Role of Shape in Multisensory Custom Rigid Packaging

According to some prominent brands and rigid box manufacturers USA, the custom rigid packaging's shape falls squarely under the heading of tactile branding. Many packaging experts at the Packaging Republic believe that any packaging box's shape has fundamentally missed the attention even when the consumers always look at the product packaging’s shape before they pick it up. Moreover, human beings are visually dominant creatures. Therefore, the shape of the packaging is likely to have a much more significant impact on the expectations and hence on consumers' subsequent experience than the felt shape of the packaging in their hands. It is not that the packaging's feel is not essential; it most certainly and always is! It is just that the consumers typically see the color and shape of the packaging long before they feel it, and hence those visual cues anchor and dominate the subsequent experience. For those who want to enhance the feel of their packaging, it is better to concentrate on its texture.

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Cross-modal Correspondences for Custom Rigid Boxes

Cross-modal correspondences have been defined as the surprising cross-sensory associations that consumers share between seemingly unrelated dimensions of experience in different sensory modalities. Cross-modal correspondences have recently been established between tastes, flavors, aromas, and polygonal states. Shape properties of the wholesale rigid boxes can also correspond with the taste/flavor of a particular product. Neuroscience-inspired methods could undoubtedly help. Some experts believe that the packaging format can be associated with sweet- or sour-tasting products. Here, of course, one can think about the roundness vs. angularity of the packaging itself and the roundness/angularity of the label/logo or even the typeface. The curvature of the packaging affects the consumer’s ratings of the products. The consumers also associate rounder wholesale rigid boxes with creamier contents. 

Hexagonal Boxes vs. Cuboid

In the last few years, there has undoubtedly been a great deal of innovation in terms of packaging shape. Therefore, it is essential to consider the powerful notion of the “image mold.” This is the name given to the custom rigid packaging shape that has come to be associated in the consumer's mind with a specific class of product and its brand. One of the classic examples is a well-designed hexagonal truffles box presented aside from a cuboid box. The consumers will indeed get attracted to the hexagonal box since it will look more appealing to the eyes and will also create a pricey impression in consumers’ minds. It has been noted that the products which seem pricey or expensive are perceived as high-quality products. Therefore, undoubtedly, your products packaged in unique shaped custom rigid boxes will land right into the shopping cart in no time!

The Bottom Line:

A growing interest has been noticed from marketing experts, packaging designers, and rigid box manufacturers USA wishing to reposition their or their client’s product respectively by “borrowing” the image mold from an already established product in another category. By so doing, the hope is that they can acquire any positive associations that image mold may hold in the minds of their target consumers. For those brands and businesses who do not wish to utilize a preexisting image mold for their product packaging, then what shape of packaging should they use (or introduce)? Here the neuroscience-inspired approach provides insights based on the emerging literature on cross-modal correspondences, which can guide you in designing your custom rigid boxes.