TimothyThe primary function of packaging is to help protect and transport a product. However, today packaging is also crucial in persuading the consumer to buy your product. In other words, it is your silent salesperson on the shelf. In the critical few seconds when a consumer is deciding what to buy, your packaging can make a big difference. It has the power to capture attention, trigger interest and desire, and ultimately influence purchase and even post-purchase decisions. Below, we dive into the three most important elements that, according to us, will help you win over the consumer’s brain through your packaging design.
Step 1: Capture the attention with distinctive features
Too often, brands play it safe and simply look to their competitors for inspiration. This copy-paste behavior leads to boring and predictable advertising, but also has an impact on packaging design. The result is that many aisles in the supermarket look like the picture below. Not a single brand jumps out. If consumers don’t even notice your brand, you are not simply missing an opportunity, but you are actively reducing the chance of them buying your brand.
One way to attract the attention is by strategic color choice. We know from academic research that warm colors like red and yellow are universally better at attracting the attention than cool colors like blue and green. Even among remote Amazonian tribes that are unbiased by modern advertising, red and yellow are seen as most salient. It is not a coincidence that Coca-Cola, the most iconic soft drink brand in the world, has consistently embraced bright red as its brand identity color. One important note is that when all your competitors also use red (or yellow), you will no longer stand out, and another color choice might be better. It is all about being distinctive!
This brings us to the next point: you can use other elements, besides color, to boost your distinctiveness and thus to stand out in the aisle. Some brands are extremely good at this. Take the brand in the next picture: even simply showing the lid of the jar is enough for most people to know which brand this is (if you’re one of the rare 1% who doesn’t, no worries—scroll to the end of the blog post and we’ll reveal the answer 😉).
A distinctive asset is an element that is strongly and exclusively associated with your brand - and only your brand. If the connection with your brand is weak or if it also applies to your competitors, it is not a truly distinctive asset. Below some examples to make this clear. Think about the iconic shape of a Coca-Cola bottle—you’d recognize it anywhere. Or the unique cylindrical can of Pringles. Or Toblerone’s specific triangular shape, unlike any other chocolate bar in the world. These brands have built assets so unique and consistent, they cannot be mistaken for another brand.
When your brand owns truly distinctive assets, you don’t just look good—you stand out on the shelf and become instantly recognizable to consumers. It may sound obvious, but if you take a walk through most supermarket aisles (like the ones shown above), you’ll notice how few brands actually achieve this. Worse still, even major brands sometimes make huge mistakes against this golden rule (with costly consequences). Take Tropicana, for example. In February 2009, they launched a new packaging design that took away their two most iconic assets: the familiar orange with a straw was swapped for a generic splash of orange juice, and their brand name was printed vertically, making it harder to read.
The result? Consumer confusion, a huge drop in sales, and a fast return to the original design. Luckily, they learned from this 50 million dollar mistake and still use the orange with the straw in it today.
Step 2: Push consideration and purchase through the grabbing reflex
Once you’ve captured the consumer’s attention with your distinctive brand assets, the next challenge is getting them to consider and ultimately buy your product. One powerful psychological principle that we advise to use is the endowment effect: a cognitive bias where people tend to place more value on something simply because they feel a sense of ownership over it. In a retail setting, this means that once a shopper picks up your product and holds it, their likelihood of purchasing it increases significantly. So your packaging should do more than just stand out: your goal is to boost the chances of your product being picked up. Because the moment it’s in their hands, the decision to buy is already halfway made.
First things first: before consumers can hold your product, you need to make it physically accessible. It’s surprising how often this basic principle is overlooked. In some stores, products are still locked away behind glass cabinets, turning a simple act of picking something up into a frustrating task that requires finding a shop assistant with the right key. This not only creates friction in the shopping experience but also kills the power of the endowment effect before it even has a chance to work. If you want people to connect with your product, you have to let them touch it—literally.
Once you have made it possible to actually hold your product, there are many ways in which you can increase the chance of people actually reaching for and picking up your product in the store. One of the most interesting ones from a behavioral scientific point of view is through sensory density: the more senses your packaging engages, the more attractive it becomes for people to touch and hold it. When packaging appeals to sight, sound, touch, and even smell, it creates a richer experience that draws people in.
One of our favorite examples of high sensory density in packaging is Ferrero Rocher. The chocolate is wrapped in a shiny gold foil that is crinkled slightly from being wrapped around the round shape reflecting the light from different angles. It sits in a brown, paper cup, a bit like a mini muffin wrapper. There’s usually a small round white sticker with gold accents on the top of the foil, printed with the Ferrero Rocher logo, like an official seal. In short it LOOKS like a tiny piece of edible luxury and how it FEELS and SOUNDS when opening the wrapper cannot be mistaken for another product, even when blindfolded.
Another way in which you can make the consumer more likely to consider your product is to show the product itself on the packaging in an appealing way. This can be done in many ways, but remember that details matter. We give two examples.
Take, for example, the clever use of the Delboeuf visual illusion. This optical trick makes the product appear larger than it actually is, tapping into the consumer’s subconscious perception of value. In the two packaging examples below, the amount of cornflakes is exactly the same in both, but the packaging on the left gives the impression that you’re getting more for your money, making it feel like a better deal.
As another example of how details matter, a study shows that in the packaging below, the right version looks more appealing than the left version. At least when you are right handed, in which case the right picture looks more natural to you, because that is exactly how you would hold the iron. For left handed people it is the other way around: for them the left picture looks more natural and appealing, because that is how they would hold the iron. This simple design tweak shows how small considerations can significantly impact how a product resonates with different consumers.
To end this section, it’s crucial to recognize the power of evoking emotions through your packaging. Consumer behavior is driven by emotional engagement—without it, shoppers remain indifferent and might as well chose a competitor instead. How you trigger those emotions can vary depending on your target audience. For instance, products aimed at children often feature animated characters on the packaging, tapping into the playful and imaginative world of kids to create a connection. When your packaging resonates emotionally, it’s not just a product, but it becomes a brand experience that leaves a lasting impression.
Another example of evoking emotions to make a more lasting impression is showing the product in a realistic, appealing context. This can be far more effective than focusing solely on the product itself. Take the two examples below: one packaging focuses purely on the cheese, while the other shifts the focus to what you can do with that cheese. By placing the product in a real-life context—like a delicious sandwich—you help consumers imagine how it could fit into their own lives. This approach often makes the product feel more desirable.
Step 3: Use package nudges to influence consumer behavior post purchase
It is important to remember that your product's journey with the consumer doesn’t end at the checkout counter. In fact, the packaging of your product can continue to create value long after the purchase. Smart packaging design offers powerful opportunities to engage, inform, and even influence behavior post-purchase.
For instance, adding a QR code that links to creative recipes, usage tips, or even complementary product suggestions can extend the customer experience into the kitchen or home. Below is an example from Malibu, using a QR code to offer you drink recipes with Malibu as an ingredient.
More importantly, however, packaging can also be a subtle but effective tool for encouraging more sustainable consumer behavior. By designing packaging that is easy to sort and recycle, you help consumers make environmentally conscious choices with minimal effort. For instance, making the cap of a bottle difficult to separate from the rest of the bottle, reduces the chance that the cap is not recycled at all.
Packaging that prolongs shelf life or includes clear portioning (e.g. individual portions) can reduce food waste, while transparent or resealable designs can help keep food fresher for longer. Even simple visual cues or messages can nudge consumers toward more responsible habits.
Key Takeaways for Winning the Consumer's Brain through Packaging
- Stand Out with Distinctive Features: Create packaging that grabs the attention with unique elements, whether through color, shape, or iconic design assets.
- Engage through Emotions: Packaging that resonates emotionally with consumers, through sensory appeal, visual context or messaging, is far more likely to drive consideration and eventually purchase.
- Influence Post-Purchase Behavior: Use your packaging as a tool to enhance the customer experience or to nudge sustainable behavior even after the sale.
The lid shown above is from Nutella.