You’ve designed an awesome package for your new product. Now all that’s left is to get a retailers to agree to sell it on their shelves. The problem is, when it comes to your product packaging design, your own brand identity isn’t the only factor involved. Each retailer has their own brand identity to manage, and before they put your product on its shelves, they want to be sure it aligns with the customer experience they aim to provide. That, of course, includes the design of your product on their shelves.

So, how can you design a package that is true to your own brand, while also satisfying the wishes (and often, requirements) of different retailers? In this post, we have 3 tips to help you make your package design one that retailers will be happy to put in their stores.

3 tips to sell your package design to retailers

1. Understand your retailer.

   You should know ahead of time what a given retailer wants to see in a product package design to make it consistent with their store experience. Ideally, you would take these requirements into consideration before you have finalized your design. But, if the design is already made, hope is not necessarily lost. If you have done your research and are confident that your packaging design choices resonate with consumers in a way that is appropriate for that retailer, that can get you quite far. And, it should go without saying, but ensure you have a specific pitch for each retailer so you can play up the attributes of the package design that align with their brand.

2. Understand your brand story.

   When a retailer makes a request for a change to your product’s packaging before they will agree to sell it, it’s important to have a holistic perspective of your brand and package design In some cases, you can highlight other aspects of the design to try to sway the retailer’s opinion. If they won’t budge, this perspective will allow you to approach the design in a way that stays true to the brand identity even in the face of, say, a color change for example.

3. Work with your sales team.

   The story of how your packaging design fits in with the overall brand, and how it enhances the customer experience, is key information for the sales team to have. Knowing this story, and ideally, being a part of it themselves will allow them to make a more confident and brand-appropriate pitch when trying to get your product sold in a retail store. It is especially important to arm them with data on how this packaging improves the consumer experience. Retailers are, after all, in the business of moving products from their shelves, so if they are confident that customers like your package design in the context of their own brand, they will be much more receptive to your product and its packaging.

It isn’t always easy to reconcile what a retailer wants and what you want for your brand when it comes to package design. But with these 3 tips, it is by no means an impossible task.