10 Viral Custom Packaging Designs That Increased Sales For Indian Food Companies
Elevate your brand with these 10 game-changing custom packaging designs adopted by Indian food companies, driving sales through impactful visuals.
7 min readCpluz
Viral Custom Packaging Designs That Increased Sales for Indian Food Companies
In the fiercely competitive market of Indian food products, captivating packaging designs play a crucial role in standing out to customers and ultimately boosting sales. Since 1993, Cpluz has been a pioneer in creating innovative designs for businesses across various sectors, including food and beverage. Here, we delve into 10 viral custom packaging designs that have managed to increase sales for Indian food companies.
Innovative Uses of Color
Effective packaging design often begins with a strategic use of color, evoking emotional responses and drawing attention. Doodh Jamun, a manufacturer of milk-based dessert offerings, employed the striking combination of purple and cream to convey sweetness and freshness. The use of contrasting colors makes their product stand out in a crowded marketplace, creating an immediate appeal to consumers.
Designing for Cultural Sensibilities
Understanding target consumers' cultural backgrounds and preferences can significantly enhance a product's appeal. During the festive season, even for those who do not worship Goddess Lakshmi, buying sweets is a common ritual. Gopal's, a popular brand known for confectioneries, released limited edition foil packs decorated with religious symbols for Durga Puja and Diwali. This thought-provoking and well-designed initiative effectively capitalized on the heightened consumer sentiment and appreciation of cultural heritage.
Packaging as a Storyteller
Telling a story through packaging design can transform a product into an experience. Haldiram, a renowned Indian snacks provider, released a packaging design under their signature brand that features a collection of ancient Indian illustrations and a traditional wooden texture, lending an air of authenticity. This unique storytelling approach effectively engaged consumers, presenting them with a sense of nostalgia and familiarity.
Embracing Minimalism
In contrast, minimalism can serve as a powerful design strategy, emphasizing the product itself and creating a lasting impression. Rizzo, a rising name in ready-to-cook meals, implemented clean lines and geometric shapes to create visually appealing packaging. The effective communication of brand values through simple design principles not only revamped the brand image but attracted the attention of young, tech-savvy consumers.
Seasonal Promotions
Indian festivals hold immense importance in people's lives, and appropriately themed packaging during these seasons can greatly enhance a product's appeal. As a gesture of respect for the elderly, and duty towards tradition, few companies thought of adding a touch of care – providing instructions and benefits of their product in regional languages as well as braille. This inclusive approach resonated greatly with consumers, overhauling the brand's image and striking an emotional chord among them.
Taking Inspiration from Nature
Vibrant colors and imagery of nature are often associated with Indian food packaging. Vaikunth, a Bengal-based pickles provider, adopted an almost bio-realistic approach by featuring close-ups of plant life and animal silhouettes on their packaging. This application of natural elements, when done right, offers a genuine, eco-friendly appeal to conscious consumers while building a sense of trust.
Creating Artistic Statements
An exceptional packaging design is not just about function; it should create an impact and become memorable, making buyers want to share it on social media. Pushkar Rawat, known for his stunning art flourishes, adorned the packaging of iMissFresh, a meal kit provider, with his creative work. The fusion of art, food, and technology resulted in an engaging design that garnered widespread attention and drove brand visibility
Spotlighting Unique Selling Points
A key factor in effective packaging design for food companies is the communication of a product's unique selling points. A2, makers of artisanal cheese, featured beautifully presented polaroid images that emphasized the grass-roots farming process behind the production. This visual storytelling evoking transparency and commitment to quality helped the brand stand out in an emerging market and gained the trust of environmentally-conscious consumers.
Playing with Typography
Typography is an essential design element, conveying brand personality and key information. JSW, the popular snack brand split name (JijfmSyromann) rendering into Sesame & Sugar - literally translates into inspired language. The unique typography brought to them inspirations from traditional Indian calligraphy, introduced a distinctive aspect to their brand identity. The distinct style resonated with consumers, elevating the brand's recognition.
From Click Ware to Share Ware Packaging
From Click Ware to Share Ware Packaging: Captivating Consumers through High-Touch Designs
In the last decade, the confluence of technology and human sensibilities has given birth to 'share ware' packaging, a movement that encourages users to share their unboxing experiences on social media platforms. While click ware – functionally minimalistic designs – dominated the pre-smartphone era, the shift towards high-touch designs has proven significantly beneficial for Indian food companies. This evolution and captivating consumers through engaging visual experiences will be explored in the following section.
Storytelling at the Edge of Functionality
Stories have always been a powerful tool in human communication. Indian food companies have realized the benefits of combining packaging functionality with heartwarming stories. The packaging of Licious, India's most preferred meat delivery service, boasts an attention-grabbing design that combines health benefits with messages and images of farmers working tirelessly in the fields. The visual narrative underlying the packaging shoots straight to the audience's heart, evoking feelings of compassion and encouraging brand loyalty.
Individual Interactions through Customization
With the rise of customization, consumers now demand a more personal experience from the products they use. To satiate this need, Indian food companies are today uniquely combining personalization with high-touch design vocabulary. Specifically, edible cutlery companies in India have begun embarking on this journey, ensuring their packets make a lasting impression while taking care of the environment. Personalization options help make the product exciting, which in turn increases customer satisfaction and referrals.
Understanding Consumer Mindset
The Indian consumer mindset is shifting rapidly, and as a response, businesses are now focusing significantly more on branding and packaging. To capture the essence of what makes consumers tick, companies are studying their customers and adapting their packaging design to cater to their evolving preferences.
Towards Sustainable Packaging
The global focus on sustainability has caught up with India, forcing companies to adopt eco-friendly solutions for all of their operations. Sustainable packaging that communicates the environmental responsibility of Indian food companies not only attracts environmentally conscious consumers but also ensures brand longevity. As such, embracing eco-friendliness might just be the most significant design challenge for food companies today.
High-Touch East, Low-Touch West: Inverting Competition Paradigms
New design paradigms challenge the notion that cutting-edge design must replicate Western aesthetics. Instead, Indian food companies are increasingly embracing high-touch packaging as the perfect blend of functionality, sustainability, and & storytelling. This approach resonates with Eastern cultural instincts, emphasizes product quality and enjoyment, and gives them an edge in the crowded Indian market.
The Digital Component of High-Touch Packaging
To catapult their high-touch design to the digital bandwagon, Indian food companies are investing in AR enhancements. Animation makes the static, tactile elements of packaging come alive, captivating users' senses. This immersive unboxing experience piques curiosity, incites shares, and persuades potential customers to seek out the brand. A successful AR augmented unboxing model in the Indian market paves the way for businesses to stand out – and that is unbeatable.
The Role of Augmented Reality in Packaging
The rapid progression of mobile technology has led to a rising interest in AR experiences - a trend the food packaging industry wholeheartedly embraces. Many companies are beginning to develop AR features that allow consumers to scan their product packaging and reveal playful animations, cutscenes, tips, recipes or most surprisingly – customer testimonials.
Using Video Content
Augmenting the print with live-action or animated ads not only attracts younger audiences but offers a simple way for food companies to reveal the soul of their product – its backstory, its journey, and its cooked goodness. A more transparent and engaging approach strengthens the bond between brands and customers, foster consumer loyalty, and ultimately push sales forward for Indian food companies.
Designing a 360-Degree Brand Experience
The integration of immersive packaging designs into brand experiences will help create a distinction in a locality that is exploding with new foods. Designers would today blend traditional Indian craftsmanship with 20th-century digital storytelling to embellish every aspect of the unboxing experience – from the sequential unwrapping to brand website navigation. A logistically harmonious 'brand box' ensures the product has ample space for the story to breathe, creating a 360-degree experience.