Studies have shown that in general, the human brain tends to form a subconscious opinion about a product in as little as 90 seconds after viewing it for the first time. Somewhere between 62% and 90% of that judgment comes by way of color alone. We’ve written at length in the past about how color heavily impacts buying decisions and can also be a tool that you use to steer those decisions in the directions you want them to go in.
This is as true as it ever was, but we also thought it was important to take a moment about all of the other factors that impact the choices your consumers are making, too.
The Psychology of Product Packaging: Breaking Things Down
That same study outlined above revealed that out of 100 people who form an initial assessment of your product, 93% notice visual appearance first and foremost. In addition to color, people are looking at elements like layout. Never forget that white space is very much your friend – don’t bog someone down with too much information too quickly or you’re going to overwhelm them. Even if they think that all the information you’re trying to convey is important, it’s still going to be a little too much to take – and their attention is going to quickly wane.
If there is essential information you need to include, make sure that the font you choose is either A) big enough to stand out from the rest of the words on your label, and B) unique enough to immediately draw attention to itself. Likewise, pay close attention to the layout of your label. Everything should flow in a logical order and people should never, under any circumstances, be confused about where they’re supposed to be looking or what they’re supposed to be reading next.
Six of those people in the hypothetical example above are going to first look at the texture of something like a product package or even a piece of marketing collateral. This, too, is a subtle way that you can make your product stand out from competitors on a store shelf. Think about going above and beyond a flat label style and towards something that really makes an impression when someone picks it up and holds your product in their hands.
One of those people will make their decision based on “sound/smell.” For the most part, this isn’t really something you can control. But if you have a product that has a unique scent, understand that this will absolutely work in your favor.
By taking advantage of all of these elements in your product packaging design (or at least, as many of them as possible), you therefore stand a far better chance at not only capturing someone’s attention… but keeping it firmly in your grasp all the way up to the cash register.
If you’d like to find out more information about the major factors that impact someone’s buying decisions, or if you have any additional questions that you’d like to discuss with someone in a bit more detail, please don’t delay – contact us today.