Have you ever been in a store and shopped the product you manufacture?  Not only shopped your product, but also shopped your competitor’s product?

If so, what did you learn?

Maybe a better question is…what can you learn by shopping your own product and why would you want to do this?

Here are five reasons why you should shop your own product…

1.  Know what the retailer is saying about your product:  Sales associates help consumers make decisions on what products they should buy.  They offer their opinion and in most cases, their opinion will sway consumers to purchase certain products.  Understand what the retailers are saying about your products.

2.  Understand what your competition is doing:  It is always a good idea to stand in the aisle where your product is offered to see how it compares to your competition.  For example: if your competition is packaging all of their product in clamshells and you have made the decision to use bags, your presentation may lose the sale.

3.  Shelf placement:  Does shelf placement matter on how you package your product?  The answer is…Yes.  This will help determine how you show your product in the packaging.  It’s not easy to always know where your product will be placed, but some items are commonly placed in certain areas.  Whether in a bulk bin, end cap, or stand alone in-aisle display matters.  Maximize your products visibility by using packaging that helps show your product better from all angles.

4.  Product presentation:  This one is easy…walk up to your product as if you were the consumer and determine if your packaging has something that grabs your attention. Features can be added in the packaging design that spark curiosity and draw the consumer in.  Also look for anything that takes away from your product, such as a glare on the plastic that makes it tough to see your product.  Make sure your packaging, “POPS”!

5.  Knowledge of your product:  This one may not be for everyone, however, if your product requires the sales associate to know certain features that will help them to sell your product better, make sure they are offered information with supplemental training to inform them.  This can be as easy as inserting an extra instruction sheet into your master carton with your product that is titled, “What you need to know,” or a customer care phone number to call and get more information.  At the least, put all major selling points in your graphics so the consumer can be made aware of your products benefits.

There is a lot to learn when going shopping, do not take this environment for granted.  When designing packaging, we personally use this practice to determine how to create packaging that makes an impact on the store shelf.  After going shopping, answer the most important question of all, “with the many choices of products similar to yours, would you buy your own product?”

If you would like to learn more on creating better packaging designs for your product, contact Brian Pankratz, bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com.

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