5 Practical Visual Merchandising Tips To Remember

Visual Merchandising is important in every store, no matter the industry. Your shop window display and internal floor plans should be organised with the mindset of maximising sales, educating customers and promoting your products.

With more people shopping online every day, now is the time to pay close attention to your shop displays. While not every retailer has the budget to invest in show-stopping product stands and elaborate props, there are several practical techniques you can adopt to help increase your competitive advantage. Here are 5 practical tips to keep in mind when it comes to your visual merchandising:

1. Place Key Items at Eye Level

Keep your customers informed and
communicate your products with eye-catching,
branded signage and/or displays.

When presenting your items in store, you need to consider exactly how your customers will see your products. One of the best methods for catching customer attention is placing your items at eye level. This technique can be applied both in-store and in your window displays. This way, items are less likely to be missed and more likely to engage traffic.

2. Consider your Environment

There are several tactics you can use when it comes to the layout of your store. Picture your shop environment as a blank canvas. If you stock a small product range, you may want to keep your layout minimal so customers can see everything on offer. If you sell a larger array of items, you may choose to adopt the ‘maze,’ approach (think Ikea) which entices consumers towards other products, or down a particular path of your choosing. One thing you should always remember is to put ‘afterthought’ items front and centre on your register counters at POS, to encourage those last minute, impulse purchases.

3. Branded Signage & Displays

Reinforcing brand is a key element of visual merchandising, especially when it comes to introducing customers to a new product or range.

Retail floor displays are ideal for brand communication. Not only are they versatile and eye-catching, but they can be designed to display almost any product while extending the product brand to your customers.

4. Refresh your Displays & Layout Frequently

Window displays don’t always
have to be over the top! Play
with proportion to offer your
customers a different
perspective on your product.

While you might think it’s good for customers to know your store like the back of their hand, changing your displays and layout every so often gives your business the opportunity to highlight new products.

Refreshing your shop displays doesn’t always have to be seasonal! Keep your customers on their toes with new designs and by swapping products around. This should be done most frequently with sale items to give them a fresh new look.

5. Don’t forget to get creative!

In the competitive world of retail, it’s essential to make your shop displays stand out. But remember, creativity doesn’t always have to be over the top! One of the easiest ways to catch the attention of shoppers is through your window displays. Try playing with proportion, lighting or even suspending elements to offer a different perspective on your product.

As your packaging design and manufacturing partner, our in-house packaging engineers can help refresh your current solution, or design a completely new solution to suit your retail display requirements. Connect with us or call us on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation.

Advantages Of Multi-Product Packaging

Multi-product packaging is the practice of placing multiple, or a range of products into one box or package. The advantages of multiple-product packaging include:

• Decreasing the number of packaging product lines
• Creating economy of scale for production runs
• Saving on packing time
• Reducing packaging sizes
• Cutting down the volume of storage space required

Here are four reasons why you should consider multi-product packaging for your products:

Adaptable

Customised protective inserts are
a versatile and practical solution
to use for a wide range of products.

Multi-product packaging can be adapted to suit a variety of products. If you have products with different packaging requirements, you can standardise the external package and customise the internal packaging with protective inserts suited to the exact product.

PPI can design and engineer multi outer packaging with protective inserts for freight fragile, odd shaped and even hazardous items which are all 100% recyclable.

The size of your external packaging can be customised, depending on your products. Remember to keep the size as small as possible to save on shipping costs, which are based on size and weight.

Creates Brand Consistency

Multi-product packaging can enhance your brand reputation! Complex products with multiple components can often arrive in separate packages of different shapes, sizes and colours. Standardising your packages into one branded box or package will result in a streamlined consumer experience when receiving, opening and reviewing their products.

Consistency makes your brand feel more professional and dependable to consumers. Creating a consistent packaging experience builds brand awareness, trust, and makes it easier for consumers to know what to expect from your business and product.

Cost Effective

Multi-product packaging is more economical than individually packaging your products into different sized boxes. Individual packaging can increase the risk of items getting lost in the mail or arriving at different times. Items lost during freight not only puts your customers’ satisfaction at risk, but can also incur frustrating replacement costs to your business. 

Multi-product packaging allows you to better predict your shipping costs, and will reduce your storage space requirements. This is particularly cost efficient when using outsourced storage spaces for housing your stock and/or packaging – the more storage space saved the better!

Environmentally Friendly

Packaging waste is not only expensive for your business, but consumers who are energy conscious often make active choices to avoid excess packaging. This could mean the difference between choosing your product over a competitors’. 

Multi-product packaging can help you save on packaging costs, especially if your product line changes regularly and it’s difficult to predict how many orders you need to bulk-buy packaging for. Standardising your package sizes and adapting the protective inserts per product range can go a long way to helping you reduce waste. Any excess pre-ordered packaging can be used and adapted for future product ranges.

At PPI, our in-house team of packaging designers and engineers will work with you to understand your packaging needs. We offer custom solutions that are economical, protective and environmentally friendly.

Connect with us or call us now on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation in Melbourne. We’ll work to ensure your packaging requirements are met, if not exceeded.

Packaging Aesthetic Perfection

Precision, beauty & function combined; Melbourne based Sussex Taps were on a mission to ensure
their product was consistently reaching their customers in perfect condition. They
approached PPI with a need to improve yet simplify their existing logistics
packaging solution, sparking an ongoing partnership.

Sussex Taps are leading innovators of premium, perfectly precise and aesthetic design artistry. Hidden away in their unsuspecting Northern Melbourne showroom, inside boasts the creative detail and innate beauty of their instantly recognisable handmade tapware range.

Sussex was born after Dutchman Nicolaas Johannes van Putten arrived in Australia in 1960 with business ambitions and a natural talent for watchmaking. Today, Sussex is in the capable and caring hands of Nick’s daughter, Vanessa Katsanevakis, now Director of Sussex Taps.

For the new Sussex generation, customisation and expression of individual tastes are exciting, forward-thinking motivators. With one eye on the future, the business confidently encapsulates cutting edge design, while upholding Nick’s legacy and dedication to precision and first-class quality.

An example of Sussex's previous packaging solution, with foam elements & bubble wrap. The packaging was custom to each tap model, meaning high volumes of packaging needed to be kept onsite.

Each tap is meticulously crafted with the upmost care and consideration, often with bespoke elements or custom colour-matching to suit plush interiors.

You can view the Sussex Tap collections here. Along with flawless functionality, each piece is designed to be an ‘exquisite object,’ capturing the essence of personal expression that could only be made by hand.

Such stunning products should only ever be enveloped in packaging that protects its elegant craftsmanship, and reflects their incredible range of designs.

Having undergone a re-brand in mid-2016, Sussex was in dire need to update their packaging, presenting PPI with a highly important task for the tapware company.

The main challenges raised in Sussex’s packaging design brief were:

1. Create an adaptable solution to suit varying tap sizes and models within each range. With over 1,000 different products available, Sussex supplies a great range of choice for their customers but various customised tap models meant they had to store large volumes of product packaging onsite in numerous sizes, taking up a lot of space. This was highly inconvenient and also increased assembly time for their staff, making simple packaging tasks both arduous and time-consuming.

2. Eliminate the excess use of foam and plastic. As can be seen in the above image, the previous packaging design had too much complexity and too many elements with polystyrene blocks, plastic, and even sticky tape as a make-shift fastener. The use of the bulkier materials meant the packaging took up a lot more space than necessary at warehouse level.

3. Make the packaging more eco-friendly. As innovators, Sussex wanted to ensure they are doing all they can to be more environmentally conscious. The packaging needed to be more eco-friendly, whilst presenting Sussex’s products as truly premium and high-end. The use of foam and sticky tape was not only wasteful but didn’t reflect the quality and level of craftsmanship undertaken in the making of these products.

4. Communicate clear and memorable branding. Sussex’s previous packaging was not representative of their premium product range, leaving customers with a lacklustre unboxing experience that was not uniform with their brand. It needed to capture the essence of the brand’s high-end image, of unmistakable quality and care, before the box was even opened, allowing these taps to really shine.

Sussex needed their new packaging to be dynamic and scalable into their future. Working in close partnership with Vanessa the Managing Director, George and our engineers at PPI created a whole new packaging experience for Sussex and their customers.

“Karl from PPI was fantastic. He met up with us as needed, offering ideas and valuable solutions for quick-assembly, materials and organisation of the packaging.”
- Vanessa Katsanevakis
  Director, Sussex Taps

By making the packaging cardboard-only, PPI was able to introduce a flat-packed alternative. Inside, the taps fit neatly within adaptable, engineered protective inserts that are easily interchangeable and customisable to the varying tap sizes and models.

On the outside a sophisticated, branded finish against sturdy, engineered cardboard now leaves a memorable impression on the customer.

The new packaging solution engineered by our PPI Create team; with flexible, protective, recycled cardboard inserts designed to suit multiple models, yet still provide the same support during freight.

This new, multi-use, adaptable packaging design not only reduced packaging assembly times and optimised storage requirements but it also improved production costs and reduced their carbon footprint. As of now, for all Sussex products, there’s one simple packaging solution.

What’s more, Sussex’s tapware retailers noticed the update straight away.

“We also apply coloured labels on our packaging to distinguish the collection and identify the products through product codes and finish names,” says Vanessa.

“This has improved our processes on so many levels - in dispatch, to locate and identify at a glance,

and our retailers can identify our separate collections and find products on-hand. Overall, it’s a massive success.”

We pride ourselves on our ability to turn an idea or packaging need into a striking, unique solution that’s functional, protective, environmentally-friendly and importantly, a true reflection of your brand. Sussex’s new packaging better showcases their sleek product range, and the re-engineered box with custom protective inserts goes a long way to maintaining long-held brand associations of precision, quality and care.

“We absolutely feel that PPI’s

Visit Sussex Taps’ website to view their range or learn more about their business.

packaging design ties in with our overall brand. It’s given our tapware the home it truly deserves; safely reaching our customers and reflecting the quality of our products.”
- Vanessa Katsanevakis

Our knowledgeable team of onsite packaging designers and engineers at PPI will create customised logistics packaging or display solutions to meet the specifications of your product.

We also offer storage and stock fulfilment services to suit your packaging supply needs. You can find out more about our services here.

With complete, in-house design, manufacturing and fulfilment capabilities, we work in partnership with your business to engineer your perfect packaging outcome. Questions? Call us now on 1800 25 8000 or connect with us to book your free initial packaging consultation.

3 Ways Updating Your Packaging Will Benefit Your Business

Updating your packaging may not be high on your businesses’ ‘to-do-list,’ but if you put it off you could be losing out on some major revenue opportunities. While sales and revenue are often dependent on several factors; price sensitivity of your customers, seasonality, your range of products and cost of production materials – your packaging can also serve as an important sales driver!

Here are three ways updating your packaging can benefit your business:

1. Improved Brand Recognition

Your packaging is the very first physical touch-point customers have with your brand. It allows your brand to speak to people before they even experience the product inside. Consumers aren’t always driven by logic, especially with low-involvement purchases (low price or low risk purchases). You can use this to your advantage by making your packaging more memorable and finding ways to stand out from your competitors.

Creating novel packaging design through colour, shape, packaging materials, quirky quotes or a considered ‘unboxing experience,’ are great ways to draw attention to your product and build brand recognition and loyalty. This is particularly important in a crowded product marketplace where consumers now have more choice than ever!

2. Cut Down your Expenses

While you may need to think outside of the box to create memorable packaging and achieve improved brand recognition, cutting down on packaging costs can be simpler than you might think!

Protective inserts can be designed to suit
odd-shaped items; a great way to improve
your customer experience and cut down
on packaging costs!

With increasing competition across all retail markets, plus price pressures affecting both raw materials, production and logistic costs, you need to be able to cut down wherever possible.

The fundamental purpose of your product packaging is to deliver your products to your customers in their original, intended condition, but this doesn’t mean you need to go overboard with protective bubble wrapping or tissue paper. Protective fillings can be expensive, are often bad for the environment and wasteful. Re-evaluating the design of your product packaging can do the job just as well and you can move to more environmentally-friendly materials, such as recycled cardboard to keep your product safe in transit.

Outdated product packaging design with excessive space could be eating your revenue simply through incorrect sizing, poor fit and shape or not allowing for the correct product weight. Designing your product packaging correctly will eliminate unwanted space and reduce overall weight, helping you save on freight and storage.

3. Build Customer Loyalty

Engaging with your customers and creating a valuable and engaging experience for them can increase the likeliness of them becoming a return customer. For example, consumers are more environmentally conscious than ever before, and as a result many brands are implementing reward systems for customers who reuse their packaging, as an incentive to come back, recycle and save money.

Alongside incentives, updating your product packaging by advertising your social profiles and promotional tags enables your business to better explore who is using your products, whilst also spreading the word about your product or brand.

In the digital world where influencers are increasingly used to sponsor or promote products, social media gives you the opportunity to gain insight into your audience, whilst building customer loyalty within your target market, and extending your reach through aligned partnerships or sponsorships in the social space.

As your packaging and manufacturing partner, our in-house designers and packaging engineers can help refresh your current packaging or design a completely new solution to suit your needs. Connect with us or call us on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation.

Innovative & Sustainable Packaging Trends

Thanks to developments in manufacturing, technology and graphic design, packaging is transcending beyond its traditional function as merely a protective product casing.

Packaging is now also used as a tool to communicate and enhance brand value, create a memorable first impression, and nurture the ongoing relationship you have with your customer.

With the push towards e-commerce, consumers are placing a growing importance on the appearance and experience of product packaging. However, there is also an increasing demand for sustainability, with businesses being under pressure to be more environmentally responsible – and their product packaging is a great place to start!

As a result, innovative and sustainable packaging trends are forming across the globe, forcing packaging manufacturers to truly think ‘outside the box’.

Here we have outlined two popular and sustainable trends we are seeing right now:

Eco-Friendly Printing

Innovative and sustainable design combined to
deliver delicious croissants.

Eco-friendly printing on packaging saves energy and resources and is a popular design choice for many brands – particularly on cardboard cartons.

Recyclable corrugated cardboard is one of the leading recyclable packaging materials available to brands. In contrast to colourful plastic or high gloss packaging, the natural appearance of corrugated cardboard appeals to many consumers, striking a happy medium between design and sustainability.

Given the saturation of ‘busy’ packaging designs on the market, eco-friendly printing is more on trend than ever. Tactile, organic packaging materials are valued by consumers and send brand messages of social responsibility and care for the environment. Eco-friendly printing allows the brand to communicate clear messages; brand or otherwise and to accentuate what matters most to the consumer - the product contained inside.

Connecting to Social

The power of incorporating social media into your packaging should not be underestimated. Including social media icons, your business’ social media handles, a campaign hashtag, or an app name printed directly on your packaging is an opportunity to make unboxing of your product an interesting and interactive experience.

Use social media to connect with and engage
with your customers.

Why not add a hashtag for customers to share their experience or take part in a conversation pertinent to your product?

This allows you to monitor social media mentions and engage with your customers online, opening a whole new opportunity to connect with your end user. It also provides an option for customers to engage with your campaigns online and provide honest feedback.

Incorporating innovative and sustainable packaging is quickly becoming the new standard for how businesses present their products and convey their brand message. It’s important to ensure packaging designs do not overlook the growing number of consumers who see sustainability as an important factor in their purchasing decision.

If you’re interested in updating your product packaging, or perhaps in adapting it to be more environmentally friendly, contact our team of packaging experts today. We specialise in designing and manufacturing packaging for businesses across Australia.

As your packaging and manufacturing partner, our in-house designers and packaging engineers can help refresh your current packaging or design a completely new solution. Connect with us or call us on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation.