Packaging research and design, along with the graphics, are all a part of debate for many.
The Birsa bakery that’s located in Bologna is actually asking for artists to help them figure out the packaging, making it creative for the customers that come to the company and buy their products.
They offer a die-cut template that you can download, and every creative person can then make a format, use the graphics that they want, and then get 25 baked goods packs within the boxes that they designed for themselves.
Pizza, bread, and other items from this bakery are what whets the appetite of many customers, with most of them from wheat that’s grown and harvested in Abruzzo. They also offer coffee and chocolates, and even some fine cakes and other traditional baked items including colomba.
This is something that a lot of people are picking up on. Packaging design, research, is the future. It gets customers interested, and getting a customer-centric package is important.
Other Companies
There are other companies as well that are doing this.
Let’s take for example Starbucks, who once asked for people to put something on their paper cups, and the winner would be printed as a limited edition cup for others. The result? 4000 people joined in on this, and the involvement of thus was actually unprecedented.
Then there was IKEA, which asked creators to help create an animal that they made up, and from there, they’d turn it into a toy that they’d sell. From this, the participation grew, and they ended up selling a lot, through the use of customer input and creativity.
Finally, there is Garofalo, the pasta production company who made sure to change the cooking time on their packaging once the users came back and said that it was inaccurate/.
This is all an example of getting customer input in the packaging, and there is a reason why it’s so popular.
Get the Customers involved!
Customer-centric packaging is really important for a variety of reasons, such as:
- It shows how the company handles feedback, and shows that the company values the feedback since it’s relevant to the brand
- It helps bring a more crowdsourced ideal to this, which is a good way to handle packaging
- It also confirms how important it is to refresh the graphics on packaging, whether it be for seasonal reasons or otherwise
- It is based on using a prototype, which can be done by doing real-time user testing too.
- It helps bring a better connection between the brand and the customer, and it allows for designers that are passionate to get excited, and really get tested on their creativity.
There are always young creatives looking to jump and really get their art out there, and it’s something that definitely can be beneficial for companies all over the place.
If you’re looking to get customers excited, involved, and really get their input in, then start to run a campaign, and get users to design things. Sometimes offering a reward is a good idea for this too, since it helps get customers inspired to do more.
And finally, try out custom packaging. It brings a bit of a splash directly to this, and it can be a good thing for you to do especially if you’re looking to add a more custom look to the packaging that you have. doing this now will save you a lot of trouble in the long run, and can help bring you and your customers closer than ever.