In the world of e-commerce, there are more competitors in your market than in brick and mortar shops. Label design is highly important in the virtual world so that your product communicates its purpose in a few seconds. It is essential to communicate as quickly and clearly as possible what your product does. If a customer sees your main image and is unsure if this is the product they are looking for, they will move on and buy your competitors’ products.
You establish that WOW factor through engaging product label and packaging design. Label design helps express your brand value and character. Consumers judge products by their appearance, and you want to make a good first impression. A well-designed label adds value to your product; poor package design can lower the perceived value and discourage people from buying your product.
You’ll need to define your target customer. Different products are aimed at different audiences, which can be grouped by age, gender, education level, lifestyle, etc. Also, dive a little deeper into psychographics: do they shop at Walmart.com or Wholefoodsmarket.com? Are they picking up their kids in a 12-year old SUV or do they even have kids? These questions help you identify your target customers. Then, your job is to design the label that will speak to your customers because a well-designed label is a powerful communication tool.
You’ll need to know your competition. What do your competitors’ labels and packaging look like? You should differentiate your label design from your competitors’. In most cases, you do NOT want a label that is similar to other brands and can easily confuse consumers. It should be easy to identify and represent your brand accurately.
If everyone is using horizontal layouts for their products in your genre, think of a vertical layout for your product. If most label designs are conservative, design yours to be hip and trendy. Don’t be afraid to be different… that’s the point! Be bold and be exclusive. Browse through various product categories and work with your designer to come up with an unexpected label design.
An average customer takes less than 5 seconds to decide whether to buy a product. Make sure the audience knows WHAT your product is. Create this by placing the product name right on the front of the label, in a clear, easy-to-read font. Listing select benefits in bullet point style is a great way to inform the shopper of why they need to click: “BUY NOW”. Add simple things like is your product organic or is it hand-made? Key selling points should be kept short and simple. Make sure you use white space to help highlight these benefits. If any of these elements are lost in busy graphics, you’ve lost the sale.
