Visual marketing plays a large part on how businesses make packaging decisions. If you’re a new business considering the advantages vs. disadvantages of transparent packaging, you should do enough research on the factors that subconsciously affect people’s decision to purchase a product. Too often people believe that they are making a decision based on conscious factors, but consumer behaviour is largely influenced by unconscious triggers.

Most research on the topic of transparent packaging has been focused on food packaging. So if you’re in the food business—listen up. Different types of products create different types of perceptions.

Let’s start with the disadvantages:

• If you are selling food that needs to stay fresh such as artisan bread, fruits and vegetables, pastries, and yogurt, then you need to make sure to be careful how to package it correctly. While these products are visually appealing and should be on display, there is a need to make sure that the priority is keeping them fresh. With transparent packaging, there’s the factor of degradation via light.
• Oxidation is also a concern. Produce loses it freshness faster in plastic packaging…

HOWEVER:

The advantages of transparent packaging are as follows:

• Ensures visual validation of the product that’s being sold, thus creating a perception in the mind of the consumer on the quality of the product.
• Allows for implementation of brand and colour psychology in the marketing of the product. Make sure both are consistent every time a change is made because too many changes might cause the consumer to get confused on whether or not they are purchasing the same product they’re always been purchasing. In terms of colour, it has to make sense with the type of product. For example, kids food should be bright and exciting while healthier food should be light and warm.

Verdict:

The best types of food products to match with transparent packaging is food that you will be serving the next day and are able to keep away from light. Fresh food doesn’t spoil quickly which is why most produce is sold in transparent packaging. Consumers also need to make sure of how fresh the food seems.

If you are planning to boost your sales, pick transparent packaging because visual validation increases interest in the product. You don’t want your consumer to work for understanding whether or not your product is in good condition. You want it to be on display. As a result, you won’t need to be afraid of spoiling the product because it’ll be gone by the end of the day.