Brands Strive to Win Consumers in Seven Seconds

Seven seconds. That’s all the time brands have to make a positive impression on a potential buyer. The vanilla half-caf latte you drink from Starbucks every week, the BarkBox subscription you pamper your miniature schnauzer with and that pint of Halo Top you can’t pass up when you grocery shop all have one thing in common: great product packaging.

Quality packaging increases consumer loyalty. How many times have you unboxed an iPhone? The box intentionally opens slowly to add suspense for what’s inside. This sensation you might feel is because of effective product packaging. Apple, along with many brands, are able to create these experiences and attract repeat customers through their design packaging.

Here are a few examples of how brands have accomplished this by leveraging proven packaging design trends.

Minimalism: Less Is More

The rise of Tide PODS lets us throw a ball of detergent into our washing machine instead of taking the time to pour it into a cup. The Amazon Echo lets us turn our lights on with our voice. These products fulfill one basic goal: to make life easier. So why not incorporate this trend into product packaging?

This less is more trend focuses on decluttered designs that convey a clean and clear brand message. Business Insider says that a first impression takes about seven seconds. So in that short amount of time, brands have to provide quick and easy information to win over the consumer. Check out a couple examples of brands that have tackled this obstacle.

Big Words Mean Big Message

How do brands promote new products and persuade consumers to choose their brand over others? Big font.

Whether it’s witty or simply informative, sometimes the best way to distinguish a product is to promote a voice that’s loud, clear and draws attention. Give-A-Care goes for the witty side and defines a specific purpose for the tea: uncomfortable conversations where you can spill the tea and drink some too. BOOMCHICKAPOP is fairly new to the healthy snack market, so using a large font was an effective strategy to increase their brand awareness. Check out examples from these two brands below.

Vintage: A Passionate Past

Vintage designs incorporate a sense of nostalgia with the consumer’s relationship with the brand. Brands that use this design trend motivate consumers to look back on the past and remember how the product has influenced their lives over the years. Vintage designs tell a story—one that’s passionate, respected and dedicated to high quality. Check out these vintage examples that showcase their long-lasting identities.

Photography: The Power of a Pause

In the few seconds a consumer decides between a brand and their biggest competitor, an effective way to win them over is by telling a story, one that words can’t.

Brands can use photography to illustrate their message. Pete and Gerry’s uses a photo of their family to emphasize how proud they are of the quality of their eggs. This organic eggs company demonstrates a growing trend: consumers look for authenticity and truths that lead to personal connections with brands. Photography has the power to do that, the power to make the consumers pause and absorb a brand’s identity.

Sprout, a baby food company, also uses this strategy with a gardening-inspired design to promote the product’s freshness. Scroll down to see what we mean.

Doodles: Channeling Our Inner Child

A happy customer is the best customer, so product packaging that brings on smiles is always a good idea.

Whether you’re a CEO of a large corporation or a third grader in math class, you doodle. Freestyle drawing brings out our energetic spirit and ability to use our imagination. Doodling cheers us up and when seen on packaging, it can associate the brand with fun, liveliness and honesty. Check out these doodle designs.

Product packaging directly affects purchasing behavior. When the average consumer spends about seven seconds deciding whether they are going to buy your product, it’s critical for brands to choose designs that highlight their identity and the message they are trying to get across.

These design trends are just a few of the many that can help brands create long-lasting impressions with consumers. Whether you want doodles all over your product, a photo to illustrate your brand’s story or even big words to make your product pop, there’s a design strategy for you.

Make sure to check out a case study evok created for Lighthouse Seafood Company. Using the photography design element, we constructed a unique package that helped separate the high-quality seafood company from its competitors. For more information, visit our packaged goods page where you can read about our passion for designing packaged goods that create lasting relationships between brands and consumers.