functional level but also at a psychological level because ‘a good pack’ must work well in a competitive context and in multiple environments, not least on shelf or on a list.?The catch, of course, is that what works well in a dedicated TV advert may work less well in a busy, noisy, overcrowded supermarket display. ?So, what should the pack keep in mind for success at the fixture?

In the store environment packs operate in three main ways:

1. Provides the visual connection to help shoppers identify and select from the likely sea of other products jostling for eye time
2. Provide the voice to establish clearly and simply the ‘what and why’ features and benefits
3. Provide the vessel to care for and protect the product

Getting the balance right comes down to understanding not only what the product should or could say about itself but also understanding how the shopper behaves and the consumer/shopper mindset. ?For instance, are shoppers in the aisle or online replenishing or are they exploring new products? ?If you know your category you will have a good idea about the weight and importance of the later to drive category growth.

Often, we see supermarket shoppers being forced into a ‘replenish’ mode because they can’t face what feels like an overwhelming, illogical, or detailed search for something better. Haircare is a classic example where women enter the aisle with a flicker of ‘what could make me more beautiful?’ yet feel utterly overwhelmed at the fixture. ??Do they want to see new stuff or regular stuff? Do they want to recognise the pack or look for alternatives?

Actually, this balance of trying to find where the sweet spot of shouting loudly enough to be seen - if you are not currently ‘the one’- and still being relevant, quickly, as a viable alternative is where packaging research can help understand the true boundaries.?We all know that breaking category conventions can get your brand noticed.

Defying established and pre-conceived principles of a category tells shoppers I’m here, I’ve arrived. But of course, at the same time, shoppers must know who you are, what you are about, and ultimately why you are different. Breaking the mould gets you noticed but breaking the category rules can get you overlooked. Shoppers will not take time to get to know you if it is not immediately obvious who you are.?They need to know what you ‘do’ to help them complete their shopping mission.

What ‘job’ does your shopper want ‘done’ (to complete their task) and is the pack providing that essential shopper shortcut it needs in the selling space they find themselves in??To understand this, we need to break down the shopping process to realise how the pack operates at each level.?We see this as working at 4 or 5 levels.

SEE IT – In-context visibility against its predators

LOVE IT – a positive emotional connection to the product seen

GET IT – comprehensive, meaningful offer beyond the ‘emotional trigger’ created

BUY IT – meeting any necessary shopper criteria to get them over the line (e.g. budget)

BUY IT AGAIN – does it deliver as promised or against the perception the product creates

The visuals, voice and vessels of the pack are all bound together by understanding one key factor: knowing and exploiting the way the pack creates a shortcut for shoppers in store. These shortcuts might stem from the shape of the pack, the logo, the colour of the product or even the shape of the lid. Shopping in a supermarket can feel like a session of ‘Where’s Wally?’ especially when the packs are competing for eye-space through similar mechanics such as bright colours, busy fonts and messaging.

Packaging research is often overlooked in the full competitive context and can still be investigated in a vacuum. The challenges clients are faced typically involve combinations of marketing, insight and category involvement and the ownership of the outcomes.?These are some of the questions our clients put to us around packaging?

• How easy do shoppers find and identify our product?
• Do our shoppers understand quickly enough the description of ‘what we are’?
• Does our packaging differentiate enough from the competition to be fully seen?
• Or does our new pack idea differentiate too much away from category conventions and prevent us from being in the consideration set?
• Does our branding work within our category?
• Our on-pack messages strong enough?
• Can shopper differentiate between our variants and see our full range?
• Have we the right size(s) available?
• How do we harmonise all the above to work together?

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A great pack can assert its presence even in the most challenging circumstances, to become a clear target for current and potential buyers.?As shopper researchers we know that typically c.90% of visual activity in an aisle is on pack and therefore, we make it our priority to understand how this works for the brands and categories we work with.