How to Make Your Packaging Retail-Ready: A Tactical Guide for Consumer Startups

Getting your product onto retail shelves is as much about eye-catching design as it is about functionality and sustainability. We spoke to Jenna Ward, Head of Strategic Brand Partnerships at Boots about how new brands should approach packaging design from the very start, to ensure they are retail-ready. As a startup accelerator, we have seen all too often founders thinking about packaging far too late, so here are Jenna’s hands-on tips to ensure your packaging stands out and meets retailer standards.

1. Packaging Purpose: Prioritise Protection Without Overdoing It

• Evaluate Protection Needs: The primary purpose of packaging is to protect your product, so start with this question: how much protection does your product truly need? For example, avoid unnecessary boxes if a sturdy jar or tube provides enough protection.
• Avoid ‘Double Packaging’: Some products use a sturdy primary package (like a tube or jar) only to add an outer box that doesn’t add value. This ‘double packaging’ increases costs and often goes unnoticed by consumers.
• Cost vs. Brand Perception: For brands aiming for a premium image, a secondary carton might add perceived value, but make it worth it! For example, luxury products at higher price points often come in elegant boxes with visual flair, which customers have come to expect.

2. Material Choices: Align with Sustainability and Brand Story

• Sustainable Packaging Matters: Eco-conscious consumers prefer brands that use sustainable materials. If using plastic, opt for PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic instead of virgin plastic. In fact, brands like Boots require at least 30% recycled content in their packaging, with many brands going as high as 70%.
• Think of the Full Life Cycle: Beyond just picking recycled or recyclable materials, think about transport and disposal. For instance, while glass might appear premium, it’s heavier to ship and can be a sustainability pitfall if it isn’t sourced locally.
• Misleading ‘Natural’ Choices: Materials like wood may seem eco-friendly but often require chemical treatments to withstand shipping. Similarly, bamboo and other ‘natural’ materials may require thorough sourcing checks to avoid greenwashing pitfalls.

3. Stand Out on the Shelf: Semiotics and Design

• Use Category-Specific Cues (Semiotics): Each product category has cues customers recognise instinctively. For example, metallic accents in anti-aging products signal premium quality. Embrace these cues—or break them strategically. There has been a rise, for instance, of new beauty brands that broke conventions with playful packaging, using bright colours and unusual shapes that created a youthful, disruptive look.
• Make It Photo-Ready: Place your design against competitors to see if it stands out. When designing for impact, use vibrant colours, bold logos, and unique shapes that will “pop” even on a screen. Remember, if your brand is targeting social-first consumers, consider how it will look on Instagram or TikTok.
• Create a Shelf Mock-Up: Before committing to production, print mock-ups and place them on shelves among competitors. This can reveal unexpected issues, like hard-to-read fonts or blending in with similar products. A standout design in isolation might look completely different when surrounded by other products.

4. Shelf Compatibility: Size, Shape, and Visibility

• Compact Over Bulky: For retailers, it’s all about real estate. If your product is too bulky or takes up too much shelf space, it risks being rejected or only stocked in larger stores. To fit as many products as possible, retailers prefer slim and tall shapes over unnecessarily wide or triangular designs, which can waste shelf space.
• Shape Considerations: A large triangular pack might seem unique, but it’s often impractical. For example, Boots has rejected triangle-shaped packs in favour of slender, column-shaped designs that fit more efficiently on the shelf.
• Plan for Shelf Visibility: Avoid placing important information at the very bottom of the package, where it could be hidden by a shelf lip. Place key claims and branding higher up, so they’re visible at a glance. As Jenna mentioned, most customers decide within three seconds whether to engage with a product on a crowded retail shelf.

5. Design for Digital Appeal: Social Media is the New Shelf

• Create a Shareable Experience: Packaging should excite customers to share their purchase. This means choosing elements that look fantastic in an unboxing video—bold, memorable colours, clear brand icons, or unique textures. Some brands we’ve worked with have had cartons, for instance, that became sought-after items themselves, used as backdrops for social media photos.
• High-Impact Branding for Online: Online, especially in beauty, the brand with the most visual impact wins. Tactile elements that look interesting on-screen—like glossy textures, embossed designs, or even bright colours that pop on TikTok—can help get your product in more shopping carts.
• Press-Ready Packaging: If your brand is targeting influencers or press, a press-ready box design with cut-outs or unique compartments can help your product stand out. Think through how the unboxing will look on social media.

6. Brand Message Clarity: Hierarchies, Fonts, and Colour Psychology

• Message Hierarchy is Key: In a quick retail setting, customers scan from left to right and top to bottom. Your brand name, core benefit, and any hero claim should follow this natural flow, making it easy to grasp your product’s key selling points instantly.
• Readable Fonts Matter: Fonts that look nice on a screen might be hard to read on physical packaging. Consider what the font says about your brand—classic fonts can look trustworthy but dated, while clean, modern fonts signal innovation. Avoid excessive use of capitals, which can appear shouty, and make sure to pick a font size that’s easy to read even at a quick glance.
• Strategic Colour Choices: Colours evoke strong emotions, so choose them wisely. Soft colours work well for baby products, while vibrant colours convey energy and excitement. Avoid polarising colours like purple or green, which often underperform in beauty categories unless they’re linked to eco-products. Test colours under different lighting, as some, like metallics or neon inks, may look amazing on a screen but can be unreadable or fade under harsh store lights.

7. Practical Design: Plan for the Retail Environment

• Durability and Finish: Finishes like soft-touch can attract dust and fingerprints, and some metallics reflect harsh store lights, making text hard to read. Test your design in a real retail environment to ensure it holds up under actual store lighting.
• Small-Batch Test Runs: Before committing to a large run, try a small batch in select stores or through a pop-up to gather feedback. This is an excellent way to test how the design performs in real conditions without a significant upfront investment.

8. Learn from Competitors Across All Categories

• Broad Competitor Research: Don’t limit yourself to similar products or even your direct competitors. There’s value in researching both high-end and budget brands across categories for inspiration. For instance, some of the best ideas in sustainable packaging may come from FMCG or even children’s toys.
• Non-Traditional Inspiration: From unique tin designs to the inventive shapes of seasonal packaging, looking outside your product type can reveal valuable design insights.

If you are keen to hear about how you can build your startup into a successful business, pop along to our programmes page and explore our upcoming startup accelerator programmes. If you are a corporate looking to find ways for your corporate to work with smaller, more agile players, simply get in touch for a quick chat.