You've turned your idea into an amazing product. Now it's time to market it. One of the first things you need to consider is the packaging of your product. Proper packaging is essential for your brand image. It gives potential buyers a quick first impression of your product. So how do you create the right package for your new product? Research is the first key step. You need to understand the market, your customers, and your product's packaging requirements.

Study the Competition

Look at your product's specific market and what your competition is doing. Study the forms and functionality of your competitors' packaging and compare it with your own goals for product packaging. If you understand how your target audience interacts with your competitors' products and packaging, you will be better able to create effective packaging for your own products. The more you research, the better you'll be able to design a package that will appeal to buyers and help your product stand out among the others on the shelf. Consider the following questions as you research:

• Is there a trend toward recycled materials or luxury packaging?
• What are the most popular colors? What colors might make you stand out from your competition?
• Can you change the size of your package?
• Will an innovative package design—such as changing from a box to a pouch or using see-through packaging—benefit you, or detract from your product's brand recognition in the market segment?

Know Your Target Consumer

Study your target consumers' preferences, dislikes, buying behaviors, etc. Use focus groups, in-depth interviews, and observational studies to determine the colors, images, designs, or patterns that attract consumers. You could ask interviewees to draw package designs from memory to determine which designs they recall and what consumers rely on for brand identification. By observing consumer behavior, you can better understand what draws a consumer to your product, how long they hold the product, and whether they read the ingredient labels. You can study size preferences, packaging types (glass, pouches) and packaging materials (recyclable, eco-friendly) to see which types of packaging attract the most purchasing interest. If your customers buy in bulk, make that option available.

Understand Your Product's Packaging Requirements

If fitting on a store shelf is a primary concern, you'll typically want to maximize the product's value and appeal, while limiting the storage requirements and keeping transport costs low. Does your packaging need to preserve shelf life or protect against spoilage? Does it need to protect your product from theft or breakage?

Before you ever sit down with your packaging design provider, do your research. There's a lot to consider to provide the packaging that meets your product's requirements and your customers' preferences. For more information on custom packaging, check out websites like http://www.apsbox.com.