Color is essential in retail packaging. The right packaging can boost sales, position your brand at the forefront of consumers’ minds and create positive associations that lead to a loyal customer base. Customer attitudes toward packaging significantly affect their intention to purchase, and choosing the right colors can capture consumers’ attention and evoke emotions that make them want to buy your product.
Considering the importance of packaging color and printed packaging design is essential for boosting brand recognition and sales.
Color psychology is the study of the influence of color on people’s actions and thought patterns. Over the years, the link between color and psychology has been well established. Understanding the relationship between colors and behavior is essential for successful marketing, as color can account for 85% of the reason people purchase — it’s vital that your packaging encourages the desired response from your customers.
Color affects people’s perceptions of your products. Color psychology goes beyond encouraging impulse decisions — it makes lasting associations with your brand and influences customers’ future thought patterns.
Choosing the proper color packaging is about deciding what you want people to think and feel when they see your product and matching their reaction with your broader brand messages. When used successfully, it’s a powerful, persuasive tool that encourages positive feelings, purchases and brand loyalty.
Choosing colors and color combinations is essential, as they work together to create a message and influence behavior. Some standard colors and their accompanying associations include the following:
Choosing the right packaging color involves finding a balance between positioning your brand, targeting the right audience and evoking the desired emotions. Robust color combinations draw the eye away from competitors, keeping you at the top of consumers’ minds. Ask yourself the following questions to help find the perfect colors for your packaging:
Your packaging should reflect your brand. Although you can play with color combinations for different products, you should always have visible brand colors on your packaging to convey a consistent brand message. Consumers must be able to recognize your brand from the packaging immediately. Even if you’re breaking into a new market, create a common thread throughout your packaging that ties back to your brand.
Your packaging colors should reflect your brand values and positioning in the market. Consider your goals and what you want your brand to convey. For example, if you offer an eco-friendly, luxury product, your packaging should reflect that — using red or orange could be a mistake. Instead, you might want to use clean, harmonious colors like green and white.
Knowing your customers is one of the most critical factors in choosing the right packaging color. Specific colors appeal to different demographics. Even different shades of the same color can make a difference, like bright pinks for young girls and muted dusky pinks for an older demographic.
Think about who your target customer is and what colors would appeal to them. They should be able to relate to your color choice, and it should be visually appealing enough to set you apart from competitors.
People are complex, and there’s plenty to consider when deciding how best to reach your target audience. Color preferences are often based on gender and age — women usually prefer shades of red, while men often opt for blues and greens. Children often respond to bright, exciting colors. Consider how you can match your brand personality with packaging choices that appeal to your particular demographic.
Within your range, you will have products that target different consumers. Your packaging should highlight your various products and make them stand out, but it also must remain consistent with your brand. Consider the message you would like to give consumers about your products. How can you maintain consistency and differentiate premium and sustainable options, for example?
Minimalism is a popular trend for creating a “less is more” feel and maximizing impact. Think outside the box for ways you can position your product best.
Your packaging should represent the product inside. It should never confuse your customers. For example, packaging a floral perfume in grey does not represent the product. It could confuse customers who expect to see luxury floral colors like pink and purple.
In addition, your packaging should be honest. You will alienate customers if your packaging misrepresents your values. For example, using greens to portray a product as environmentally friendly when it isn’t — also known as greenwashing — will position your brand as untrustworthy and potentially make you lose valuable customers.
Different colors can evoke emotions in customers, and your packaging should produce the ones you want. Do you want customers to feel excited, empowered or relieved they’ve found a trustworthy product? What is the primary emotion they should experience when they pick up your packaging?
Green and brown could make people optimistic about selecting sustainable, reliable options. Black could make them feel elegant and powerful. Consider how you can use color to evoke the right emotions, adding to the unboxing experience and creating a powerful link between emotions and your product.
If you want customers to feel a specific emotion, the chances are, your competitors are taking the same approach. This could result in acres of indistinguishable packaging, leaving customers none the wiser. Consider how your packaging can draw the eye amid a field of competitors. Could you take a risk on a color that makes you stand out, like adding black to an eco-friendly product to indicate mystery and luxury?
Choosing the right packaging color is essential to appeal to your target audience and evoke the desired emotions. With the right approach, you can excite your customers and cultivate a sense of loyalty and trust. Bolt Boxes can help you choose your packaging colors and create the perfect representation of your product, promoting your brand and giving customers an unboxing experience they won’t forget.
With decades of industry experience, we understand the importance of fast lead times and tight quality control, and our attention to details like package color and design makes us the ideal partner for all your packaging requirements. Reach out to us and start upgrading your packaging today!
