It was in mid-December when Cosmetics Design first reported on TricorBraun’s project to improve on current lip care packaging options. At that time, not long after the company’s research was underway, Rachel Murphy, a package designer with TricorBraun was looking forward to the data, telling the press, “we are always enlightened and often surprised by the feedback we receive during these focus groups.”
She went on to explain that “with the results of this type of research in hand, I am able to design more effective solutions that resonate with consumers."
“The research gives meaning and purpose to our designs. Meeting consumer needs rather than designing for the sake of design is always the objective,” she says.
What she wants
TricorBraun set out to determine what sort lip care packaging women find useful and likable attractive. Over the past six months, the company has convened weekly focus groups of tweens, teens, and women between the ages of 11 and 30.
Participants replied to questions and shared insights into what motivates them to buy lip balm, what they think of the packaging, and what they like best about three current container formats—the stick, the traditional jar, the modern jar (think eos)—and about the in-development pop jar from TricorBraun.
Why she buys
Becky Donner, senior vice president of design and engineering at TricorBraun, realizes how relevant packaging is: “With nearly three-quarters of consumer purchase decisions based on packaging, it’s no longer enough to be noticed on the shelf,” she says in a recent press release about the company’s new research findings. She goes on to emphasize that “an understanding of consumer lifestyle and how it drives package functionality and aesthetics is critical to success.”
The data TricorBraun gathered during its many focus groups indicates that packaging that is intuitive to use, visually appealing, and trendy motivates women to buy lip care.
What’s new
The pop jar lip balm container that TricorBraun is developing got good feedback from the groups because it is intuitive to use, easily portable, and simpler to open and close than traditional jars.
After having reviewed the data, Murphy comments in the company’s latest release that. “In this demographic, germ-free application was very important. Consumers make their purchases based on products that work for their personal needs so through package design we need to deliver the best possible user experience. Only then can packaging help build brand loyalty and win on shelf.”