Want to Sell More? Look at the Packaging!

May 11, 2011, 1:00 PM

Do you have a product or service that’s just not moving? On the surface, it seems to meet a critical need, the price seems reasonable and when you tell potential clients or customers about it, they like the idea. Heck, a few have even bought once you explained it to them. Wait . . . come again? They bought your product or service when you were able to explain it? That’s when you know you have a packaging problem – a marketing and branding problem – NOT a product problem!

But, before we jump completely to the “It’s-the-Packaging,-Stupid” solution, any time you have a product or service that is underperforming, you owe it to yourself and your business to examine several key process points. For example:

The price point – Is the price too high? Too low? On par with similar offerings?

The quality point – Does the product or service seem worth the price? (You might pay $29.95 for an official Boxing Association of America leather jump rope with varnished, maple swivel handles, but that price would be out of the question for a woven cotton jump rope with pink plastic handles.)

The service point — Are you offering follow up visits, 30-day warranties, phone support, and so on that make the product seem valuable to a prospective customer?

Assuming the product or service is determined to have value to prospective buyers — meaning it meets a need at a reasonable price and level of quality — then you can begin to look at assumptions about how it’s being marketing.

At Burgess Advertising & Marketing, we take a look at three critical areas first:

1. What’s It Called? — We first look at the name of the product or service. Is it descriptive? Does it make sense to prospects? Can they understand what it’s for or what it’s supposed to do? Some products just have really bad names that keep them from being purchased!

2. How Do We Talk About It? — The second area we examine is the basic messaging around the product or service. Are we describing its features, the problems it solves, etc., in a way that is meaningful to potential buyers?

3. What Does It Look Like? — Never underestimate the power of external packaging. Whether your product sits on a retail shelf or is a written proposal for services housed in a printed folder, people DO judge a book by its cover!

Unique packaging can definitely improve shelf visibility and enhance customer satisfaction. (This can be reflected in color, size, shape and functionality, labeling, ergonomic shape, etc.)

Visibility of key messaging on a package can also make a critical difference. For example, if your prospective customers care most about “low sodium” or “battery lasts 3 weeks,” make sure that attribute is clear and easy to find!

The bottom line: If you suspect that packaging is the culprit, it’s probably time for some expert advice, and maybe even focus groups or online testing among potential buyers to see how best to correct the problems and get sales back on track. Today more than ever, brand performance is tied to packaging and messaging. So before you write off a product as no longer viable, take a look at it from a potential buyer’s side and see if a spruce up is in order.

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