On the Packaging Design of Convenience Store Products

First, the characteristics of convenience store products

In general, convenience stores are welcomed by people for convenience, but at the same time, it has very obvious limitations: First, there is a limited area, and the target of service is mainly people who live in the vicinity, and how to make full use of limited resources. The location shows the popular items; at the same time, how to promote the special design of the products by the manufacturers, and complete the innovation of various packaging designs according to the season and understanding of the customers is an essential factor for the success of a convenience store. Convenience stores and big supermarkets have distinctly different products. Convenience stores are characterized by small size. The packaging design of convenience stores is different from what is seen in the general market, that is, it is more general than the general merchandise design. Being meticulous and innovative, it is important to have a sense of the times and trends. Convenience stores must compete with large-scale supermarkets, and it is difficult to have an advantage in terms of price. Therefore, convenience stores must avoid disadvantages in this regard, and they must make a fuss about fineness, detail, newness, and popularity to use small foods and small household items. Such as the main, to explore their own unique vitality and values.

Second, the speciality of convenience store merchandise packaging design

In general, since convenience stores are open for 24 hours, labor costs are much more expensive, and the cost of goods is also higher. Therefore, design and monopoly should be used to make people feel that higher prices are also worthwhile. As a convenience store, it should be considered from an overall perspective, because it is not easy to implement a special design for only one store. However, if the organizations of various convenience store chains are united with each other, the advantages of such a convenience store will emerge. Because the convenience store customers have their own fixed, when the packaging of goods changes, we must also consider this factor, suddenly change the original packaging, will make old customers feel confused, and may refuse to buy commodity. Therefore, when convenience stores change packages and commodities, there should be an alternating process between old and new, so that customers have an accepted process. At this point, Japanese designers have quite a few successful cases.

III. Successful Cases of Japanese Companies

The popularization of Japanese convenience stores was in the 1970s. They also experienced the same start-up period as ours, and the goods were treated in the same way. Some of the goods were very short lived, and some had a very long history. For example, the most famous Meiji Milk Company in Japan, for the first time in 1973, introduced yogurt products to the community, which was welcomed and concerned by the people. When this product was initially confirmed by everyone, the company decided to make bold changes in packaging design. In a period of less than two years that was generally welcomed by the general public, a complete change was made to the product packaging. Until now, the product has maintained a generally unified design tone, and the latest changes are to change the original horizontal line pattern to a diagonal line, while making some adjustments to the advertising language. The reason that the horizontal line is slashed is that other companies have also made similar horizontal lines on the packaging of yogurt so that they can be distinguished from each other and at the same time highlight the slogans. In this way, people can see the confidence and quality of the product on the packaging of the product. At the same time, it is also a market need to change the advertising language from time to time. If we pay attention to the color of the product, we can see that under the premise of using blue, the entire change is also from light blue to dark blue, which is mainly due to the high-end sense and maturity of the product. Although the form of the entire package did not change much, it saw Meiji Dairy's intentions for convenience store packaging design. Similarly, the Ajinomoto Company's fast soup product, which has been popular among convenience stores, was first introduced in 1970. We can discover the designer's intentions from the small changes in this product. Its subsequent design turned a fish, which originally occupies a large area, into a small sign. Because the original design intended to express that the seasoning was made entirely of fresh fish, naturally the fish was put in a considerable position. In 1983, Ajinomoto made a major change to the packaging. The area of ​​the original fish as the main pattern is much smaller, and the originally horizontal product name has become straight. The original black body has turned into handwriting. This change has many meanings: due to technological advances, the original was only Fish-based condiments were added with raw materials such as kelp. Therefore, the original red color has been reduced a lot, and the black body type has become handwritten and human-like. At the same time, the background is based on the Japanese favorite sun, which also implies that This product is a specialty of Japan. When the red circle, the small fish-shaped logo, and the blue sky behind it are kept in mind for the people, every three to four years, the company guarantees these three elements while making some changes to small details, such as red. The color of the circle, the ripples in the red circle, especially from the blue ripples to the golden ripples, gives a warm feeling, plus the slogan of “just-made aroma” on a blue background. The human touch of the merchandise.

Fourth, the importance of re-design of convenience store merchandise packaging

Now, the importance of design has been deeply rooted in people's minds. However, as a convenience store product, if it is considered that if it can be sold and it is welcomed, it is not necessary to redesign. It is a misunderstanding. The popular products are not to be redesigned, but they need to be carefully researched and designed. This will enable new vitality of products that are already vital. This is something we must keep in mind. Once the merchandise is unpopular, hurry to change the packaging design, it is only an emergency and it is difficult to get back to life. In modern society, products that are ignored by packaging designers will soon be forgotten by the market and eventually disappear. This is a problem that our designers and managers must seriously consider.

Wu Yihua
Reprinted from: "Decoration"