Packaging Analysis

WEEK 1-WEEK4

Wu Ziyang /0368325

Packaging and design merchandising design

Exercise / Packaging Analysis

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Instruction

Exercise / Case Study

Timeframe: Week 1 - Week 4

Description: Exercise - Packaging Design Analysis (20 marks) (1 product a week)

Overview: Choose 4 products in the market that you believe have poor packaging design. Ensure the product is readily available for purchase.
Product Analysis: Conduct a thorough analysis of the existing packaging design. Identify the specific shortcomings and challenges in the current packaging. Consider factors such as functionality, aesthetics, sustainability, target audience and branding.
Market Research: Investigate the target market for each product and assess how the current packaging aligns with the expectations and preferences of the target audience.
Competitor Analysis: Research and analyse the packaging designs of competing products in the same category. Identify trends and best practices in packaging design within this product category.

Week 1

fig 1.1 mister potato's Packaging  (26/4/2025)

Product Analysis: Mister Potato is a popular local potato chip brand in Malaysia. Everyone knows its iconic mascot, "Mr. Bearded Potato," which has really made a place in people's hearts. The chips come in these cylindrical paper cans that look pretty cool and seem to compete with big international brands like Pringles. 

First，the structure of those paper jars. They’re made from thin cardboard instead of moisture-proof materials. Given Malaysia's hot, humid weather and rainy days, this kind of packaging can easily get damp and lose its shape. When the paper can gets wet, it not only looks bad but also makes the potato chips inside go soft and lose their crunch—definitely ruining the taste experience! 

Next up is the sealing design—it’s pretty basic. Once you pop it open, there's just a regular plastic cover on top that doesn’t do much to keep air or moisture out. This means your chips can quickly become soggy and stale! Plus, once you’ve opened it up, you often have to hunt for another container to store any leftover chips—which totally defeats the whole idea of “grab-and-go” snacks.

Market research

The main target consumers of Mister Potato include students, office workers, users of family dinners and those in need of gift-giving during festivals. These consumers generally pay attention to the convenience, taste and cost performance of the products. In the fast-paced life, people expect potato chips to be opened and sealed at any time. They can be enjoyed as a private snack or shared among multiple people.

Competitor Analysis

The international brand Pringles is one of the biggest competitors of Mister Potato. Its packaging is more mature in terms of moisture-proof and repeated sealing design - the plastic sealing lid is thicker, and the can body is made of composite materials, with stronger protection and storage capacity.

Local competing brands such as Jacker and Wise Cottage Fries have also been actively improving their packaging strategies. Jacker also adopts a cylindrical design, but some series have added aluminum foil sealing film to enhance the preservation effect. Wise uses a soft-bag aluminum film bag with an easy-to-tear opening and a sealing sticker, which is more suitable for repeated consumption and small capacity carrying.

371words

Week 2

fig 1.2 farm fresh's Packaging  (26/4/2025)

Product packaging Analysis

Farm Fresh is a local fresh milk brand that has risen rapidly in Malaysia in recent years and is widely popular for its healthy image of being "natural, additive-free and from farm". However, its classic small-bottle fresh milk still has many problems in packaging design.

The first issue is the design of the bottle cap. The small bottle milk of Farm Fresh uses a rotary plastic bottle cap. However, in multiple consumer feedback, it was found that this bottle cap is prone to problems such as being difficult to unscrew, leakage or poor sealing. Especially after refrigeration, it is prone to slipping due to water accumulation at the bottle mouth, affecting the experience of opening the cap. For children or elderly people with weak hand strength, this kind of bottle cap is not very humanized.

Secondly, the bottle labels use plastic stickers and are prone to falling off or blurring after refrigeration, making product information (such as expiration date and nutritional components) difficult to identify. Although the packaging emphasizes the natural concept of "Farm to Table", the overall images and color schemes are somewhat plain, which does not quite match the current market trend of pursuing visual impact and brand recognition. Furthermore, the packaging lacks environmental protection attributes. Although Farm Fresh promotes its natural and sustainable concepts, the small bottles are made of hard plastic and are mostly discarded after use, lacking a recycling mechanism or environmental protection tips

Market research

The main consumer groups of Farm Fresh are urban middle-class families, fitness enthusiasts, young people who care about a healthy lifestyle, and school breakfast delivery systems. This group generally has a high level of environmental awareness, pays attention to the source of ingredients, and hopes that the packaging of beverages can be both convenient and environmentally friendly, and is suitable for showcasing lifestyle on social media

Competitor Analysis

The main competing brands of Farm Fresh in Malaysia include Dutch Lady, Goodday Milk, as well as imported brands such as Devondale and Anchor. The packaging designs of these brands are more mature:

The small bottle milk of Dutch Lady adopts an easy-to-open bottle cap and is accompanied by visually clear icon instructions. The bottle label is not easy to fade.

Anchor has launched a small Tetra Pak paper box packaging for child users. It is not only convenient to carry but also has interesting patterns to enhance its appeal.

Devondale uses recyclable paper boxes for packaging in terms of environmental protection, marking its carbon footprint and winning the favor of the eco-friendly consumer group.

427words

Week 3

fig 1.3  beryl's Packaging  (26/4/2025)

Product packaging Analysis

Beryl's box-packed chocolates are one of its common products, especially widely sold in airports, souvenir shops and chain supermarkets, such as the classic tiramisu chocolate and milk almond chocolate. This type of paper box is easy to stack and carry in appearance and is often given as a souvenir. However, there is still room for improvement in its packaging design in many aspects.

First of all, the visual style is conservative and lacks brand personality. The paper box packaging of Beryl's usually features deep brown, Burgundy or gold as the main tones, complemented by traditional fonts and realistic chocolate pictures, giving an overall impression of "old-school" style. Although stable, it lacks visual innovation and fails to reflect the brand's characteristics. The image on the front of the packaging is similar to that of many chocolate products on the market, which is likely to be "drowned out" on the shelves and fail to attract consumers who browse quickly.

Secondly, the brand logo is not prominent. Although the Beryl's logo is located in the upper left corner of the packaging, the font size is relatively small and the font is thin, lacking distinctiveness and easily being overlooked by consumers. Many consumers only remember the product as "Tiramisu chocolate", but fail to form the brand association of "Beryl's = local high-quality chocolate", making it difficult to enhance brand awareness.

Market research

Beryl's in paper boxes is mainly targeted at gift-giving groups (especially tourists), family users who value cost performance, and bulk buyers during festivals. Especially in the tourism market, this kind of packaging is often sold as a "Malaysian specialty". However, the current packaging lacks sufficient strength in reflecting "local characteristics" and "brand uniqueness", and is short of memorable cultural visual symbols

Competitor Analysis:

In the carton chocolate market, Beryl's is facing fierce competition from local brands such as Vochelle as well as international brands such as Lindt, Fazer and Toblerone. In recent years, Vochelle has boldly innovated in its packaging, adopting bright colors and modern patterns, which is more in line with the younger consumer group. While imported brands such as Lindt and Fazer enhance the overall texture through exquisite structures (such as inner tray design and beveled box opening) and gift-like packaging. Toblerone stands out visually with its signature triangular packaging. These brands are generally superior to Beryl's in terms of design aesthetics, functionality and brand recognition, demonstrating the current trend of chocolate packaging towards personalization, high-end and experiential development.

421words

Week 4

Product packaging Analysis

The packaging of Pocky's pink strawberry-flavored model mainly consists of a paper box and an aluminum film bag. The overall design is fresh and cute, with a pink tone that easily catches the eyes of young women. The outer packaging pattern is simple and can clearly convey the product taste and brand image, making it easy to identify and display. However, during the usage process, it can be found that once the inner bag is opened, the product is prone to moisture, and the packaging does not have the function of repeated sealing. Furthermore, multi-layer packaging is not very environmentally friendly either. Against the backdrop of the current rising environmental awareness, this might become an aspect of concern for users.

Market research

From a market perspective, the target group of this product is mainly teenagers and young women. They usually have a sweet taste and are willing to pay for snacks with good packaging. The pink version of Pocky is quite in line with the aesthetic preferences and usage scenarios of such consumers in terms of color selection and style positioning, such as friends' gatherings and sharing of snacks. However, nowadays consumers are increasingly valuing personalization and creative design. But this packaging has not changed significantly for many years and lacks novelty. Its appeal to old users may be weakening.

Competitor Analysis:

Compared with other similar products, such as some strawberry-flavored snacks from Pepero and Meiji, they will release holiday-limited packaging or co-branded items from time to time. The designs are more lively and interesting, and the interactivity is also stronger. These practices not only enhance the product's recognition but also increase users' motivation to share and purchase. Although Pocky is a classic brand, if it wants to maintain its competitive edge, it might consider being bolder in packaging design, such as incorporating interactive elements, festival-limited styles, or experimenting with eco-friendly materials to meet consumers' more diverse expectations.