MAKE YOUR PRODUCTS THE OBVIOUS CHOICE
Shoppers should quickly understand your product, see the benefits, and feel confident they’re picking the right option. If they can’t, they move on. It’s that brutal. This is for you if:
Your product is listed, but it isn’t selling
You’re launching a new product or range and want it to land first time
Your product is blending into the category with no clear standout
What you get: a clear message hierarchy, turned into packaging and shelf communication that looks right, reads clearly and works hard in the real world.
If you want further detail of how we approach each stage download the full guide.
Start with the message:
Clarity makes packaging sell
Without a coherent brand story, and a strong sense of message hierarchy, we see packaging which tries to convey everything at once. The result is often a busy front of pack, with generic messaging that’s not talking directly to your target customer. If the shopper hesitates, you’ve lost the moment.
With clear foundations packaging becomes considered and more persuasive. You get a clear hierarchy of messaging that speaks directly to your target consumer’s needs and pain points. It helps the right people to “get it” quickly, improving conversion.
Win the first glance:
Design and words must agree
Packaging is most effective when the design and messaging are working in harmony: What it is, what it does, and why you need it.
It’s equal parts message, copy and design, built for the realities of retail.
Think of it as three moments. At a glance, the pack signals ‘this is for you’ and feels right for the job it’s meant to do. Close up, it makes the key benefit and ‘why you need it’ easy to take in. Once you’ve picked it up, it reassures and removes final doubts. When that sequence is clear, the pack doesn’t just look good, it makes choosing feel obvious.
Plan for store reality:
The pack must work alone
POS is never guaranteed. Space is limited, bays change, and what’s approved one month can disappear the next. Plus retailers can charge for POS in high demand areas.
That’s why the pack has to do the heavy lifting first: attract attention, communicate the benefit, and build belief without relying on extra signage. When you do get shelf communication, it should reinforce and guide, not rescue the message.
This doesn’t have to be a huge programme. Focused projects are typically from £5,000, depending on whether you’re working on a single product or a full range.
Use POS with intent:
Match the vehicle to the job
The mistake with POS is starting with a format. The stronger approach is to start with what the shopper needs in that moment: stop, understand, compare, feel reassured, or take action. Different POS formats are better at delivering different messages.
When POS is chosen to do one clear job, it can lift rate of sale by speeding up the decision and reducing doubt. When it tries to do everything at once, it becomes noise and adds clutter. Helpful beats shouty, especially in busy categories.
Extend it to screen:
Keep it consistent everywhere
Even when the purchase happens in store, the decision often starts online. Thumbnails and image cropping reduce what’s visible, material textures disappear.
We’ve created a Shelf Comms Brief Builder PDF, which includes practical checklists you can use to brief packaging and POS, plus guidance on choosing shelf formats based on the job they need to do.
Typically from £5,000 for a focused project, this work is about improving the shopper journey, so you improve conversion and rate of sale without relying on constant promotion.
Start making an impact
If you want a partner to shape the message and design the packaging and shelf communication, we can scope a focused project around the job it needs to do.