HOW IMPORTANT IS PACKAGING IN CHINA?

In China, the packaging of a product is a very important factor to take into consideration, before exporting any product to the Country, it is necessary to analyze how to present it to the Chinese public and packaging plays a decisive role during the initial phase.

Product packaging in China is the most tangible representation of a brand for customers. Indeed, packaging design has less than 3 seconds to grab the attention of a consumer. Those 3 seconds are extremely important because more than 70% of purchasing decisions are made at the shelf.

The Chinese look at foreign products as if they were all high quality products but that doesn’t mean they don’t need customized packaging adapted to Chinese tastes. The Chinese market is very demanding on this front because it wants to feel special and loves customized products.

In addition, it should be noted that even though young urban consumers are increasingly worldly and better at English, most Chinese do not speak proficient English and therefore an import product needs a Chinese name, a Chinese brand signature and all communication media translated into Chinese. The colors chosen for the packaging must not be left to chance, in fact each color has a precise meaning. In traditional Chinese culture, red is a highly symbolic color, reminiscent of luck and prosperity (which is why it is everywhere during Chinese festivities such as Chinese New Year). Gold is seen as the royal color. Blue is a fairly neutral color, often reminiscent of masculinity. Green is often seen as a negative color because it is associated with infidelity and anger, even if we see more and more vegan or healthy brands opting for green packaging. Finally, as far as black and white are concerned, Chinese standards are quite different. White is seen as the color of purity, simplicity but is also the color of the funeral. Brands must, therefore, be vigilant. As for black, it is a common and neutral color used in everyday life. Note that in the food and beverage shelves, there is almost no black packaging.

Although packaging plays such an important role in China, it has become important not to abuse it in recent years. According to China Consumers Association’s survey results, around 80.7% of the respondents are against overpackaging. Specifically, 88.1% of the respondents would choose simple packaging when purchasing products for themselves. However, 66% of the respondents would feel that receiving overpackaged gifts is a waste of resources. 37% of the respondents said the overall experience is awful because of the huge psychological gap before and after opening the package. Only 25.4% reacted positively to it. Other than feeling misled, many netizens expressed their concerns about the negative impact of the social and natural environment of excessive packaging. Due to the increasing awareness of sustainable consumption in China, experiencing “green guilt” became a common experience among Chinese consumers in recent years. On a national level, waste sorting is probably one of the most eco-friendly movements among Chinese residents. On an individual level, Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly eco-conscious. They are more mindful of the effects of their purchasing decisions and how they go about with their daily lives in general.

However, it may be unpleasant to allow the supplier to take credit for the design of the products, but if you choose the right packaging manufacturer in China by requesting an audit report for example, then there is nothing to worry about.

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