When you are in the grocery aisle, you are not just comparing products; you are comparing packages. Brands know that the design of their packaging has a direct and powerful effect on your purchasing decision. They use a variety of clever, psychological tricks to make their expensive brand seem like a higher-quality and more trustworthy choice than the cheaper store brand right next to it. Here are ten of these common packaging tricks.
1. Using a Mascot or Character
Expensive, brand-name cereals use a mascot, like Tony the Tiger or the Trix Rabbit, to build a lifelong, emotional connection with you. This brand loyalty often starts in childhood. It makes you feel a sense of nostalgia and trust. This feeling will often lead you to grab their box over a generic, character-less one.
2. “Premium” Black Packaging
The color black is often used to signal a “premium” or a “gourmet” product. Brands will use a minimalist, matte black package for their high-end line of coffee, chocolate, or frozen meals. This dark, sophisticated color implies a higher quality and a richer flavor. It is a visual cue that is designed to justify a higher price.
3. The “Farm Fresh” Illusion
A package will often use a rustic font. It might also have a picture of a barn or a farm field on the label. This is a very common trick. It is designed to create a “health halo” of a small, local, and old-fashioned brand. In reality, the product is often mass-produced by a giant, multinational corporation.
4. Gold Foil and Embossed Lettering
A brand will use a small, gold foil stamp or an embossed, raised lettering on its package. This makes the product feel more expensive and more official. It is a tactile and a visual cue that suggests a higher-quality, premium item. This is very common on coffee, chocolate, and ice cream.
5. The Clear “Cut-Out” Window
An expensive brand of pasta, granola, or cookies will often use a “clear window” in its packaging. This allows you to see the “high-quality” product inside. This transparency is a marketing strategy. It is designed to make you trust the product more. It implies that the brand has nothing to hide.
6. Heavy and Unique Bottle Shapes
A premium brand of olive oil, wine, or a spirit will often use a heavy, custom-shaped glass bottle. The extra weight and the unique shape of the bottle make the product feel more substantial and more valuable. This stands in sharp contrast to the cheap, standard, lightweight bottle of the store brand.
7. The “Since 1890” Heritage Claim
Expensive brands will often put a “Since…” or an “Original Recipe” claim on their label. This creates a sense of heritage, tradition, and quality. It makes you feel like you are buying a product that has stood the test of time. This feeling can help you to justify its higher price.
8. The Minimalist, “Clean” Label
Modern, expensive “healthy” food brands will often use a lot of white space on their labels. They will use simple fonts and will highlight a very short ingredient list. This minimalist design makes the product feel clean, pure, and scientific. It is a new and very modern way to signal a premium, high-quality product.
9. The Resealable Zipper
A more expensive brand of a product, like shredded cheese or a snack, will often come in a package with a high-quality, resealable zipper. The cheaper, store-brand version might not have a zipper at all. The extra convenience of the resealable package is a real, tangible benefit. It can be enough to get you to pay the higher price for the brand name.
10. A “Serving Suggestion” Photo
The photo on the front of a package is a powerful tool. An expensive brand of frozen meal will show a picture of the food that has been prepared by a professional food stylist. It will be served on a beautiful plate with a fresh garnish. This “serving suggestion” creates an aspirational image. It makes you associate the product with a high-quality, restaurant-level experience.
The Package as a Salesperson
The package of a product is its most important salesperson. It is the last and best chance for a brand to communicate its value to you. These clever design tricks are all a part of a sophisticated, psychological strategy. They are designed to make you feel that the more expensive brand is a safer and better choice. By learning to see past these tricks, you can start to make your decisions based on the product itself, not on the box it comes in.
What is the one packaging trick that you find the most effective or the most deceptive? Let us know in the comments!
What to Read Next
- 9 Cheap But Luxurious Food Items You Can Buy From Aldi For The Perfect Charcuterie Board
- 10 Items Still Taxed as “Luxury” in Grocery Stores Across the U.S.
- Middle-Class Luxuries That Don’t Exist Anymore
- 10 Former Essentials Now Considered “Luxury Purchases”
- 9 Food Experiences That Sound Luxurious But Are Just Inconvenient
The post 10 Packaging Tricks That Push You to Buy Expensive Brands appeared first on Grocery Coupon Guide.
