The Design Ingredients of Powerful Point of Sale Packaging

Point of sale packaging is used to advertise and drive the sales of its accompanying product. For the packaging to do so successfully, it must be creative, must catch the eye and must promote consumer engagement. Yet, how do you accomplish all of this in the design? Here are some tips…

Communication

Point of sale packaging designers must take special care to keep on track with the product messages. To ensure your design doesn’t stray from the underlying campaign idea, you must consider all of the following:

• The product: its function, target audience and Unique Selling Points
• The brand: its assets, values, target audience and USPs
• The planned location of the POS display
• Any surrounding competitor POS displays

Explore the brand you’re working with and communicate with your client as much as you need to get on top of these factors before you head into any design work.

Point of Sale and Product Packaging Integration

POS packaging or custom POP displays are only the shell to product packaging and without its counterpart, it’s powerless. Hence, the design of your point of sale display must correspond directly with and complement the current product packaging. Ensure that the colours, branding and messaging of both types of packaging work together seamlessly.

Shape

When choosing a shape for your POS display design, ensure that it:

• Will stand out from competing POS packaging
• Complements its accompanying product
• Is easily shoppable

and for even more powerful point of sale packaging, choose a shape that:

• Resonates with the shape of the product or the product’s ingredients
• Highlight’s the product’s USP
• Highlight’s the brand’s USP

Visuals

Include visuals that show the product out of its packaging or in action to stimulate consumer desire. For example, an image of melted cheese on toast can generate a feeling of hunger while an image of clear skin can speak to a desire to be beautiful. Yet, be careful and avoid image styles that stray from the brand values or the target audience. To give an example, some brands only use vectors in their marketing designs rather than any photographs.

Copy

Nine times out of ten, copy is supplied to the designer either from the client or a copywriter. Yet, as a designer, you still have the responsibility of modifying this content to suit the purpose of the POS packaging. If not already provided, you will always need to incorporate:

• a consumer benefit &
• a call to action

These copy ploys help to generate a longing for the product, encouraging consumers to make the next move and make a purchase. You must also ensure that the copy only ever communicates one message per design – anything more complicated risks confusing consumers.

Colours and Layout

Whereas you might be limited in your point of sale packaging designs by brand assets and the design of the product packaging, you are still liable for applying these values in the most powerful way. Use:

• bold colours
• clear fonts
• varying layouts
• varied text positions and sizes

Interactive Additions

You can drive even more engagement from consumers with your POS packaging if you integrate interactive features. Some examples of interactive display packaging features include:

• A built-in tray of product samples
• A built-in stand for marketing leaflets
• A build-in stand for product discount vouchers
• A printed QR code for consumers to scan and engage with the brand online.

This list is certainly not conclusive but features like this can really help to increase the power and function of a display stand by providing consumers with something to take away.

Digital Additions

For a super-advanced POS display stand, incorporate a video screen or a touch-screen computer to really catch the eye of consumers. There’s almost no limit to what could be displayed on these screens, from marketing videos, to product clips, consumer testimonials, quizzes and surveys. Incorporating digital will truly land your point of sale display packaging into the modern age, helping to boost the brand’s reputation and drive more sales.

Don’t be afraid to get original with your point of sale packaging designs – the power is in your hands to take on the competition for your client.