Is your product packaging a bit of a dead duck?

Not literally but maybe that packaging your beautiful product is in might actually be one. Figuratively speaking.

It’s been a few years and sales have been good right? Great. There are a few highs and lows but generally pretty consistent but then suddenly things start to turn into a downwards trend… the product hasn’t changed at all so why the sudden change?

Well, my friends guess who does evolve and grow over time? Your customers.
So you need to evolve and grow alongside them or risk losing them to a brand that aligns with them more than yours does. I’m not saying switch your packaging design up every year (in fact I'd absolutely recommend not doing that!) but if you’ve been solid for quite a few years and something has changed you need to take a good look and assess where you are at. This is also an assessment you should be doing with your overall brand too, not just packaging.

Here are some telltale signs your dead duck product packaging might need some work:

1. You got sucked into trends
   So easy to do! Kind of like everyone is doing memes or leveraging the Barbie movie right now *insert cringe* when everyone is doing something, it’s easy to be swept up thinking that is what you should do. Trends will always be replaced by the next best thing.
   
   Do you know what never gets old? Beautifully curated packaging that uses beautiful typography and imagery that shouts what it needs to and whispers what it needs to. It’s about finding a good balance whilst speaking directly to your target market.
   

2. Ignoring digital cross over
   f you’re selling a product and you’re not leveraging social media in some shape or form what the hell are you really doing? Leaving money on the table that is what. Not going to beat around the bush on that one. If you ignore the power that is social media and now your consumers are sharing images of your product they’re well….lacking you’re fumbling the bag on a big marketing opportunity right there. If your packaging is well designed and what I call an experience in itself then is gold in the organic marketing department. It’s no longer enough to create impact just off the shelf you have to have that on screen now too. Don’t overlook it.
   

3. Lack of sustainability
   More now than ever are consumers being turned off by plastic that is not recyclable or even just plastic in general. If there is a way to make your packaging more sustainable (that you can afford) absolutely consider doing it. Not only is it the right thing to do by the planet and all of us on it but you may find customers may just buy your competitor’s product if they’re more eco-conscious. Don’t be fooled, it’s becoming a big turnoff for consumers to buy goods laden with excess packing or non-recyclable materials. Just be aware and make educated decisions (you’ll be called out if you try and greenwash) transparency is always best around these things. Don’t try to make claims you can’t back up and just be honest, not every business can afford to make everything in the most sustainable way but if you aim for that end goal you can make small steps towards that as your packaging evolves over time.

I could go on for hours about why suddenly you’ve seen a downwards trend in your product sales….new competitor on the market doing things better, you’re being inconsistent across your product lines, you have busy and unreadable packaging the list goes on. If you want to turn things around though you need to assess all these things and consider making some small (or big) updates to address this. I’m happy to chat with you and assess your current packaging and where we can turn it around.