When you plan to launch a new beauty product, your foremost concern is to release a product that works and keeps consumers coming back to your store. However, a good product can be easily overshadowed by poor packaging.
For your beauty brand to get ahead of others in a space where so many brands are competing against each other, it has to make a strong impression on customers. The product itself is definitely vital to its success, but what initially catches their eye is how the product looks.
However, it takes more than just bright shades and pretty font styles to make a beauty packaging that works for your brand. Before you approach your suppliers and injection molding manufacturers, here are some things to consider.
Know Your Customers and Your Competitors
Your beauty brand does not exist in a vacuum. Both your customers and competitors will influence how you approach your product packaging. These are the things you should know about them.
1. Determine your ideal target market.
Before getting down and dirty into the designing process, you must first put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers. Who are you creating your product for?
Are you catering to busy moms with little time for skincare and cosmetics or young teenagers dealing with a range of puberty skin issues? Maybe you’re aiming for your product to have primarily gender-neutral and inclusive messaging?
When you have pinpointed your target market, ask what kind of packaging would catch their eye. Understanding the personality of your products narrows down the kind of design it will have.
1.5. Ask yourself: where will people primarily find my product?
Now that you have a clear target market in mind, you must also anticipate their shopping habits. What would be their preferred method of buying your product?
They could be purchasing from their local department store or grocery store. Others would want to buy everything online instead. These buying preferences could affect the final design of your product to make sure it becomes easier to shelf and stack together.
3. Understand your competitors’ products and how they market.
In addition to understanding your potential audience, you also have to know who you’re up against.
First, know exactly what is on their product line. What kind of ingredients do they put in their products? Are they primarily into skincare, or do they also sell cosmetics? Which of their products do consumers prefer the most?
Then you also have to know their price range. This gives you insight into their target market and how that is reflected in their packaging.
Looking at their marketing practices also helps you see how audiences respond to certain strategies. See how they position themselves to consumers through their marketing efforts and how their tone and messaging translate into their packaging style.
When you understand the competitive space well, you will better create a packaging strategy that distinguishes you from other brands.
Gather Inspiration for Your Brand
Now that you have gathered the important information about your customers and competitors, it is time to get to the drawing board to come up with the right design scheme that suits you.
1. Have a moodboard.
You don’t need clearly defined ideas from the get-go. First, take note of existing beauty brands with designs that speak to you and put them together in a moodboard.
Pay attention to current beauty packaging trends, too. Cosmetic trends tell you what customers’ design preferences are and what they prioritize today for products in the market.
2. Refer to your brand identity.
Finally, while being informed of packaging trends is necessary, you ultimately need to go back to your brand’s core. Going along with what’s popular and getting customers talking is exciting, but you must honor your brand identity throughout the process.
For instance, if your product prides itself on using all-natural ingredients, reflect it in your designs. If you primarily use floral scents, make sure people know this in how your items are packaged.
Still, your products can have a range of fonts, color palettes, and packaging styles. This helps customers distinguish one product from the other. What you need to keep in mind is that you need a unifying theme that keeps your brand identity at the forefront. The goal is to have customers see your packaging and immediately associate it with your brand.
Getting started is a challenge, but when you build from a solid brand identity, it will not take too long until your efforts reflect in consumer behavior.