Quite honestly, many specialty food companies test their packaging in the aisle. They go with their gut, create a marketable product, leap into stocking fees and pray that the product sells. Now for a start up that may be a bit insane. Especially with the cost of shelf space, how quickly a store pulls under-performing items, and the sheer volume of competitors these days. But for established companies like Cento, Victoria, World Finer and Pastene, they have learned how to make calculated risks good business. Case studies are fascinating. Especially in packaging. In my recent seminar at the Fancy Food Show I shared the stories behind some of the brands you may already know, analyzed the challenges they faced, discussed the research that was conducted and reviewed the results of their brand packaging strategies. Now I’m not saying with research you can become the next Whole Foods leader. But with research you can make the opportunity to achieve that goal more likely. To that end, here are the seven ways to help evaluate your products branding and packaging: Using all or some of these help us to uncover the “AS IS” – where the brand is at right now. I have used some of these tools more than others due to the often tight budgets of the ethnic and specialty foods industry. But each one is a proven research methods that either myself or my colleagues have managed. 
For example, take Bellino, a line that got lost over years of tweaking by different vendors. Bland photography was used across the entire line and the only consistent identifying thing was the gold background. Testing revealed that consumers thought the product was dated and that the contents weren’t fresh. Which was really a shame, because they imported some of the best quality items I’ve ever tasted. Consumers also couldn’t recall the brand name, even after 10 minutes.
Their packaging strategy included adding a “Product of Italy” phrase across the entire line to justify a higher price point. New product photography was the heart behind this redesign. Food stylists experienced in confectionary items were brought in to add decadence and sophistication to the shots. The old typeface was replaced with a prominent brand logo using a stylized version of the original ribbon. The gold background was maintained and foil stamping and varnishes helped the package shine on the shelf. Sales grew exponentially.
If you would like to learn more about each method, drop me a note or download the presentation outline.
To reduce risk to market, savvy ethnic and specialty food importers need to gain an understanding of the different information gathering tools that are helpful in determining consumer wants, needs and desires to help them develop more effective brand packaging strategies.
please send the presentation about 7 ways to evaluate your product. thanks