GREAT 104 IDEA: Package Your Products for Success

Provocative or practical, packaging your products well is critical to your success. Without great packaging, the best product in the world is destined to sit on the shelf or arrive in a zillion pieces.

“A product properly packaged is half sold,” said Tara Abraham, one of the nation's leading commercial packaging design experts. Abraham, who began her merchandising career at Bath and Body Works, left her job 15 years ago to open a small “pick and pack” operation.

Today, Accel Inc., based in Lewis Center, Ohio, creates turnkey packaging solutions for big and small companies, including The Limited, Victoria's Secret Beauty, and Bath and Body Works. Accel posted annual revenues in excess of $20 million in 2010. It operates out of a 580,000-square-foot facility. From July to January, during the pre-holiday and busy holiday gift season, the staff expands from 260 to 1,100.

The company's minimum order is usually 5,000 units, but Abraham said if she thinks a new product has promise, she will work with a small business owner on a budget to create the right packaging solution.

“A great package has clean, sleek lines and colors that pop,” said Abraham.

No matter what you sell, the package is the first thing you notice about any product, according to Glenn Tatem, a development engineer. Tatem, who specializes in designing packages for celebrity fragrances, works for The Maesa Group, an award-winning global design firm.

“A package needs to look good and function well,” said Tatem. “You don't want the product breaking or shattering in your purse.”

No matter what you make, the package has to fit the product. For example, if you sell a small, valuable item to a big box store, you'll probably need to protect it with a tough plastic “clam shell” (you know, the frustrating bulletproof package you can only open with a hacksaw when you get home).

Branding experts believe a great package design can set you apart from the competition.

“A good package has to differentiate your company and product from the marketplace, but not be so crazy looking that it turns your customers off,” advises Julia Reich, a graphic designer who works with many small companies, including several wineries in upstate New York.

Reich said winemakers are especially savvy when it comes to great label design. She points to the success of Yellow Tail, an Australian wine known for its bright yellow label.

Her advice: never let a customer walk out the door with a plain bag. “Even if you are on a budget, putting your product in a beautiful bag goes a long way,” said Reich.