If you’re currently selling your products in STORES but are looking to GROW your sales online, we should talk about what strategies are unique to online sales and how you should implement them for great sales.
Here are 4 easy steps to UPGRADE your online packaging strategy for better sales success:
1) HIGH END MOCK-UPS + PHOTOS
Real product photos are wonderful for social media and as secondary images that prove how great your product is. However even if you have access to top tier product photographers, it’s very hard to get a copy on packaging to be easy to read in real life photos with the same crisp quality that can be generated with 3D renderings.
The best in the business make their 1st photo of their listing a DIGITAL MOCK-UP. Maintain plain simple backgrounds – white, grey, black to optimize contrast and meet your e-commerce requirements. Minimize or eliminate the use of shadows.
Place your product in the center and make it as large as can safely fit in the square product dimensions required for Amazon or your Shopify website. The closer to the edge of the border the product gets, the larger it will appear in the search results of your e-commerce platform.
Then invest in educational imagery or lifestyle photos for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th photos. This takes some graphic design, marketing, and photography skill AND investment but consider this is normally what you would spend on packaging and it’s necessary to build trust and sales.
2) LARGE CLEAR TEXT SAYING WHAT IT IS
In a crowded marketplace like Amazon or a mixed product commerce platform like Target.com or Walmart.com, a consumer can’t see your labeling up close until they FIRST click on it.
In a sea of SMALL TYPEFACE (on minimized images) and TONS of brand diversity available of “exclusively online” products, your consumers have MORE options than they do in a retail environment. Even your fans will have a hard time recognizing your logos in this crowded space.
Your focus should be making sure your packaging artwork has LARGE, easy to read typeface that proclaims WHAT your product is. This means the largest text on the label should be what the product is in HIGH CONTRAST COLORS so it easily stands out compared to the label background color or pattern. Avoid serif or creative fonts which are fun but hard for the eye to understand when skimming.
It is also tempting to promote your brand awareness and make that the largest image. Unless a consumer knows who you are (in which case they will have already entered the text of your name in the search bar so it isn’t that crucial in imagery), you’re missing out on new customers and ones who don’t remember your brand name yet.
Make your PRODUCT DESCRIPTION large and easy to read. Once they buy and love your product, they will learn more about your brand. Brand building can be your focus AFTER they click your product image to learn more and buy.
3) COMPARE WITH COMPETITION IN SEARCH RESULTS
When selling online in a marketplace (that isn’t your website) you must consider the competition color pallet and style to be able to stand out. Consistently we see graphic designs that were made in a “DESIGN VACCUM” without consideration of the competition in the category where the product will be displayed.
If you only sell on your website, it does not matter how your packaging compares to other products – it matters how it looks on your website which is the background or comparison. But in a complex marketplace your product colors and shapes should be bold and unique so the eye skimming their search results see your product and clicks to buy.
The human eye notices color, shape, symbols, and text in that order. Before you embark on a re-design, enter search terms into a shopping platform, and look at what the consumer will see. What grabs your attention? What must your packaging do in contrast to grab attention compared to your competition?
4) LARGER SIZES OR COMBO PACKS
Pick n’ pack costs are often per unit placed in a fixed box size and shipping fees can be relatively fixed per box size so you’ll pay a flat rate for shipping a pencil or a pack of pencils. Customers will get a better per square inch value per shipping fee with LARGER OR COMBO packs.
Small units work in retail with limited shelf space but to optimize value online, look at what courier box sizes and fees are to create your packs that fit and optimize shipping fees. This could include making custom items or packs exclusively for online.
Selling in an online environment is different than selling in a retail store. The web browser search results become the store shelf and the IMAGES of your product become a type of packaging since it’s the 1st thing your customers will see before deciding to put it into their shopping cart.
When you’re marketing your products online – you will need a fresh strategy to position your products that involves the traditional type of packaging we are familiar with (the box or bottle or pouch your product is inside), AS WELL as the other elements that influence the visibility of your product that are unique to e-commerce. For the best visibility and sales conversions, be sure to design your packaging with these core things in mind:
A) CREATE HIGH END MOCK-UPS + PHOTOS
B) USE LARGE CLEAR TEXT SAYING WHAT IT IS
C) DESIGN AFTER COMPARING WITH COMPETITION IN SEARCH RESULTS
D) CREATE LARGER SIZES OR COMBO PACKS.
Utilizing these strategies will result in even greater sales conversions online!
PHOTO:
**AS SEEN ON ECRM
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