From No Sales to Sold Out: Lessons in Packaging Design Iteration

At the Food and Beverage Atlantic Conference, we discussed an important lesson in product packaging: iterate slowly over time, reflecting consumer feedback.

Why?

Because consumers form strong associations with a brand’s packaging that become part of their memory structure.

Tropicana learned this the hard way.

In 2009, Tropicana dominated the orange juice market: 20% share.

Then, they redesigned their packaging.

Why? Modernizing.

Their new packaging was missing the primary attributes consumers recognized:

🍊 Orange with a straw

🍊 Orange twist cap

🍊 "Tropicana" distinct font + location

🍊 The words "orange juice"

The result?

Consumers didn't recognize it. In just 2 months,

🔻20% to 12% market share drop

🔻$30m loss in sales

Crosby Foods Limited offers a great example of how to do it right.

Crosby's online reviews reveal the following attributes mentioned most frequently:

🍪 Molasses

🍪 Cookies

🍪 Mother/grandmother

🍪 Healthy

These attributes are captured on the new packaging, whether literally or symbolically.

They also kept their distinctive logo and red cap.

The result?

I have no idea.

But I'd wager based on Crosby's recent expansive growth that they're doing reasonably well.

And if not, I'll just retroactively revise this post to make me look good, anyways.

Good Robot Brewing Company's #1 seller, Diablo Mexican Lager with Lime + Jalapeno, had flat sales until we discovered the barrier to trial:

Prospective drinkers thought it would be too spicy, despite consumers saying things like, "It's just a hint of spice."

Gently over time, we evolved the packaging design:

🌶️"El Espinazo del Diablo" (which consumers struggled to pronounce) became "Diablo"

🌶️The big, sweaty devil became less prominent

🌶️Bold colours were replaced with neutral tones

With a healthy push from the sales team and the right messaging in hand, Diablo is now our #1 and fastest-growing beer, with listings in Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, Alcool NB Liquor, PEI Liquor, and private stores.

If you caught my #SocialEast presentation, you’ll remember the story of our Pilsner.

In 2022, its sales flatlined.

The original name, Ten Thousand Pound Pilsner, didn’t exactly scream "light and crisp" (my bad).

The original can design features stunning artwork by Kyle Bridgett, but it gave off bold and heavy vibes (again, my bad).

Fast forward to 2024, after a refresh: we sold out of stock in our first week.

Slow, thoughtful iterations to packaging design based on candid feedback are essential steps in the creative process.

Get it right, and you might just go from flat sales to stocked-out shelves.

Get it wrong, and you might end up with 100% orange juice on your face.