Top 10 Packaging Design Mistakes FMCG Brands Make
In the fast-paced world of FMCG, packaging is more than just a protective layer. It’s your brand’s silent salesman, the first point of contact, and a powerful differentiator on a crowded shelf. Much like UI UX design services shape seamless digital experiences, effective packaging design shapes the physical user journey – influencing perception, usability, and purchase decisions within seconds.
- Ignoring the Target Audience
Packaging is just as important as the product when it comes to creating for the target audience. If you ignore the target audience, it can lead to your brand being overlooked, causing you to lose both attention and revenue.
You must use research as your internal compass. Conduct A/B testing, collect in-store shopper feedback, and analyze which packaging styles perform well. The same principle applies to website design, where layout, visuals, and user journeys must align with consumer behaviour and brand positioning. Only resort to trends when you’ve filtered them through data-driven insights and a clear understanding of your audience.
For example, when we designed packaging for Urban Monk, we ensured that it reached out to the right target audience. That reflected in the funky, colourful brand design. We took inspiration from neon signs, dusk skies, and textured urban landscapes. The result? Urban Monk stands out not just as a craft beer but as a bold expression of balance, where street meets soul and design meets desire.
- Confusing Designs That Are Too Similar To The Rest
Clutter isn’t attractive anywhere you put it, and why should your packaging design be any different? Some brands lose out when they create designs on their packaging that are almost indistinguishable from their competitors. That creates poor shelf visibility. It’s also bad for mobile app design if the designs are too cluttered and difficult to see.
Ensure your brand has packaging that communications the USP of your product. It should tell the consumer from the very first sight what the product is about. That will help you differentiate yourself from a cluttered industry like FMCG.
- Insufficient Product Packaging
Good quality packaging is the most basic aspect of packaging yet some brands have poor packaging. Packaging that is too thin, or poor sealing, can ruin your product before it even hits the shelves. Your customers will be disappointed by poor packaging quality. This will lead to increased costs and customer dissatisfaction.
Make sure you are working with a trustworthy packaging company. One who commits to quality and provides you with top notch packaging that will thoroughly protect your product. Anything else would be doing a disservice to your product.
- Unclear or Non-Compliant Labelling
Consumers want honest labelling that includes mentioning allergens, or any important certification for their FMCG goods. Additionally there are certain certifications that are essential to get, and failure to do so can lead to fines or even product recall.
If you’ve done your due diligence and have all the necessary certifications, ensure that it is mentioned on your packaging. This can include ‘GMO’ labelling, country of origin, expiration dates, bar codes, and more.
- Poor Usability or Functionality
If a package is tough to open or hard to reseal it creates a poor user experience. It is difficult, inconvenient, or frustrating for consumers to use. This can include packaging that is difficult to open, has poor resealability, instability or leakage and weak sealing. That in turn dissuades customers from buying your product a second time.
Packaging should be easy to use as well as attractive to the eye. Make sure that the design is easy to understand, is ergonomic, has convenient dispensing, and has just the right amount of packaging material.
- Over Complicated Packaging
Packaging can be overcomplicated too. Too much material, excessive design elements, or complex mechanisms are major turn offs. In FMCG, customers expect instant access so it’s important for them to have that feature.
Packaging should be simple and easy to work with. It should enhance the customer’s overall user experience.
- Neglecting Visual Brand Consistency
Every brand has to have a consistent visual brand design to improve brand recall. If the brand looks too disjointed, it leads to poor brand recognition, loss of consumer trust, confusion on the shelf, and a host of other problems. This also affects good visual user experience design and landing page design if the brand doesn’t have a single visual language or style.
It can also lead to a lower perceived value, inefficient marketing spend, and a competitive disadvantage. Imagine how Coca Cola or Nestle maintain a strong brand language across their products.
An example is our work with Nutrico Delight. Beyond packaging, we extended the branding into in-store touchpoints, digital creatives, and social media assets, ensuring cohesive recall at every interaction. The result is a cohesive dairy product branding solution that delivers shelf standout, flavour distinction, and sustained brand recall in a saturated beverage market.
- Overuse Of Excessive Branding
In FMCG packaging, overuse of excessive branding happens when a brand overloads the pack with logos, slogans, badges, claims, taglines, and visual elements – to the point where it becomes cluttered and overwhelming.
This reduces shelf impact, causes confusion, reduces perceived quality, and lowers trust. It also increases the cost of printing and production. It’s better to be clear, focused, and recognisable.
- Failing To Adapt To Consumer Preferences
When FMCG brands don’t adapt to consumer preferences, they risk becoming irrelevant and damaging customer loyalty. This can lead to a decline in sales, loss of relevance, weakened brand loyalty, and a significant competitive disadvantage.
In fast-moving categories like FMCG, packaging must continuously evolve to match changing consumer behaviour. The same applies to ecommerce website design, where user experience, navigation, and visual appeal must align with shifting customer expectations to drive engagement and conversions.
- Skipping the Strategy Phase
Before designing, a brand must understand their position, target audience, and competitors. Packaging must follow a clear plan, not just what looks nice. In FMCG packaging is not just a design exercise – it is a strategic business tool. Without a clear strategy, brands often make reactive, inconsistent, and costly decisions.
There will be no clear positioning, weak shelf impact, inconsistent brand identity and basically every other issue we’ve mentioned above. The strategy phase is crucial to plan what kind of packaging best represents your brand.