Your label plays an important role in driving sales on the shelf (or web page)

Having a great product is important, but it’s only half of the equation. You only have 2-7 seconds to make a first impression, so it’s vitally important that your package is equipped with what it needs to quickly make an impact.

Whether sold online or in a brick-and-mortar, your label needs to share product information, spark brand recognition, draw in the correct people and stand out from its competitors.

Here, we’ll explore several ways your brand can capitalize on the power of your label to drive sales.

Share product information

Your label’s number one job is to share information about the product. Use your packaging real estate to clearly and concisely state how the item should be used, as well as to share any other necessary facts or warnings.

Don’t make your potential clients waste precious first-impression time trying to figure out exactly what you’re selling.

If applicable, consider using a clear substrate or a smaller label so your customer can see your product through the container. QR codes and smart labels are also a great way to add to your brand story if you’d like to share more information than you can fit directly on your package.

Spark brand recognition

If a product is an extension of your existing product line, leverage the work you’ve already done to earn market share by sticking with a similar design aesthetic. Consider using the same color scheme, fonts and label substrate so prospective buyers can easily equate the new product with your existing brand.

Your current customers love what you’re selling; make their choice easy by providing a new option that looks similar to products they already know and trust.

Appeal to your target market

You’ve done your market research and have a good read on what appeals to your prospective buyers. It’s important to keep these attributes in mind when designing your package.

Is your target market environmentally conscious?  If so, consider creating an eco-friendly label.

Are they tech-savvy? A smart label might align perfectly with what they are looking for.

While standing out on the shelf is important (we’ll get to that in a minute), your number one priority should be to create a label that your target market likes better than that of your competitors.

Stand out on the shelf (or web page)

Even if you’ve done all of the above things spectacularly well, it’s still important that your label sets your product apart from those of its competitors. There are a lot of simple ways to differentiate what you’re selling from the others — and many of them are inexpensive.

Choose a unique die shape, use a metallic ink or create texture with an emboss to make your label specific to your brand. Even using a distinct color or font can help people remember your item and pick it out quickly when shopping.

Remember that less is usually more when it comes to deciding what design elements will help your label stand out. Pick one unique, memorable feature to focus on — too many embellishments can be confusing and will distract from what you are trying to sell.

Take pride in the amazing product that you are selling, but also take time to make sure that the label and overall package tells your brand story quickly and correctly. Your label has to do the heavy lifting when it comes to making a first impression for your product — remembering the steps above ensures that your label will make the impact you’re looking for.

And it’s not just standing out on the shelf that you have to worry about. With more consumers shopping online, your product packaging needs to make a splash on all your e-commerce channels as well.

Brands that sell products via e-commerce channels must make great care to tell a consistent story from web page (or social media) photos through to delivery. To phrase it another way – your packaging must look just as good when it’s delivered as it does in your social media feed.

Packaging design expert Vicki Strull lays out the stakes of e-commerce packaging in no uncertain terms:

“When it comes to e-commerce, packaging has the ability to extend a brand’s story and create a memorable, enticing customer experience,” Strull writes. “And not just for that purchase – for repeat purchases, too. Conversely, if packaged poorly, and the product arrives damaged, it has the opposite effect on our experience: we may not order from that brand again.”

Personalizing your labels with digital printing is one key opportunity for e-commerce. After all, you’ve collected data (e.g., name, geography) on each consumer who has purchased your product — why not use it to make a meaningful connection with them after it’s delivered?

Want a product label sure to make a great first impression?

Let’s work together to craft a label experience that’ll stand out, and drive sales on the shelf (or web page). You can reach out to our team any time to start the conversation.

Or, if you’d like to learn how an early conversation with your label supplier can set you up for a more successful rebrand, check out this article.