The scenario is all too familiar: you stand at a shelf with different brands of the same product, same function, same price. How do you pick one from the dozens of options?

Do you go for a brand you are loyal to? Lowest calories? The easiest item to reach for? Ingredients? Or do you, like most people, go for appearance?

Well, good or bad, appearance is critical. This goes for purchasing decisions, relationships, job interviews, name it. You might have the most superior product in the market, but minor kinks and oversights might leave it sitting on the shelf. How do you make your brand stand out in a sea of options? Here are some suggestions.

Target Customers Through Packaging

Everything from the size and design of packaging counts. You have probably walked along aisles of a store and gotten so attracted to the visual design of a product packaging that you almost want to make an impulsive purchase.

This is the reaction you should aim at eliciting with your packaging.

Simplicity

A good design is not the same as an overdone one. While you want to stand out, overwhelming clients with a busy, weird, overcrowded design will take away from the product, not add to it.

Instead, find clean, simple lines, understated colors, and a font that is easy to read. Finding out more about your product should not be a struggle for clients. Keep it classy and simple.

Use Imagery

The human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than it does text. Most customers spend very little time scanning aisles and product shelves.

At times, a purchase decision is made on something as simple as what a product looks like and which items draw their attention the most. This means very few customers will have the patience to read through rows and rows of text on a product, for starters. To stand out, use all design elements creatively and then splash a picture on your packaging that few can say no to. If you do this right, you are halfway there.

A simple way of showing these eye-catching images is through digital signage for retail stores, using these displays can effortlessly increase foot traffic to your retail store whilst not breaking the bank.

Ambassadors and Merchandisers

Having the edge over similar products means finding ways to outdo the completion.

With dozens of products sitting on a shelf, extra steps have to be taken to make yours shine.

An excellent way to get an edge is through hiring product ambassadors and merchandisers. Merchandisers simply have an attractive stall at the stores and engage with clients. They can offer samples, explain how products are used, and so on.

Ambassadors, on the other hand, use their familiarity to position your product. When a product becomes associated with a well-known name, more customers look for it at the store.

As you already know, marketing can get quite complex. Always be open to making mistakes and learning through them. Alongside other marketing strategies, these pointers should help your products fly off the shelves.