The perils of non user-friendly packaging & it's impact on your sales

Photo Credit: Dietetic Sinners

I just read a very interesting article in Sydney Morning Herald, about the frustration customers can feel when trying to open difficult packaging.
 
It's really important to keep in mind the process the customer goes through with your product - including  when opening and consuming your product.

Although in some instances, it's of utmost importance that the packaging is secure (eg knife packaging), I still think it should still not cause injury when trying to open.  At other times, it's just not necessary for the packaging to be so difficult and non user-friendly to get into!

You need to work with your Packaging Designer to work out what works best for both your product and your end customer, keeping in mind that your customer could by-pass your product due to it's difficult packaging. You don't want to lose sales after all the hard work you've done to get your product on the shelf, to difficult packaging!  

The below is the article straight from SMH:

It is the paradox of modern packaging: you need a pair of scissors to break open a packet of new scissors.

Whether it's wrestling with ''clamshell'' wrapping or vacuum-sealed jars, consumers are  all too frequently confronted by products whose packaging renders
them unopenable, consumer advocate Choice says.

Arthritis Australia is calling on the federal government to evaluate the health and safety impact of packaging that is hard to open. In a ratings trial, called the Initial
Scientific Review, +8 means 95 per cent of the population can easily open the packaging, while -8 means that less than 60 per cent can safely open
it.

The scheme has tested more than 200 products from Woolworths and Nestle.

''Accessibility has a profound impact on how consumers interact with packaging and affects what they buy,'' said Fergal Barry, partnerships manager of Arthritis Australia. ''Making these packaging changes opens up
markets, rather than eliminating parts of them."

''Consumers shouldn't have to get into a knife fight to get into the product. Everybody deserves
frustration-free packaging, not just the ageing population and those living with arthritis.''

Scissors, kitchen knives and hammers are the most
popular weapons of choice against unreasonable packaging, Catalyst research commissioned by Reader's
Digest shows.

But the battle to break open hard plastic casing can often lead to unnecessary injuries.

Of the 500 people surveyed in Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia, 42 per cent said they had cut themselves trying to open the packaging, and 14 per cent said
they had broken or chipped their teeth trying to rip open packaging.

The Australian Packaging Covenant set up a hotline two years ago for consumers to formally complain about their packaging woes.

Breaking into tamper-proof medicinal packaging and the plastic wrapping on Lebanese cucumbers were the two biggest complaints to the hotline so far, chief executive officer Stan Moore said.

''Packaging has evolved but it can be annoying at times,'' he said.

Wendy Favorito is a board member and consumer representative of Arthritis Australia and has suffered from severe arthritis since she was a child. Complete plastic casing around products,  commonly known as the clamshell, was the worst to open, she said.

''If I buy a kitchen knife, how come I need a knife to get into packaging?'' Ms Favorito said.

But the Packaging Council of Australia has defended
excessive packaging, saying the fear of theft and tampering were serious concerns for retailers and
manufacturers.

''Most companies want their packages to be easily openable and accessible,'' chief executive Gavin
Williams said.

In a world of instant convenience, excessive packaging is
used to keep products fresh or to make the product look more attractive.  ''Packaging is a selling device,'' Mr Williams said.

References:
http://www.smh.com.au/national/good-buys-with-terrible-twists-20130711-2pt69.html

http://dietsinners.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/frustrating-food-packages.html