With smart labelling formats, inviting textures, and strategic design elements, you'll be able to demand customers' attention and trigger their curiosity – straight from the shelves of any African store.
When was the last time you analyzed the label design of competing products on the store shelf? Here are six smart methods that will differentiate your products from competitors:
1. Smart contrasts equal visible labels
If you want your product to stand out, that's exactly what it needs to do: stand out from the crowd. Using design elements on packaging and labels that create a contrast to other products will make your product more prominent.
Design methods that create clear contrasts:
- Use a round or triangular label shape if the others in the segment have opted for a rectangular shape on their labels.
- Try bright colours if the competitors go for minimalism.
- Use real people on the label as a surprise element if the others mostly use illustrations.
- Use elements that play on lifestyle if it is otherwise common only to show the product.
- Write eye-catching or unexpected words or sentences on the label when images or shapes alone are the norm.
Bonus tip! Ensure that the contrast doesn't look messy compared to the competitors. Even though you'll stand out, the customer still needs to understand that the product isn't just misplaced on the shelf.
2. Choose your complementary colours carefully
Another method of evoking contrasts is using labels with colours that complement one's own – or the competitor's – packaging.
Goethe's and Itten's theory on complementary colours is an exciting aspect of colour theory. It states that placing specific colours next to each other will make them appear brighter. In other words, the theory is that they complement each other.
The colours that Goethe and Itten believe are complementary:
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Red and green
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Blue and orange
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Yellow and purple
Those of you who are particularly interested in the subject may know that these six colours are known as primary and secondary colours. These are the origin of all colours and bear the name of the colour in its purest form. That is why red, blue, yellow, green, orange and purple are perceived as especially strong hues.
The classic theories on complementary colours also apply to colours that are mixed or that are interspersed with black or white. Burgundy is, for instance, a red colour, while fuchsia leans more towards purple. The same applies to turquoise, which is actually a blue colour, and gold, which is, in fact, orange.
Let's take a look at a couple of specific examples:
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If you have yellow packaging, a purple label will make the entire product 'pop' from the store shelf.
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If your product is usually placed next to a competitor with orange packaging, a blue label will make it easier to differentiate your product from theirs.
See how it was easier to read the complementing colour in the two bullet points?
CMYK colours
We use the four standard colours in a printing machine, namely CMYK colours: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Together, they represent the opportunities for most visual representations of different colours.
When the theory of complementary colours is to be transferred to CMYK colours, some of the names and mixtures need to be adjusted. In short, we do this to achieve the same colour effect in modern printing.
Read more: How psychology and sensory marketing will help you sell more products
3. Large label surfaces increase the chances of 360º visibility
The bigger the playroom your label has, the bigger the chance it will stand out on the store shelf. The size, of course, must be proportional to the product itself and its packaging. However, labels with larger surfaces do increase the chance of 360º visibility.
4. Smart Labels draw the customer to the product
With a Smart Label, you can use digital elements to attract both new and old customers to interact with your product. Skanems Smart Labels can be read by smartphone technology and lead to a digital universe that enriches the customer journey. Simultaneously, the brand can collect valuable information about the product.
Smart Labels can, for instance, be used for:
- Competitions
- Social Media Content
- Challenges
- Loyalty Programmes
- Applications
- Quizzes
- Customer surveys
- User Manuals
- Recipes
- Tutorials
- DIY-projects
With continuous control over the areas your Smart Label codes lead to, and the data collected, you can always utilize and adjust the content according to how the campaign develops.
Read more: Great customer experience begins on the store shelf
5. Eye-catching details that trigger the customer's curiosity
It's a good thing that your specific product, with your label, falls within the viewpoint of the customer. Nonetheless, you still have numerous opportunities to add details that require the consumer's attention. That tempts them to pick up the product, even though it was not on their shopping list.
Shimmering foil with metallic details or glitter makes it undoubtedly easier to notice your product. The same goes for tactile textures on the outside of the label, which can feel like sand or snakeskin or look like three-dimensional raindrops or mountain tops, to name a few.
6. Personalized messages
Labels with one-dimensional design details will also make the container itself attractive. Consider promotional or personalized labels with unexpected messages, titles, or local African names. These types of design elements connect the buyer to the product, which is especially important from a marketing perspective where you wish to convert customers into ambassadors.
