5 Product Label Trends to Differentiate Your Brand in 2021 (part 2 of 3)

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2021/01/08 5 Product Label Trends to Differentiate Your Brand in 2021 (part 2 of 3)

5 Product Label Trends to Differentiate Your Brand in 2021

Source from: [Article Headline] | 2020-12-07 | Flexible Packaging (flexpackmag.com)

COVID has tested the strength of supply chains, and risk reduction is top of mind. The last thing you need right now is to miss a retail delivery deadline because of a label shortage. And with so much up in the air, the best way to prevent that from happening is to have a plan B.

If you already have a secondary label supplier, you’re ahead of the game. If you don’t, you need to partner with one in 2021. That way you’ll be prepared no matter when the next uncertain, unprecedented and unpredictable situation arises.

Consumer behavior is shifting, and operating on autopilot isn’t an option right now. Data indicates that the COVID pandemic has made consumers less trusting, more interested in the safety and cleanliness of the products they buy, and more likely to shop online.

You have to communicate a lot of information (your brand story, safety information, ingredients, etc.) to make consumers feel comfortable purchasing your product. And because they’re doing more of their shopping online, you can’t rely on in-store displays and advertisements to deliver this information.

That information has to be on your package. It’s the only way it’ll reach every consumer. This is a challenge, sure. But it’s also a huge opportunity for brands that confront it head-on — better positioning themselves to the needs of consumers in their “new normal.”

Labels are a main character in your brand story

Ask any label designer worth their salt about what the secret to effective labels is, and they’ll respond with some variation of, “Tell a compelling story.”
M_use, a label design resource from material supplier Avery Dennison, routinely speaks with the top label designers in the industry. And when the members of that elite group discuss their craft, storytelling comes up again and again:

“We find a short story to tell, and then we use disruptive designs that attract attention at the point of sale.” — Diego Giaccone of Sure Brandesign
“To be effective … means to communicate the origin story of a brand or product without words.” — From an article on designer Aly Dodds

Stories, designers argue, forge a relationship between brand and consumer. And almost nine in 10 consumers said they trust brands that provide straightforward information on their products and business practices, according to a report from Label Insight.

When customers walk into a store they are bombarded with choices, and the only point-of-purchase touchpoint you have is your label. The story it tells could be the difference between your product being carried to the register — or left on the shelf.

Neuromarketing study reveals that textured, paper labels are key to product premiumization

As premiumization emerges as a key trend across product categories, it’s important to note the power of tactile, paper labels to command higher price points.

A recent neuromarketing study sought to measure the impact of different materials on the buying decisions of consumers, textured paper materials stole the show. “Uncoated, tactile materials more strongly activate a sense of authenticity, price value and being ‘premium’ than coated, flat materials,” according to the study.

Award-winning label designer Mario di Paolo captures the power of paper best: “There is still a need for visceral contact with the product … Consumers need inspiring new materials; materials that make them dream and that transmit the story behind the products they’re consuming.”

The study referenced above is part of a larger trend wherein neuromarketing research is used to guide and justify label material and embellishment decisions. Neuromarketing studies seek to uncover how different material, embellishment and design combinations can influence consumer expectations of quality and price and, most importantly, how labels influence purchase decisions.

For a background on neuromarketing, and the research tactics it employs, skim through this study from label materials supplier UPM Raflatac. It provides valuable information on how neuromarketing studies are conducted, and sheds light on how, exactly, the label influences point-of-purchase decision-making.

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