How Digital Printing Can Help Brands Connect With Today's Shoppers
Consumers today have more demands on their personal and professional time, more choices and more ways to discover brands than ever before.
At the same time, persistent inflation continues to put pressure on household spending, while fragmented media platforms make it increasingly difficult for brands to capture and maintain attention.
We partner with brands to develop retail strategies and we're seeing brands at a place where they need to be selective about where they support customer touchpoints. Social media continues to drive consumers' curiosity to try new brands, which can undermine traditional brand loyalty. Burgeoning retailer media networks are also putting strain on how brands place their advertising dollars as the networks continue to offer more levels of programming.
This environment forces brands to be selective about supporting customer touchpoints, so a winning approach we see is the ability to connect with shoppers and provide a "participation layer" to their engagement.
In-Store Experience Remains Important
It might be easy to assume that online shopping has made the physical store less relevant. Yet 75% of customers still shop in-store, making that environment a critical opportunity for brands.
There is something unique about the physical retail experience. Shoppers have time to explore and interact with products and consider how to use them. This interaction can give shoppers a greater understanding of a product's benefits, which can lead to greater conversion. That in turn makes the retail environment an important part of the overall shopper journey, and packaging plays a key role.
Packaging as the Moment of Truth
Think about what happens at the shelf. There is enormous competition for a shopper's attention, and packaging helps break through the shelf clutter. Amidst this environment, packaging is the "moment of truth" at the purchase point, and it can help create a brand image that stands out in the shopper's mind.
This is where digital printing can become particularly valuable. It allows packaging to be customized for events, regionalized around sports and other opportunities, and connected to participation-focused marketing efforts.
For example, digitally printed packaging can be customized around events such as FIFA, regionalized around properties such as the NFL or MLB, or incorporate participation components such as Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" and Kraft-Heinz's "Art of the Burger." Seasonality provides another opportunity, whether it’s a Starbucks "PSL" cup launch or holiday packaging.
These approaches can help connect what a shopper sees on the shelf with the broader marketing experience surrounding the brand.
Creating a Participation Layer
A strong retail experience can mix excitement around a brand with ways consumers can take action. That creates a "participation layer" that gives shoppers another reason to interact with the brand. Menasha's partnership with Pepsi offers a great example of how this can come together in the retail environment. The retail displays deliver on the marketing campaign messaging while incorporating excitement, seasonality and social media integration. They also provide ideas for how to use and enjoy the product.
The key point is that the retail display and packaging don't have to exist separately from the rest of the brand's marketing. They can become another touchpoint that reinforces the campaign and gives shoppers an opportunity to participate, while returning a great ROI.
Connecting the Dots
Brands are competing for limited consumer dollars and attention, and they can't support every possible touchpoint. The challenge is determining where they can make the strongest connection with shoppers.
With so many fragmented media platforms and growing opportunities through retailer media networks, the physical retail environment remains a key part of that equation. Digital printing gives brands the ability to bring customization, regionalization, seasonality and participation into packaging and retail experiences. When those elements connect with the broader marketing campaign, the result can be more than packaging that stands out on the shelf.
It can become part of a 360-degree shopper experience that connects the campaign to the retail environment, gives shoppers a way to interact with the product and helps them better understand its benefits. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, that connection can make the difference between simply being seen and creating an experience that give shoppers a reason to engage.
About the Author
Regina Bailey is senior director of retail strategy at Menasha Packaging. Regina previously led the North American category management and shopper insights team for Unilever and Newell Brands.
