In the challenging competition for consumer attention, adding touchable embellishments to packaging is becoming a go-to strategy among brand managers and packaging experts.
A recent article in Package Printing describes the trend as being driven in part by the need to compete with online sales. Special effects printing techniques that make consumers want to reach out and touch is a proven method of increasing sales.
Packaging embellishments like soft, gritty, or sandy coatings and other custom special effects textures can also enhance a product’s perceived value by creating a luxury, high-end feel.
Embellished Packaging Sets a Product Apart
Among other advantages of embellished packaging cited in the story are:
- Setting a product apart from its competition
- Creating “shelf presence” that draws consumer attention in a crowded retail environment
- Reinforcing the sense of novelty in products purchased as gifts or as a new experience
Package InSight is a package design and research company that uses biometric technology to record and analyze facial movements and match them to consumer’s emotional experiences with retail packaging.
Co-Founder Andrew Hurley, an associate professor at Clemson University, says embellished packaging does sway purchasing decisions, especially with luxury brand items like wine and chocolates. Hurley’s research showed that enhanced packaging generated extra attention to these products, leading to increases in sales, according to the article.Sense of Touch Linked to Brand Recall
Other research shows a strong emotional connection around the sense of touch. It may even influence a consumer’s long-term recall of brands.
In a 2015 Eagleman Lab study, subjects were asked to read multiple company brochures with different types of paper finishes. The ones who read on high quality finished paper retained the content best, had the highest name recall, and were more likely to recommend that brand to friends.
Wide Variety of Touchable Effects for Packaging
From gloss, raised and matte finishes, to specialty finishes that reproduce the feel of a gravel road, a basketball, or a baby’s blanket, such “touchable” special effect UV coatings can reproduce a broad range of textures such as grit, leather, wood or enamel. Soft Touch coatings produce a velvety effect that conveys a sense of luxury. Glitter and reflective effects, customizable by color, shape, and density, create multisensory appeal with visual “wow” and the added impact of texture.
At H&H Graphics, multisensory special effects printing is our specialty. We have an endless variety of custom printing techniques designed to grab and hold consumer attention by creating more than just a pretty package. We design packaging and promotions that create authentic consumer engagement. To learn more about our work in retail packaging and promotions for book publishers, winemakers, international health and beauty brands, and a wide variety of other projects, click on the link below.
