Renan Joel, Managing Director, Packaging at Easyfairs

Whether you trade on Amazon or in the Whole Foods Market, through your online shop, at your first market stall, or in the supermarkets, getting noticed, loved, and bought more often has never been as important.

Packaging design is crucial, with only 20 seconds to attract a potential customer's attention! In fact, in the time taken to read what you have so far, dozens of products are consigned to the reject bin for every brand that stands out.

It's an age-old dilemma for organisations: should we focus on maximising our existing portfolio or invest in expanding it? The answer, right now, is a bit of both.

With consumer confidence taking a battering and no end in sight, it's more prudent than ever for companies to shift their focus to managing the performance of their existing offerings.

There is far less risk attached to adjusting their customer offer, sizing, branding, and pack messages so that they can attract maximum attention and sales from shoppers on the super-competitive supermarket shelves.

The reason brands exist, at the bottom line, is to make the bottom line work harder.
They do that by making it more likely that customers choose one brand over another in a way which delivers a positive commercial benefit for the business.

Simple enough. But because brands are about people's choices, they are also about how the brain works. And brains are complicated things.

Building brands in people's brains is critical to making people more likely to choose one business's stuff over another's.

Done badly, it holds everything back because it becomes forgettable.

Done well; it makes everything work better because it makes it memorable.

Brands can fight to stay on-shelf and prosper, but they must invest in finding a sustainable role in shoppers' lives and reflect this through every element of the brand. It sounds simple, but how can brands – especially those squeezed in the middle – reinvent themselves and offer something different to the branded monopoly or duopoly players in the market?

Combine that with the accelerated pace of life, and people often first notice the packages when they see food, and you have your answer.

The correct product packaging increases customer appeal and results in increased sales.

Rock your on-shelf appeal.

Branded players that aren't first or second in their category must step out of the shadows and reconnect with their audience. One of the best ways for them to do this is to invest in relevant innovation that brings their brand and chosen audience closer together.

The buyers in grocery retail are on the hunt for the relevant innovation that will make a commercial difference and quickly drive their category forward.

There are so many options available to consumers that they can become overwhelmed by the choice dilemma, factors like price, quality, and the choice of specific unique selling proposition, such as low in sugar, gluten-free, planet-friendly etc.

Let's face it; we're creatures of habit and risk averse. Buying something new in food requires mental effort and involves risk. What if we waste our money?

To make things more complex, consumers usually have a repertoire of brands they shop from in any category, switching by promotion. Breaking into that repertoire is your brand's job.

Packaging offers a proven route to beat thousands of other fabulous food entrepreneurs to win a space on supermarket shelves. And once they were there, how did they win the battle to convince sceptical, time-strapped shoppers to try them over more established brands?

One of the easiest ways to stand out is by colour choice. Selecting a different colour that stands out against your competitors will instantly pull the consumer's eyes to your product. ‏According to the characteristics of other foods, designers have designed various colours and exquisite packaging works so that you can first visually taste them.

The key here is using the front of the packaging to share information the consumer would find appealing. You should communicate what the brand is about, what it stands for, and what the product is.

London's vibrant home for packaging innovation and design will walk you through that immersive process, where the right materials and shapes are matched to the desired sensory cues that trigger a positive response in the consumer's mind. From material research to manufacturing and finishing processes, the two-day, four-sector showpiece events are designed to help luxury brand owners leverage the potential that materials have to fine-tune the perceived value of the packaging design and, therefore, the brand.

To register your interest in attending London Packaging Week click here or to find your perfect stand package, click here.