You have the best product on the market at the most enticing of price points, but if it is not positioned properly and is not packaged properly, it will not sell. As discerning consumers, we may want to believe that we don’t fooled by fancy packaging, but there is an inherent reaction that we have when we approach certain products. This carries over to how we perceive the product itself.

For example, I remember hearing about a couple of lower-end brandy companies. One had long since established itself in the marketplace and people trusted its value for money. The other was a relative newcomer at the time, but it started to infringe on the market share of the former. It’s not like either company had much of a marketing budget, so advertising was not the issue. Distribution was roughly equal as well.

As it turns out, the first company was selling its brandy in a long and slender bottle, not unlike what you’d find for red wine. The new company, on the other hand, was selling its brandy in a shorter bottle with a stout appearance. It also had a fancier-looking label and was topped with foil. The foil gave an impression of quality, whereas the bottle shape gave a sense of a more authentic brandy.

With a quick change from the long bottle to the short one, the first company was able to recapture much of its market share. They did not change their marketing efforts, adjust the product formula, or do anything else to otherwise change the product. It was just the packaging.

How are you representing your product line? How are you packaging it?