Creating a consistent brand experience: From packaging to customer interaction

Why is a consistent brand experience so important, and what do we need to remember? Think about how much we enjoy treating ourselves and buying things. Purchasing decisions are primarily emotion-driven, with rational thinking coming into play afterwards. Harvard Business School professor, Gerald Zaltman, found that 95% of our purchasing decisions take place subconsciously.

So, if you’re a brand owner, it’s crucial to build trust and keep customers loyal. To do that, you’ve got to be consistent in everything, from how your packaging looks to how you talk to customers.

A consistent brand experience: The power of packaging

The emotional connection with a product often kicks off with its packaging, shaping the initial feel. If the first impression is not good, some may lose interest before you have a chance to explain how good it is. Humans can be quite picky, right? When a product looks premium, we tend to see it as more valuable, enhancing our overall enjoyment.

We are much more likely to buy into a brand if the packaging:

• is enjoyable to look at;
• is comfortable/pleasing to handle;
• looks worthy of showing our friends;
• fits our style;
• feels like a treat.

Certain products, like nail clippers or clothes pegs, are so practical and essential that the packaging takes a back seat. In these cases, the brand design on the packaging serves a slightly different purpose. A recognizable and reputable brand design encourages repeat purchases. However, unclear branding on the packaging hinders loyalty, making customers less likely to explore other products within the brand.

A consistent brand experience: The unboxing experience

The opportunity for product satisfaction includes the unboxing experience. Consider the following: 

• Is it enjoyable? 
• Do we feel like we have bought something special? 
• Is the packaging made of sustainable materials? 
• Can we recycle or re-use it? 
• Are there any nice surprises?
• Is it difficult to open?

If we are satisfied with the experience, we are more likely to repurchase, recommend to friends, and share on social media.

Customer interaction touchpoints

Ensuring a consistent brand personality and image across various touchpoints is crucial. Here’s a list of key touchpoints where consumers may engage with the brand:

• Printed advertising
• Social media posts; words, images and videos
• Hearing about it from friends and family
• Seeing it in a physical retail environment
• Seeing it listed in an online shop
• Google search result
• Reviews
• In a magazine article
• Receiving it via delivery
• Instruction leaflet/product information
• Signage/labelling
• Receiving it as a gift
• Through buying another product by the same brand
• Disposing of it once it is finished with
• Gift token
• Email newsletter
• After sales emails e.g. purchase info, delivery info, follow ups
• Postcards
• Price list
• Discount cards
• As a collectable set or product group

Have I missed anything? The Brand experience is more than just the logo and the packaging design. It is vital to be consistent in style, voice and personality across all of the touchpoints.

Real life examples

For the natural skincare brand, Neve’s Bees, I not only design the packaging, I create graphics for the email newsletter, the ‘thanks for subscribing’ emails, the ‘thanks for your purchase’ emails, I design gift cards, price lists for trade customers, postcards and social media graphics.

For a local medical devices brand, I am in the process of updating the packaging, updating the company signage, updating the website and PowerPoint templates.

Evolving the brand

Stagnation will lose customers because people get bored. Whilst maintaining the core elements, a steady stream of new materials, different ideas, and new products will continually revive interest. It is important to stay relevant in an ever-changing market.

Be prepared to make changes as new technologies emerge, for example, adopt new sustainable materials, update to better processing or delivery services, improve user experience on your website.

Summary

Craft a seamless brand experience, aligning every aspect. Keep a consistent flow with strong brand design throughout. This will make people feel at home with the brand, make it recognisable, memorable, and instil trust and loyalty. 

Designs Like These can help you create a consistent brand image, please contact Nikki Shield for more information.