How to personalize packaging, implement brand strategy (and budget), and increase sales?
Branding
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Sales - retail
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4 min
Personalization in marketing is no longer a nice-to-have, but a necessity. Packaging (not just the product itself!) as part of a marketing strategy is today one of the key touchpoints between a brand and a consumer. It is often the first experience with a brand – an invitation into the brand's world that can decide the future of the relationship.
According to McKinsey data, 70% of purchasing decisions are made at the store shelf (or on a phone screen), and the appearance and functionality of packaging are among the main factors influencing this choice. What should you pay attention to during design to deliver something more than just a product to consumers and generate high sales results?
What does personalized packaging mean?
It is packaging that responds to real needs (both conscious and subliminal) and specific user behaviors. Personalization is not just (but also!) printed names on a label – it is a broader way of thinking about how consumers interact with a product on sensory, functional, and symbolic levels.
The starting point for working on packaging is the brand strategy and consumer insight. During workshops or brainstorming sessions with a client, it is worth asking the following questions:
How does the consumer use the product and the packaging itself?
Where is the product stored / displayed?
What packaging feature will improve its usability (e.g., handiness, closure, opening method)?
What added value can the packaging bring? (e.g., educational, emotional, practical)
How to differentiate the packaging from the competition?
How does it fit into the aesthetics and daily environment of the recipient?
Personalization is adaptation to the consumer's lifestyle – their rhythm of the day, aesthetic needs, beliefs, or even their Instagram feed. In a world that accustoms us to everything being pretty, functional, and "shareable," packaging becomes an aesthetic statement, not just a product carrier.
What can (realistically) be personalized in packaging?
Virtually: everything. Budget is the limit. 😉
Personalization can include:
form (shape, opening method, size),
material (e.g., biodegradable, recycled, reusable),
colors, fonts, illustrations,
messages (language that speaks with the consumer's voice),
technology (e.g., QR code, NFC, packaging responsive to touch or temperature).
Examples from the market:
Grześki with a limited edition using Gen Z slang – humor, locality, relevance.
Johnnie Walker with labels ordered via the website – personalization for a gift.
Heineken with a 6-pack that doubles as a handy handle.
Oxy Sport – sparkling water in a 500 ml dumbbell-shaped bottle. Perfect for light weight training.
Oxy Sport dumbbell-shaped bottle
Wyborowa – a design of limited-edition cardboard packaging that, when unfolded, serves as a board game.
Wyborowa - limited edition packaging
Pizza Hut – developed pizza boxes that also functioned as projectors.
Innovative materials are also becoming increasingly popular, e.g., soluble packaging made of organic matter that completely decomposes upon contact with water – a nod to planet-friendly design and zero waste.Soapbottle – shampoo and shower gel bottles made of soap – completely soluble in water, leaving no plastic behind.
Source: soapbottle.com
What does packaging personalization affect?
Attracts attention – on the shelf, in advertising, in social media.
Builds an emotional connection – "this is for me," not "for everyone."
Complements the consumer's image – as part of aesthetics, lifestyle, expression.
Increases loyalty – because a brand that knows me deserves trust.
Creates shareable moments – which means free buzz marketing.
Packaging = appearance + usability
Aesthetics today go hand in hand with function. Trends for 2025 make it clear: usability, user-friendliness, and minimalism are just as important as design. Well-designed packaging makes life easier, does not frustrate, and... often stays with us for longer.
Don't know where to start? Write to us – we will design packaging that your audience will love.
What does packaging personalization give a brand?
Well-designed packaging, in addition to increased visibility, brings a range of benefits for a brand. According to a 2025 Twilio report, as many as 65% of Gen Z representatives and 62% of the Millennial generation are willing to pay more for brands that offer personalized solutions.
According to the source, personalized packaging can make:
Brand loyalty increase
Packaging production costs decrease (by up to 30%)
Brand recognition grow.
The following examples illustrate how packaging changes influenced sales growth:
Dunkin' Donuts refreshed its design after conducting consumer research, resulting in a 26% increase in sales for the brand in 2020.
Milk-Bone – a dog food and treat manufacturer, aimed to refresh their packaging design and add an "emotional" factor to it. Combined with a campaign, the new design in 2021 resulted in a clear increase in sales.
Eucerin – this is an interesting example of how a redesign shortly after releasing the product on shelves did not meet with growth, but with a decline in sales. The reason was the coexistence of old and new packaging designs in shops, which confused consumers. A valuable lesson that finally, after complete product rotation to the new ones – influenced sales positively, by as much as +7.8% in 2020.
Eucerin - packaging change
Packaging does not work in a vacuum
Packaging is a physical extension of the brand's message. That is why it is worth ensuring consistency between packaging and campaigns in outdoor, digital, or points of sale. The consumer does not see agency departments – they see the entire experience. Therefore:
let's design within a thought-out marketing strategy,
let's think omnichannel,
let's analyze the competitive environment and consumer context.
Today, packaging is not just a form – it is a communication channel. And well-thought-out packaging can do more than many advertisements.
Source: loveitpure.de/collections/cryo-face-body-treatment
The illustrations used in the article serve to depict design possibilities. We are in no way affiliated with the brands described and presented.
