When you sell physical goods, looks matter. Everything from the shape of your packaging to the font face on your labels will influence people either to buy your product or pass.
Aesthetics matter even with essential goods like toothpaste and toilet paper. For instance, everyone has to buy toilet paper, but you can generate more sales just by changing your packaging aesthetics.
It’s easy to say “change your packaging,” but how? What makes packaging attractive? One way is to make your product look high-end. No matter what products you’re selling, making them look high-end will help you sell more.
If you’ve ever bought a bottle of cheap wine with a nice label, you know this is true. Aesthetics can even change the perceived flavor of food.
If you’re looking for ideas to make your product(s) look more high-end without spending a lot of money, these tips will help.
- Use metal finishes
People like textures they can see and feel with their hands. There are many ways to add texture to your products in ways that aren’t intrusive. For example, using metal finishes for product nameplates – no matter the size – will make your product stand out.
You can use metal nameplates on the end of your product where you’d normally just print your brand’s name. Or, you can incorporate a textured metal nameplate into an area people will touch.
The right placement will depend on how people will be using your product. For example, if they need to grip your product, you’ll want to put your metal nameplate(s) outside the grip area.
- Texturize your product packaging
In addition to using textured metal finishes, you can also texturize your product’s container and/or packaging. You should put extra effort into your order custom packaging in order to stand out from other businesses. Food companies have been using texture for decades to make their products stand out and look high-end.
For example, you’ve probably seen or felt alcoholic glass bottles with plenty of texture. That’s intentional. However, alcohol brands aren’t the only texturized consumable goods. Other products that use texture include milk, candy, and even some frozen foods.
- Don’t feel like you have to change your product
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to change your product to make people perceive it as being high-end. That’s not to say you shouldn’t make improvements where possible – it’s just not necessary.
Product manufacturers change packaging, labels, and typography all the time in order to boost sales. It works. They don’t change the product inside – all they change is the outer appearance.
- Eliminate complexity
Generally speaking, complexity doesn’t sell. Simplicity creates a calm experience for consumers and can be used to convey the message that “less is more.” This creates a direct tie to feeling like a product is high-end.
Remember the solid-colored, vibrant blue painting that sold for $43.84 million in 2013? It’s hard to imagine someone paying that much for any painting, but simplicity sells.
When you simplify your product’s aesthetics, you make it more attractive. People are drawn to space. People like labels with minimalistic design that are free from chaos.
There are exceptions for products that intentionally use chaotic designs and all-over prints to appeal to a specific type of audience. However, the majority of people are more attracted to simplicity.
If you must use patterns, make them simple. Use solid colors rather than gradients, since gradients don’t print well unless you pay for a high-end (expensive) print job. When designing your logo, make it as simple as possible with solid lines. Avoid clip art and other complex imagery.
- Use dark colors
People are drawn to dark colors because they feel luxurious. Black and gold, slate gray, midnight blue, and a dark, deep red are all colors that create the perception of elegance whether your product’s packaging takes the form of a lip gloss tube or a glass alcohol bottle.
Experiment with your color scheme. You can go from low-end to high-end just by changing your colors.
You can make any product appear high-end
There’s always a high-end brand within every product category, even basic necessities. For example, Viva is a popular high-end paper towel brand that costs sometimes two or three times more than other paper towels. The product is genuinely higher quality and feels more like cloth than paper.
In addition to being a superior product, Viva’s packaging uses a specific hue of purple to convey the message that their product is high-end. Purple is associated with royalty, and that association is picked up by the subconscious mind.
No industries or products are off-limits when it comes to creating a high-end appearance. Everything is fair game. If you can package it, you can make it look high-end – no matter what.
