Packaging guide
Refresh or redesign: how much should you change packaging that's already on shelf?
For most brands already on shelf, a refresh is the right call, not a full redesign. Here's how to tell which one you actually need.
Three levels of change
If your product is in stores and the packaging feels like it's holding you back, the instinct is to start over. Sometimes that's right. More often, you'd be throwing away the recognition you've already built with repeat buyers.
Think of it as a scale. The further you go, the more you fix, and the more you ask shoppers to relearn.
A tweak is quick but limited. A redesign fixes the most, but it costs the most and resets the recognition you've earned with repeat buyers.
Signs you need a refresh
Shoppers mix up your flavors.
If people grab the wrong one, or ask which is which, your flavor system isn't doing its job.
It reads differently up close than across the aisle.
Packaging that looks great in your hand can disappear from six feet away, which is where shoppers first see it.
Your flavors don't look like one family.
If each one was designed on its own, the lineup won't read as a single brand on shelf.
The most important thing isn't the first thing people read.
If shoppers have to hunt for what the product is, the hierarchy needs work.
A buyer has said something.
When a retail buyer comments on your packaging, it's worth taking seriously before your next review.
Seeing these on your packaging?
Book a callWhat it costs
A refresh usually costs less than a redesign, because it builds on what's already working. Here's how we price our work.
The Shelf Refresh
Starting at $12,000 | 4-6 weeks
The Retail Launch
Starting at $16,000 | 8-10 weeks
The final number depends mostly on how many SKUs you have and how much needs to change. Want a real number for your brand?
Book a call
When a full redesign makes sense
Start over when the brand itself is the problem: the name, the look, or the promise no longer fits the people you're selling to.
It also makes sense when you're moving somewhere very different, like a new category or a much higher price point. If shoppers like what they see and just can't find it or understand it, that's a refresh.
How to decide
One specific thing keeps causing problems?
A tweak may be enough.
Shoppers like it, but miss it or mix it up?
That's a refresh.
The brand no longer fits where you're going?
Time for a redesign.
One honest note
A redesign you didn't need costs you twice: once for the work, and again when repeat buyers walk right past the new look.
Not sure which one you need?
Let's look at your packaging together.
Tell us where your brand is, and we'll tell you honestly whether it needs a tweak, a refresh, or something bigger.
Book a call
