In today's marketplace, packaging can make a statement about your company, products, and both the values of your company and your products to the consumer. Purposeful packaging is using your packaging to do more than being a container for your product. It's packaging that clearly communicates benefits, functionality, culture, brand, and can enhance the experience a consumer has with the product they are buying.

According to a recent article from Brand Packaging, global marketing research firm Nielsen has done studies about consumers purchasing habits and what impacts their desire to purchase a particular brand of product. Those studies have shown that consumers want to support brands that align with their own values and preferences. To that end, 66% are willing to pay more for sustainable products while 72% prioritize buying products from brands they trust. When it comes to the growing and highly desired Millennial segment, over half (51%) of this group check the package for sustainability claims and information.

Where do I begin with purposeful packaging?

Innovation continues to drive sustainable packaging forward as consumers are increasingly looking for environmental responsibility from their favorite brands. Companies are responding by integrating this responsibility into their business practices and communicating these values through their products. Packaging is becoming an increasingly important piece of communicating these practices and letting the consumer know more about what they are buying. Here are 3 tips to consider as you look to integrate more purposeful packaging.

1. Begin by being authentic and transparent with your information. We have addressed these ideas before with examples from what we've seen from the craft distillery movement by consumers migrating to small, authentic brands. It's a good start for a company to be transparent with consumers about the sourcing of the raw materials that make up their product's ingredients. But it's becoming increasingly important for companies to carry this transparency through to the product's packaging.  Check out some of these unique and interesting packaging concepts that illustrate this point.
2. Get innovative with your ability to recycle. As companies strive to be more eco-friendly, a common goal is to look for ways to keep your product packaging out of the waste stream and put it easily into the correct recycling stream.  Innovation can also involve the use of bio-based plastics and paperboard sourced from FSC-certified forests.
3. Make sure you match your packaging to purpose. As we've said many times before, your packaging needs to be highly functional. Your packaging needs to represent the essence of your brand, and reflect your company and brand values. But your packaging, first and foremost, needs to work.

Packaging Can Build a Connection

Connecting with consumers through purposeful packaging can be a key element to building your brand loyalty in a competitive landscape. Packaging is often overlooked as an important piece that can help separate your product on the shelf, online and in your consumer’s home. The better you position yourself with your packaging, the more consumers you will attract and retain. Keep in mind there are no one-size-fits-all solutions for achieving this connection, so you may have to choose the best attribute(s) for your product as a starting point.

If you find yourself wondering what kinds of changes would be best for you to make or feel you could make some improvements with your packaging, we have the experts to guide you. Contact one of our packaging experts today.