Useful Marketing 101 teaches us that, as a business, we must be able to pinpoint a problem suffered by our intended audience, and must, then, be able to resolve it with our product.  For instance, you recognize the fact that cat lovers are not able to use the whole bag of cat food before it is stale.  So, your company develops a health cat food available in pouch packaging that can be resealed, thereby prolonging its shelf life.  You must be able to show the consumer what problem of discomfort you are able to relieve and how, if your product is to be useful.

Functional Once you have found a way to provide a solution to that particular problem, you must package it in a way that makes it fully functional.  If, every time someone attempts to open the cat food bags for the first time, the bag tears beneath the sealable strip, then the product isn’t functional and you are going to fail to attract repeat customers.  Similarly, if the bottle of sunscreen has a top that pops off while in the beach bag, it’s only going to make a mess and not help prevent sunburn at all.  Sometimes, these issues can be resolved with the help of packaging designers, and sometimes they are something that will force you back to the drawing board.  But, it is worth the added time to market when it means the difference between giving them something that works or something that isn’t functional.

Attractive Finally, the product must be attractive to the buyer.  After all, you know how great your product is, but the first time buyer doesn’t.  So, there must be a positive first impression, which entices that person to give it a try.  Whether they are plastic pouches or some other form of flexible packaging, the design does matter.  A great look can have a huge impact on sales figures.