• Cookie packaging that increased sales: Red Velvet packaging.
  • Cookie packaging that increased sales: More Red Velvet packaging.
  • Cookie packaging that increased sales: Handmade Holiday Shortbread.
  • Cookie packaging that increased sales: Shortbread packaging.

CASE STUDY

CLIENTMcTavish Shortbread

MARKETConsumer food product

PROGRAMPackage redesign

It’s a really good cookie.

Great cookie packaging helps these cookies leap off the shelf. Simpler, clearer design entices customers and retail buyers by communicating the cookie's story at a glance.

Business

An Oregon bakery producing handmade shortbread cookies in many flavors, and different sizes and shapes.

Audience

Retail buyers for locations from national grocery store chains to local coffee shops and gift shops. Consumers at point of purchase.

Challenge

Simplify McTavish cookie packaging from tag board wraparound to easy-to-apply and lower-cost labels. Create an image of homemade goodness and show off the cookies. Build “at a glance” recognition for ten individual flavor profiles. In addition, develop seasonal tub designs.

Optimized

2pk crate display.jpgRedesigned the cookie packaging  system from tagboard wrappers that were expensive to produce and assemble (left) to simplified packaging that showed off the cookies and their flavors (below).

Reinvented key messages to emphasize “handmade from Cookie packages.jpgscratch”; created taste appeal by focusing on authentic ingredients and rich flavor descriptions; generated glance-and-grab recognition of flavors to encourage impulse buys. Simplifed printing costs and label application through re-engineering the entire cookie package program.

Components

  • Design system that uses low-cost labels instead of boxes
  • Photography system (stock and custom) to quickly illustrate flavors
  • Descriptive copy for each flavor
  • Production of labels
  • Design and production of unique tub labels and tags for holiday and Red Velvet packaging

Results

Immediate acceptance by buyers in grocery outlets, including one chain that doubled their annual order after seeing the new labels; faster sell-through; compliments from peers; significant increase in sales volume and a higher profit margin; reduced packaging costs from 14 cents a package to less than 1 cent. McTavish recouped their investment in our services in less than a year.

Our sales have increased substantially now that our packaging more closely matches the taste of our delicious cookies.

—Denise Pratt, CEO, McTavish Shortbread
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Work

The payback in design fees with the new packaging was almost immediate. Sales revenue increased 25% and packaging costs decreased 2.8% ... that goes right to the bottom line. The other VERY important aspect is that with your re-design of the old labels we also came up with a completely new label (and product line) that was the catalyst for almost ALL of our increased sales.

Denise Pratt, CEO
McTavish Shortbread