It has been said that every year, at least 90 percent of new products on the market fail. Apparently, the reason for this is simple: most of these products fail to meet customers’ expectations on the account that intended consumers do not have the time and /or energy to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of the products in their shopping carts.

So they use a shortcut to make their decision. That shortcut is the way in which a product is packaged and presented. Sounds familiar?

For a while now, I have been meaning to write about the urgent need for Rwandan producers to rethink the way in which they package most of their locally produced products, and also urge those with any ambitions or intentions of breaking into markets beyond our own to improve on the way they package and present their products.

Hence, today, I intend to insist that good packaging is a basic prerequisite of a good product, and the sooner local producers comprehend this aspect, the better for all of us.

Recently as I was about to conclude my visit to Rwanda, like many, I felt the need to purchase some of the products that are produced in Rwanda. I intended to take them with me to the UK and share them among my friends and colleagues, but also keep some for myself.

 So, off I went to a nearby supermarket.

There, I had at least one product in mind; Agashya, sirop de maracuja, after all, I was already a big fan. So, I proceeded to the shelf and picked up half a dozen.

However, as I gently placed each bottle in my basket, I could not help but be taken aback by the packaging; the bottle looked unnecessarily cheap as if the company that produced it had only been in business for just a month.

The second aspect was that the bottles were a little sticky at the top, I suppose due to hot temperatures which regularly compromise the state of diluted drinks as they tend to inflate bottles. So the poor packaging did little to stop this from happening.

In essence, all the bottles were a little flimsy and I honestly could not foresee myself either taking them beyond the parameters of my kitchen to serve any of my prospective guests, or sharing the bottles with my non-Rwandan friends.

Is this the best your country can do? - is the question I envisaged being asked by those we intend to target for our exports. But my frustration and disappointment was not necessarily with the packaging.

I can get used to that. My frustration was that I knew the Agashya concentrated syrup is an excellent product only if you ignore the packaging. But, how do you get someone who has never heard of it to buy into the fact that it is an exquisite drink?

How do you bypass the poor packaging? The answer is simple. You improve the packaging to do justice to the product.

Those in marketing and product development understand my concerns and in many ways will insist that I have a valid point. You see, packaging of a product is powerful because in less than five seconds, it tells a would-be customer why your product and brand are different from the rest on the market.

A prime example commonly used to this end is Apple Inc. In almost every case, an Apple product is guaranteed to look exceptional, presentable, clean, elegant and fantastically packaged with minimal fuss.

To Apple, how their product is packaged will in most cases attract the consumer to take a look at the product as it sits on store shelves. And if the price tag is no hindrance, most of their products sell for one reason; quality – and there is no better way of showcasing a product’s quality than in how the product is designed to appear to a customer.

For this reason, many companies conduct extensive research on colour schemes, designs, and types of product packaging that are most appealing to their intended consumers.

It also goes without saying that good packaging is especially significant for growing companies because it can have a direct impact on sales and a company’s overall appeal. Take Inyange Industries for example.

This company has been exemplary when it comes to how products should be packaged. This has been the case with the company’s water products, juice products, daily products, and milk products. 

It is understandable that some will argue that the sole purpose of product packaging is to protect the product from damage during transit from the producer to the retailer.

But what is even more critical to both the producer and retailer is the product’s transit from the retailer to the consumer. This is where the product’s reputation is made or broken. And it all begins with packaging.

Likewise, producers should always bear in mind that packaging provides an opportunity to promote the company’s appeal. The way the product is presented can help to sell the product because it allows potential customers to obtain the necessary information they need to make a purchase decision, and to gain the confidence to be associated with a certain product.

It is possible to start with the basics. Companies can make affordable packaging look decent because good packaging does not have to be expensive; it just has to be presentable. If you are in the food business, ask yourself; would I bring out this bottle to serve an esteemed guest in my own home? Would this bottle be on the table at a wedding, for instance? If the answer is no to both questions, why then would you expect your customers to compromise?

As can be seen, nearly all companies want to achieve the instantly recognisable status of Apple and other similarly successful companies. This ambition starts with a product’s quality which in most cases is portrayed through its packaging. As a producer, you have to ask yourself; how can I make my product stand out from the rest?  

More crucially, producers in Rwanda always have to remember one thing; your product’s packaging is meant to communicate a purpose. Do not miss the opportunity to create a lasting impression in the minds of your customers.

junior.mutabazi@yahoo.co.uk