Why change the packaging of my products?
While thousands of references appear on supermarket shelves each year, only 30% will survive their first year of existence.

If it only takes a few seconds for consumers to glance at products, they know what is right for them and what they will never turn to.
And brands are now fighting a fierce struggle to meet this ever-changing demand. Adjustments, color changes, the progression of the graphic line attract new consumers, okay, but not to the detriment of regular customers!
Changing the packaging of its products is, therefore, much more complicated than it seems.
Summary
- 1 Change the packaging of my products, what for?
- 1.1 Stay in tune with the times
- 1.2 Get a new visual at a lower cost
- 1.3 Stand out through innovation
- 1.4 Introduce new ranges
- 1.5 Reaffirm your message
- 2 When should the packaging of my products be changed?
- 2.1 My product has changed
- 2.2 My packaging is a few years late
- 2.3 My range has just been completed with a new product
- 2.4 My competitors have just reviewed their packaging
- 2.5 The packaging system has evolved
- 2.6 I would like to offer special packaging
- 2.7 I want to appeal more to emotions
- 3 The critical stages of my packaging change
- 4 Change product packaging: The final touch
Change the packaging of my products, what for?
It's not easy to find your place in the marketing jungle!
While a supermarket typically has between 15,000 and 60,000 different products, the average consumer will usually buy only 30 to 40. Also, to permanently stand out, there is only one solution: to reinvent yourself over time!
We will take into account the product and the competition and the standards in force for an infinity of new possible designs. Change the packaging of my products? The idea is very tempting for those who want in particular:
Stay in tune with the times.
It is well known that tastes and trends change and you have to change with them. It only takes six years for consumers and the global market to have changed entirely.
Among your strategic choices, from colors to the creation of a new design, you will reposition your product in the current context to make it competitive again. The good news is that most of the time, it will just be small tweaks.
Reinforcement of your brand image, a greener approach, an unforgettable unboxing experience, it doesn't matter as long as you stay in the race!
After many evolutions and a switch to blue in the early 2000s, the Miller Lite beer brand has chosen a return to the original design in line with the current vintage trend.
Get a new visual at a lower cost.
If the change of packaging is often necessary, it inevitably has a cost that will not necessarily fit your budget. To avoid systematically starting from scratch, a simple touch-up of your message or your graphic style will be all ways of surprising consumers.
A refreshed communication for a potential boost of your sales!
Stand out through innovation.
In the race to demarcate, packaging must both respond to market trends while offering something different. Take into account new players and your competitors' initiatives to position yourself in the best possible way.
A delicate process at the end of which the consumer will nevertheless have to keep his bearings. It's about surprising, not misleading!
Failed bet for Tropicana, which attempted in 2014 a radical change of its design. Result? 20% fewer sales. The must-have straw orange has since made a comeback on the packaging.
Introduce new ranges
When you started your business, you had a target audience in mind, but is it still the same? Women, men, children, athletes, or gourmets, perhaps it is time to address new audiences.
We will pay particular attention here to the choice of its colors and the way to convey its message to appeal to the perception of the desired audience.
Reaffirm your message
Finally, it will be useful to see beyond the visual to think in terms of positioning.
Is your message still clear or have continuous improvements masked the essential? Perhaps it is time to give up some extra elements.
We are not born a brand. We become it gradually. We can also cease to be so.
Jean-Noel Kapferer.
We are not born a brand. We become it gradually. We can also cease to be so.
When should I change the packaging of my products?
Recently, the idea of a change of packaging has been stirring in your head, but when is the right time to work on it? There is always a good reason to get started.
My product has changed.
And yes, the same product can evolve, whether it is its formula or its capacity. In question, there is a constant search for practicality and current ethical values that no longer have anything to do with those of yesterday.
But it could also be a change of direction within the company and a marketing line redesigned in depth.
Display loud and clear the evolutions of your work through a new graphic design that will be entirely transparent for future users.
My packaging is a few years late.
Still, stuck in the boldly colored designs of the '90s?
We have to reinvent ourselves
Vintage, we love it, but it must be carefully worked on; otherwise, it will be completely outdated. We notice with current trends that a clean visual is now much more meaningful than a product saturated with information.
So we take the time to clean things up to address the consumer more directly.
My range has just been completed with a new product.
The introduction of a new product from the same range is the occasion for a small variation of your packaging. We will mainly focus here on the colors and a few simple elements without affecting the overall appearance, which must remain consistent.
Simple adjustments but which nevertheless have their importance. A wrong choice of colors and you will miss the target audience, or it is the flavor of your product that will be poorly highlighted, in the context of food packaging.
There is no question of choosing the first color that comes or the one of the moment if it does not correspond to the product offered. And we think twice before opting for shades already made famous by other big brands!
The Louisville Vegan Jerky brand has chosen to decline the vintage look of its bags of vegan dried meat in different colors according to the flavors.
My competitors have just reviewed their packaging.
Continuous competitive intelligence will be the ideal way never to be left behind.
The packaging system has evolved.
It's not just trends that change. There are also the mandatory indications and packaging standards that harden over time, but they may also be technical advances that will be beneficial for you to submit.
These will be particularly rigorous in the context of food. Nutritional benefits, ingredients, traceability, do not exclude any detail to give the customer confidence.
And since we are talking about the customer, a change of packaging allowing better conservation or simplified use will always be appreciated!
As marketers, we should shift our mantra from “always attracting new customers” to “always helping our customers.”
Jonathan Linster.
I would like to offer special packaging.
For the end of year celebrations, Easter or Mother's Day, to support an ecological cause or an event, everything is a pretext for personalization!
The opportunity to offer limited editions that will not fail to have their effect. The idea is particularly applicable in the world of chocolate.
Special packaging for Euro 2016 intended to encourage the English team.
I need to reduce my packaging costs
The year has not necessarily been excellent, and the pretty packaging designed initially is costing you too much. A slight change is needed to help you get back on track.
I want to appeal more to emotions.
Ask consumers why they have chosen one product over another. Most of them won't have a clue.
This is because, in terms of cosmetics, food, or other products, 90% of the decision rests on the unconscious. And the unconscious is something intrinsically linked to our emotions.
Coca-Cola hit hard by offering bottles with names! What will be your initiative?
The critical stages of my packaging change
It's decided, are you going?
You should know that changing the packaging of your products always involves an element of risk, but it is even more risky not to seek change.
At this point, it's a long thought process that awaits you. Imagine Spotify reviewed over 5,000 shades of green before finalizing their new logo!
I look around me; I compare the trends, the proposals of my competitors. I analyze what is working and consider my own mistakes and those of others.
I am not embarking on a radical change. First, bet on the color, shape, or a distinctive element to go smoothly without losing the essential points of reference. And to ensure a positive reception from the public, we do not bet from the start on a price change.
I keep it real and concise. The packaging is not a brochure! For excellent visibility, I rely on a few selected indications faithful to what I offer!
I carefully create my design with Illustrator- like software or other free online design software.
I test the effectiveness of my new packaging. On social media, online, or in limited supply in stores, feel free to observe and educate yourself on how your new product is being received. The opportunity to make the last adjustments before the big launch!
Change product packaging: The final touch
The most important thing to change the packaging of your products is to do nothing at random.
If you choose to reinvent your approach, it's because you have an idea in mind, and you are choosing to reposition your brand in line with your goals. At a time when times and tastes are continually changing, the packaging itself is no longer a finished product but a reflection of your brand at a given moment.
Change product packaging: The final touch
And what works today may not work tomorrow.
In the meantime, PrintCosmo helps you develop the packaging according to your ideas and your guideline throughout the process. Ask our team of graphic designers for advice or take advantage of our personalization software.
The rest of your projects in just a few clicks away!


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