How to Influence Consumer Behavior With Packaging? A Detailed Guide

Aligning your business strategy with the pain points of your customers, and marketing such strategy the right way, is essential yet challenging. Custom packaging that is designed after analyzing the customer behavior can help in this regard. As famous American Business author Michael LeBoeuf says,

“A satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.”

But the question is, how to persuade customers with the help of packaging? In this blog, we will explore a comprehensive guide on how to influence customer behavior with the help of your product packaging. Read on to find more!

Consumer Behavior Analysis is a Must for Your Business

Understanding how customers behave to your products, marketing campaigns and packaging is essential to devise successful business strategies. Behavior economics (understanding the psychology of decision-making in economic matters) is one of the major parts of consumer behavior analysis. This study helps you create strategies that make your target audience pay for your products.

When it comes to product packaging, having useful insights about customer behavior helps you create a persuasive packaging design. Such persuasive design triggers your target audience at an emotional level and encourages them to buy your items.

But, the question is how to do a behavioral analysis that directs your packaging design strategy. To do so, you need to understand customer psychology and buyers’ journeys. Analyzing patterns in qualitative and quantitative data of the purchase actions of your customers can provide you with valuable insights. However, make sure to gather the data from credible sources and use reliable tools for analysis.

Role of Packaging in the Buying Decision Process

Custom product packaging plays an important role in the buying decisions of the customers. Many customers admit that various packaging aspects influence their buying decisions. Here are some factors of product packaging that can influence the purchase decision of buyers:

• Adorable Packaging Persuades the Customer

A persuasive material and design of packaging can persuade customers to buy your items. According to a report shared by IPSOS, 72% of American buyers admit that the design of the product packaging can make them buy a product. When it comes to packaging material, the purchase decision of around 67% of customers is influenced by the packaging material.

Packaging influences the buying decision because it is the first medium of interaction for customers with your products. You buyers actually judge a book by its cover when buying a product from a retail shop although most of them discourage this act.

• Sustainability Attracts Eco-Aware Buyers

The importance of sustainable packaging is increasing in the market. The reason is that most buyers prefer to buy items packed in eco-friendly packaging. Considering the harms of pollution and climate change, the priorities of buyers are shifting to sustainable practices.

According to a report shared by PR Newswire, 82% of customers are willing to pay more for products packed in sustainable packaging. It means, your simple rustic yet biodegradable kraft packaging is more liked by the buyers than elegant yet non-sustainable plastic packaging.

• Quality Packaging Encourages Repurchases

Retaining customers and making them loyal to the brand is paramount for startups as well as enterprises. If you are looking for an easy method to encourage your customers to repurchase, work on the quality of your product packaging.

The quality of product packaging greatly influences the purchase decisions of the customers. The reason is that durable and fine packaging enhances the perceived value of your products. Around 52% of customers are likely to repurchase your products if they are packed in good-quality packaging.

Psychology of Color and Design in Packaging

Color psychology is the impact of different hues on people's minds. The strong association of colors with human emotions is the reason, packaging design is incomplete without an appropriate selection of hues.

If you want to influence the buying decisions of your customers, understanding color psychology is essential. Doing so can help you create a packaging design that stands out and fascinates your buyers. Here is how colors and designs impact the buying decisions of customers:

• Visibility & Preception

Packaging colors and designs alter the visibility and perception of products in the minds of customers. For instance, dull colors and subtle imagery are likely to fail when it comes to custom Christmas boxes for gifts and favors. The reason is that minimal designs will be overlooked when the retail shelves are full of Christmas vibrance.

Such an enthusiastic event requires vibrant packaging exuding a joyous vibe to complement the special occasion.

On the other hand, a sophisticated jewelry brand will prefer not to go for vibrant packaging boxes for jewelry items. Such luxurious products require a minimalist design approach to influence the target audience.

Tidbit: Minimalistic vs. detailed design approach

• Emotional Triggers

Connecting with the customers at an emotional level is also necessary if you want to boost your sales. Color and design psychology can help you with this. Go for the packaging designs that trigger the emotions of your target audience. For instance, if you want to connect your products with nostalgic memories of your customers, choose vintage or retro designs for your product packaging.

Colors also play a role in triggering the emotions of your buyers. Choose a red color for boxes to create a passionate look. Yellow resonates with a vibrant vibe, and blue signifies calmness. Your product nature can help decide the right color scheme for your custom packaging.

• Cognitive Impact on Buying Decision

The design and color of your product packaging also influence the buying decisions of your customers at a cognitive level. Shapes, features, and labels of your custom packaging can persuade your customers to buy your items. For instance, rustic brown Kraft signifies biodegradability and compostability. Using this color scheme for your product packaging can help you attract eco-aware buyers.

Creating a thoughtful design can also help you get the trust of your buyers. You can print a detailed section of information about your product in packaging design. Most of your customers won’t read it, but build trust in your brand after seeing such an act of transparency.

Packaging Design Elements Influencing Consumer Buying Decisions

Now that we know the psychology of color and design, let’s explore some design elements for your product packaging. Here are some essential elements for your packaging design that can influence consumer buying decisions if strategically used:

• Colors, Imagery & Fonts

Choose the right color scheme, graphical elements, and fonts of your product packaging. All these elements play a role in impacting consumer psychology and persuading customers to buy your items. When deciding graphical elements for your packaging keep your brand archetype in mind. It will help you create a design that addresses your target audience.

• Brand Presentation

Showcase your brand identity suitably on your product packaging to stand out and fascinate your customers. Your brand elements include logos, taglines, and color schemes that define your brand voice. Try to build an emotional connection with your customers with these brand elements. For instance, a funky logo with vibrant colors fascinates youngsters and kids. Such a design approach can help you create packaging for candies, snacks, sports items, etc. 

• Functional Aspect of Design

Never overlook functionality when creating an elegant packaging design to attract your customers. The reason is that functional convenience is included in the fundamentals that enhance the unboxing experience of your buyers. Custom die-cut windows, EVA foam inserts, sliding drawer unboxing mechanism, etc. are some examples of functional features that add to the unboxing experience of your buyers.

Creating a Unique Brand Perception With Unboxing Experience

Branding is essential when it comes to making customers remember your business identity. To boost your brand, you can create a unique unboxing experience that your customers love. A timeless unboxing experience not only leaves a good impression on your buyers but also enhances the perceived value of your products.

That’s how unboxing can play a role in building a positive perception of your brand in the minds of customers.

Tips to Create a Memorable Unboxing Experience

Making boxes to offer a unique unboxing experience to buyers can be challenging but not anymore. Here are 3 fundamentals that can help you improve the unboxing experience of your buyers and boost your brand:

• Choose Quality & Adorable Packaging Material

A good quality and adorable packaging material creates a timeless first impression in the minds of your buyers. Choose a material that is inexpensive enough to fit your budget and elegant enough to create a lasting first impression. Glass, hard clear plastic, double-wall cardstock, and rigidstock for boxes are considered to be ideal materials for premium packaging.

• Pick Timeless Box Styles & Inserts

Box styles also play a role in enhancing the unboxing experience of your buyers. If you want to impress your buyers with unboxing, go for the unconventional yet easy-to-open box styles. For instance, you don’t always need to pack your products in rectangular tuck boxes. You can go for round box styles, sleeve sliders, or magnetic closure packaging boxes.

• Build a Connection With Thoughtful Branding

Branding has become an integral part when it comes to packaging customization. However, adding your logo without a persuasive story is most likely to be ignored by your customers. Go creative when designing brand elements for your product packaging. Try to connect your brand visuals with the pain points of your customers to enhance their unboxing experience.

Packaging and Product Differentiation in Competitive Markets

In a highly competitive retail market, sticking to your brand vision along with fascinating customers can be challenging. However, personalized packaging can help you in this if you pay attention to the design and colors appropriately.

Product packaging not only offers vertical differentiation in a retail market but also offers horizontal differentiation.

When it comes to vertical differentiation in retail stores, the quality of packaging material matters a lot. The reason is that durable and fine packaging material increases the perceived value of products before customers. That’s how packaging gives you a competitive edge when your customers are differentiating brands based on product quality.

To stand out in horizontal differentiation as well, you need to work on the design of your custom packaging. With the right choice of box styles, colors, and imagery, you can tell your brand’s story that can connect with your buyers. It helps you persuade your customers to buy your items instead of your competitors.

Case Studies of Packaging Influence on Consumer Behavior

Now that we have discussed everything you need to know about customer behavior and packaging; let’s explore some practical examples. Here are some case studies on how packaging designed according to the behavior of customers can ensure your business's success:

1. Pizza Hut tested an innovative campaign of underground deliveries of their pizzas in packaging customized with ninja turtle characters in 2023. This marketing tactic was designed to resonate with the audience who were thrilled about the release of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Movie.

As a result of this quirky marketing technique, 3.2 million lapsed customers of Pizza Hut placed an order.

1. Vaseline® launches the See My Skin campaign that connects patients having some skin conditions with relevant dermatologists who understand such conditions. This campaign has the only database designed to search for conditions on skin color.

To promote this campaign, Vaseline® used interactive packaging with QR codes that direct to seemyskin.com. As a result of such a marketing approach, Vaseline has enhanced awareness and extended its role among the Black community by building a connection in terms of skin health.

Where to Get Persuasive Packaging to Attract Buyers?

After you create a packaging design strategy that resonates with your consumer behavior, you need to find a reliable packaging company. Such a company designs and manufactures your desired packaging suitably to attract your target audience.

You can reach out to a supplier offering design support for custom packaging. For instance, you can partner with OXO Packaging, as we offer endless customization and free design support to create timeless product packaging. Design support from experts unlocks opportunities to execute your packaging strategy more professionally.

Wrap-Up!

Consumer behavior analysis helps you design packaging for your products that your customers will love. However, understanding customer psychology and creating packaging accordingly can be challenging. We hope the above guide on how to influence your consumer behavior with packaging will help you uplift your game. If you have any questions or want to design persuasive packaging for your products, reach out to us!