So, you’ve finally kickstarted your dream of launching a new beverage brand. You’ve concocted the perfect formula, and can’t wait for your product to hit the supermarket shelves. You might even be all set to start an online store for selling the new beverage.
But how do you ensure that your product grabs eyeballs among other beverages in a supermarket? And how do you etch your brand in the minds of existing and potential customers? How do you keep new customers from switching to a competitor after trying your product?
While there are plenty of ways to promote your product and reinforce your brand identity, the role of packaging can’t be stressed enough. It’s what catches the attention of consumers as they walk down supermarket aisles.
Even if you’re selling your beverage online, packaging will go a long way to make a striking first impression on customers. When judiciously used, it’ll help you maximize sales and customer retention.
Beverage Packaging: A Closer Look
It’s worth mentioning here that packaging a beverage isn’t simply about finding the right bottle or can to fit your product. You need to consider a plethora of factors, including the type of beverage and your target audience. Also, you have to pay attention to the type of materials you use for containers, labels, etc.
In the following sections, we’ll discuss a few useful tips to develop the perfect packaging for your beverage brand. Let’s get started.
1. Consider Your Product’s Journey
Before you select and design packaging for your beverage, make sure you know the answers to the following questions:
- How will your customers buy your product?
- What happens to the packaging after a customer has consumed the product?
- Are you going to sell your product in packs of 6, 10, or any other quantity?
Your answers to these questions will determine the type of packaging you’ll need. For instance, if you’re planning to sell your beverage online, you’ll need to create three layers of packaging – product packaging, inner packaging, and outer packaging.
Similarly, if you intend to sell six-pack bundles of your beverage, you’ll need a sturdy inner packaging layer to secure individual products in place.
Also, you need to consider how your customers are going to dispose of the packaging. The days of non-biodegradable PET bottles are gone. Today’s consumers are more environmentally aware and, therefore, develop an affinity towards brands with sustainable packaging options.
2. Prioritize Product Safety
The most important role of packaging is to protect your beverage from harsh lights, humidity, heat, and other adverse environmental conditions. So, it’s important to choose packaging materials that can keep your product fresh and safe.
For instance, if you’re selling a carbonated beverage, you’ll have to package it in glass bottles that help maintain high pressure. Similarly, dairy-based drinks will need dark or opaque packaging to prevent spoilage due to sunlight and heat.
3. Pay Attention to the Label
Irrespective of whether you’re selling your beverage in a glass bottle or plastic pouch, the label plays a key role in enhancing its visual appeal. Typically, packaging labels are used to highlight your brand logo and name.
Also, they feature a plethora of useful information, such as the list of ingredients, batch number, expiration date, usage instructions, etc.
But you shouldn’t restrict the use of labels to simply showcase factual information about your product. Get your creative juices flowing to come up with a quirky and memorable tagline that can be printed on the label.
You could even include easy tips to upgrade the beverage. For instance, if you’re selling cocktail mixers, you can print recipes of homemade cocktails on the label. Alternatively, you could also add instructions on how to dispose of the packaging after use.
Depending on the scale of production, you should consider using automated print and apply labelers. If you’re using bottles to package your drink, a bottle labeling machine will come in handy. It’ll eliminate the need for your team to manually attach labels to each product. Also, it’ll minimize human errors, and help improve efficiency.
4. Add a “Wow” Factor
This is, of course, a rather ambiguous suggestion. The use of bright colors, witty taglines, and fancy labels will only get you so far. If you want your brand to grab eyeballs, your packaging needs to stand out.
It could be something as simple as designing a multi-functional bottle that can also be used as a wine or champagne glass. Or you could use plantable labeling and packaging materials to emphasize the sustainability aspect of your brand.
Whether you’re launching a new health drink or alcoholic beverage, packaging will play a key role in your brand’s success. Judiciously use every component of packaging, including labels, to help your brand stand apart from your competitors.
