Packaging is one of the first interactions a potential customer has with your brand and it can make or break their decision to buy. In fact, roughly 72% of consumers report packaging design influences their purchase decisions. But more than capturing the attention of shoppers, packaging helps tell a brand’s story, and often, showcases a brand's values.
In the cannabis industry especially, packaging is critical to marketing and branding your products effectively. Not to mention, cannabis packaging must adhere to strict compliance regulations such as labeling and child-proof technology, limiting the creative freedom other industries enjoy. The question stands, how can your packaging stand out in a crowded market while still meeting these compliance requirements? And how can cannabis companies produce high-quality and attention-grabbing product packaging at scale?
How to Make Your Cannabis Packaging Stand Out
You can probably spot the Disney or Coca-Cola fonts from a mile away, right? This consistency is key to developing a widely recognizable brand. Packaging elements like consistent logos, colors, and fonts are the foundational aspects of branding. But embossed lettering or unique shapes and materials will help a brand differentiate themselves from the competition, all the while leaving a lasting impression on consumers.
But when it comes to the cannabis niche, there are a few key aspects of packaging that help brands stand out in today’s saturated market.
Bold & Bright
It makes sense that the most eye-catching packaging consists of bright colors, unique textures, and enchanting graphics. These elements, especially in unison, can capture consumers’ attention and virtually jump out from the crowded shelves.
Storytelling Graphics
Certain packaging designs can help tell a brand’s story. Various illustrations or themes can resonate with target audiences. Think of Sperry footwear and how their branding resonates with boaters and sailors. Even some of their shoe boxes have waves on them to attract their ideal customers.
One great example of storytelling branding in cannabis is Lowell Farms, known for its rustic, vintage-style packaging that reflects its organic roots, which strongly resonates with environmentally conscious consumers.
Sustainable Packaging Materials
Eco-friendly packaging materials convey a brand’s commitment to sustainability which is crucial when 55% of consumers are concerned about the environmental impact of product packaging. Additionally, a survey by McKinsey finds approximately 50% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable packaging.
Using sustainable packaging is a major differentiator for cannabis brands looking to embrace eco-friendly practices to build trust and loyalty among all, but especially, environmentally conscious customers.
Automation & Packaging: How Can Creativity Be Preserved in the Design?
A cool packaging design can only take a company so far. It’s vital to the success of the business to be able to scale the production and packaging of their products. Automation is the key to keeping creativity alive in packaging, at scale.
Automated Packaging Systems Maintain Brand Consistency
Ensuring brand consistency across a range of product lines or packaging formats is vital to maintaining brand recognition at retail stores and online. Whether a company uses bags, jars, or containers, automation ensures that every package type looks the same consistently. That means all bags are uniformly sealed and not burnt, labels are placed on jars correctly and not crooked, and the like.
This consistent quality leads to a uniform brand identity across various packaging formats.
Are There Creative Limitations When Using Automated Packaging Solutions?
Some automated packaging systems struggle to handle highly intricate packaging designs such as non-standard shapes or unconventional materials. However, there are certain systems that are modular and allow for customization to accommodate different formats and design elements. It’s important to partner with an automated packaging technology provider that works with you to adapt their solutions to your company’s unique packaging requirements.
To ensure your creative aspects aren’t compromised, make sure the partner you choose can adjust their machine’s settings to handle different materials and packaging types, oddly shaped boxes, jars, and pre-made bags with child-resistant mechanisms.
The key to success is to develop a collaborative design process. By involving packaging designers and automation experts early on, brands can create packaging that balances uniqueness with the practicality of automation. Additionally, using eccentric graphics, labeling, and color schemes can achieve differentiation without deviating from standardized dimensions suited for automation.
Custom graphics and additional film material work particularly well with automated packaging systems. These allow brands to stand out while being automation-friendly.
Automation Ensures Regulatory Compliance for Packaging in Cannabis
Cannabis brands face regulatory challenges regarding packaging compliance. It’s no secret the cannabis industry is heavily regulated and there are strict requirements for child-resistant packaging, proper labeling, and detailing specific product information such as ingredients and dosages.
Packaging automation helps cannabis brands meet these compliance standards without sacrificing brand identity. Automated packaging systems provide consistent compliance through features like automated:
Label printing and verification, ensuring every package meets the required regulations
Securing of child-proof mechanisms on bags, jars, and other containers, making certain there is no direct danger to children
Printing of QR codes that provide additional product details
Future Trends in Cannabis Packaging
One of the major trends coming to light in cannabis packaging is personalization and smart packaging. Today, consumers want more personalized products, and brands are starting to integrate smart technology, such as QR codes, for additional product information. These QR codes and other smart tech can enhance customer engagement by offering more product transparency, origin tracking, and even interactive experiences.
I believe automated packaging systems will evolve to support this trend by offering more flexible and programmable solutions that can integrate digital elements and allow for further personalization.
Overall, the key to standing out in cannabis is creative packaging that can be produced at scale. Without automation, you’ll simply fall by the wayside to your competition—those who leverage automated packaging systems will be able to preserve their brand identity and, in turn, customer loyalty, as their production increases.