Better Packaging Through Innovation

Sometimes a package just needs to evolve to work better or be easier for the consumer to use, says Glyn Eppy, co-founder and VP at The Design Spot.

Written By: Glyn Eppy, co-founder and VP at The Design Spot

Author Bio: Glyn Eppy is a principal at The Design Spot, an award winning boutique design and branding studio, started in 1996, that specializes in packaging for the skin care and personal care industries. www.thedesignspot.com

Have you ever tried to open a package, and experienced what has aptly been termed “wrap rage,” or the severe, overwhelming frustration induced by (primarily) plastic clamshell packaging?

Although it’s been a few years since Consumer Reports gave out “Oyster Awards” to companies who created particularly difficult-to-open packaging–and there’s been an effort on behalf of packagers of all industries to find better solutions—these tightly sealed plastic packages are amazingly still on store shelves today. Besides being environmental nightmares, they are seriously dangerous to open! And it’s not just fingers that are in harm’s way; by using such difficult packaging and not acknowledging the enormous consumer backlash against it, brand integrity is also seriously at risk.

Even though impenetrable packaging of this sort is less of an issue in the beauty industry, it brings up some very important issues that we should take to heart. The term “wrap rage” should indicate that clamshell packaging makes consumers angry. Anger is the last emotion you want consumers to feel when connecting with your products, especially if it’s anger directed at your brand! Sure there’s a bottom line to be dealt with and we should do what we can to keep our products safe, intact and out of the hands of shoplifters; but angry customers are not the answer. You wouldn’t create a product that was so difficult to use that consumers screamed every time they went to use it, so why encase your perfectly functioning, delightful, well-loved product in something that only causes your customers grief and distress? The simple answer to this question is that your packaging needs to evolve and find a more creative, innovative solution.

Since the outer packaging is in most cases a consumer’s first interaction with your product or brand, that user experience should be simple, positive and even interesting. First impression is key here! We want them to love using the products and the first step to creating a positive, long-lasting relationship is to package products in more consumer and earth-friendly ways.

For a brand to cultivate long-term loyalty, it must first acknowledge where there are issues and, second, innovate new and even more effective solutions. We must always keep in mind that any kind of packaging that does not make consumers feel beautiful has absolutely no place in beauty packaging.