Does your packaging design catch the eyeball of the digital shopper?

Online shopping is expected to rise in the coming years and the 4.2 trillion USD purchase of goods and services by over two billion people in 2020 is proof of this. The question that marketers and designers alike are asking is will how will packaging design change?

The MasterCard Economics Institute estimated that consumers around the world would spend around 900 billion USD in online retail stores in 2020 as a direct fallout of the pandemic.” In 2020, over two billion people purchased goods or services online, and during the same year, e-retail sales surpassed 4.2 trillion U.S. dollars worldwide” says Statista. If these stats have not convinced you that the future of retail is in eCommerce, just visit any online store and see for yourself the number of products in any one category vying for attention.

The question that every packaging design agency is asking themselves is, “Is our packaging design different and unique enough to catch the eye of the online shopper?” We at Litmus Branding — one of the top packaging design companies in India decided to explore and understand how the rise of eCommerce will impact package design. Here’s what we found:

Package Design is Underrated

We found that despite the rise in online shopping, not enough attention was paid to package design. Brands continued to rely on the traditional package. They do not attach enough significance to designing product packages. This is a big mistake. Your package can significantly enhance the perceived value of your product. Besides, you should ensure that it is distinctive and broadcasts your USP if you want to get noticed online. And once your consumers recognize your USP you can charge a premium price.

Recommended: Why should you invest in product packaging design?

Your Package Packs your Personality

Doing things differently was once considered crazy. Today it is hip. If you do things differently, you’ll attract attention — and that’s what you want. And if you do it consistently, it will become your trademark, your USP, your brand identity, your personality. You can do all of this easily if you invest time, effort, and of course budget in designing your product package. Not only that, your package will have a great impact on the shelf — or webpage — if it is different from others. We’ve talked about brand identity often enough and effective package design is one way to firmly establish it in cyberspace.

Catchy is the Catch Word

The earlier two points highlight the need to invest in product packaging design. The question is how to do this? Whether you are designing for the physical shelf or the web page, your package should beckon the consumer from afar. On the shelf, it should be inviting enough for the consumer to reach out and put it in their trolley. On the webpage, it should be the first thing the consumer notices as soon as the page loads. Remember that the size of your package gets distorted online because most retail stores use thumbnail images of the actual package. To counter this, you can support the image with a catchy tagline that will invite the consumer to take a closer look.