Steven Wozniak and Steve Jobs didn’t know what they had on their hands when they embarked on the adventure of making Apple what it is today. But with guidance and experience the right decisions were made and the company has flourished into an international force to be reckoned with.
This type of story is not uncommon. Even hair salon products can be destined for fame. Take a look at the four S’s, guidelines below that reveal the most effective ways to package and market hair salon products.
Shape: Bottle shapes and styles, you’ve heard of them all. Boston rounds, ovals, industrial rounds, f-styles and countless more. Many hair salon products package for shock value in peculiar shapes, but this attention-gaining technique can be detrimental to overall product performance. Functional choice: Cylinder. The tall and sleek body form allows for easily handling, a high priority for any hair salon product guru.
Squeezability: There are few things as painstakingly frustrating as trying to get the last bit of hair product out of a dense and firm bottle while standing in the shower. It’s even better once the water goes cold. Functional choice: Save your customers from this experience by packaging in LDPE (low density polyethylene), a squeezable and flexible plastic; perfect for hair salon product uses.
Stopper: When it comes to lids, there are dozens of dispensing options, how do you choose the right one? It depends on the product’s purpose. Functional choice: For in home use hair products flip-top and disc-top caps, which can be operated with one hand, are the best closure options. For larger capacity hair salon products, dispensing pumps are conducive to quick and easy product access.
Style: It can be difficult to give an inanimate object style. Start by tapping into the heart of your product and sharing your insights with a designer (CPS Design can help there!). Incorporating the greatness of your product matched with the beauty of the packaging is sure to birth some sort of style. Keep a few guidelines in mind as you build your own product image; audience, content and symbolism.
Functional choice: When creating your product’s style, remember who you are targeting. A thoughtful allegorical motif may not appeal to a grocery store crowd, but might be the perfect fit for an upscale boutique. Make sure the design appeals to the right audience.
Finding the right packaging can be a daunting task. But never fear, the four S’s – shape, squeezability, stopper and style come in handy any time a new hair salon product prepares to hit the shelves.
Hair salon products are packaged in a variety of styles. Read Kayla Holman’s article and learn how to effectively package hair salon products.