Attracting customers from the shelves: Plastic encourages people to buy

The decision to buy or walk away is made in milliseconds. If you don’t catch the eye as people walk past, you’ll be overlooked. Modern design is rediscovering plastic as a material with which to stage consumer incentives at the point of sale and anchor them in consumers’ minds.

The tactile experience: the subconscious hunting instinct

Choice is largely governed by touch. Brand research calls this ‘neuropackaging’: the targeted activation of the brain through sensory stimuli. Plastic is unbeatable in this respect. It immediately absorbs body heat and allows for organic shapes that mould perfectly to the hand. The US cult brand “Glossier” demonstrates just how precisely this works with its fragrance “Glossier You”. The substantial bottle features an ergonomic cap made of high-quality plastic with a deeply moulded thumb recess. This creates an intuitive urge to grasp it. The packaging then feels so familiar in the hand that the pure sensory experience triggers a desire for the product.

Furthermore, unlike cardboard, plastic retains its shape perfectly in everyday use. It does not bend or tear. This tactile stability conveys to the customer a reassuring sense of uncompromising freshness and safety.

The look: visual magnets

Plastic packaging can breathe new life into even the most everyday sections of the supermarket. The ‘Method’ brand, for example, revolutionised the point of sale for household cleaners: teardrop-shaped, crystal-clear bottles made from 100 per cent recycled material allow the bright colours of the cleaning products to shine through unfiltered. The result is a pop-art visual effect on the shelf. Combined with the ergonomic handle and a perfectly balanced trigger mechanism on the spray head, the product promises ease rather than laborious housework at first glance.

The aesthetic: entering the premium segment

In furniture design, the design icon ‘Kartell’ has already demonstrated just how much aesthetic value lies in plastic as a material. Now this standard is taking the world of packaging by storm through a consistent ‘ultra-clean’ aesthetic. Brands are stripping away everything superfluous: no obtrusive labels, no distracting combinations of materials, no visible technical components. The pure, flawless appearance of the plastic takes centre stage. The packaging thus becomes a minimalist work of art that exudes elegance and high quality.

Texture: Recycled imperfections as a status symbol

Even the sustainability debate is taking on a completely new dimension thanks to bold design. Recycled material no longer hides its origins; it showcases them. The luxury house Chanel deliberately uses recycled, bio-based materials for the caps of its limited editions.

Instead of artificial perfection, the characteristic matt surface of the recycled material is celebrated. At the point of sale, this elegant imperfection acts as a visible certificate of authenticity for environmental awareness in action. It appeals to the visual conscience of the modern premium-level shopper.

The structure: data flows invisibly

To avoid disrupting the aesthetics, the information is moved online. Clever packaging keeps the shelf display uncluttered by outsourcing data via QR codes. The customer scans the bottle and can interactively explore its origin or environmental footprint on their smartphone. App integration, as well as video or gaming elements, are also possible via augmented reality applications.

Today’s packaging design combines function, perception and information into an inseparable whole. Plastic offers the ultimate flexibility for this – and is thus evolving from a traditional protective function into a factor that actively drives sales.