Introduction

Every successful product eventually faces the same question: is it time to change the packaging? Shelves change, competitors launch new designs, regulations are updated and customers’ expectations move on. Packaging that looked modern ten years ago can start to look tired, cluttered or out of step with the brand.

But redesigning packaging carries real risk. Loyal customers find products by recognising them, often in a split second, without reading the label. Change the wrong things and those customers may walk past the product they have bought for years. Some of the world’s best-known brands have learned this the hard way.

This article explains how Dsigngo Group approaches packaging redesign: how to decide whether a redesign is needed, how to protect what customers recognise, how to use the opportunity to fix regulatory and practical problems, and how to manage the switch from old packs to new ones.

Why packaging matters so much

Packaging is often the only advertising a product receives at the moment of purchase. In research by Ipsos for the Paper and Packaging Board, 72% of consumers said packaging design plays a significant role in their purchase decisions, and 67% said the packaging material influences their choice.

Packaging also works hard after purchase. It sits in kitchens, bathrooms, offices and shops, reminding customers of the brand every time they use the product. A well-designed pack builds memory and loyalty long after the first sale.

In both of our main markets, the competition on shelf is intense. In the UAE, NielsenIQ reported that the FMCG market grew by 6.8% in value in 2025, with volumes up 4.9%, and Worldpanel has reported that shoppers are moving towards smaller packs, more frequent trips and value-led channels. In Sri Lanka, organised retail is growing, and modern supermarkets account for an estimated 30% to 35% of FMCG trade in metropolitan areas. Packaging that cannot compete in these environments loses sales quietly, one shopper at a time.

Signs that your packaging may need a redesign

A redesign should be a response to a real problem or opportunity, not just a desire for something new. Common signs include:

• Sales are flat or falling, while competitors with newer packaging are growing.
• Retail buyers or distributors comment that the packaging looks dated.
• Shoppers struggle to tell your variants or flavours apart.
• The pack does not communicate key benefits, such as natural ingredients, origin or quality.
• The brand has changed, but the packaging still reflects the old positioning.
• Labelling regulations have changed, or you are entering a market with different rules.
• The product range has grown, and packs no longer look like one family.
• The packaging material is expensive, hard to source, damages easily or is difficult to recycle.
• The pack performs poorly online, where it appears as a small thumbnail image.

If several of these apply, a redesign is likely to be worthwhile.

The risk of changing too much

Customers recognise products through distinctive features: a particular colour, shape, symbol, character or layout. Researchers at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute call these distinctive brand assets. Over years, they become mental shortcuts that let shoppers find a brand quickly among dozens of competitors.

When a redesign removes or changes these assets too dramatically, loyal customers can lose their shortcut. One widely reported example is a major orange juice brand in the United States whose 2009 packaging redesign replaced its familiar image of an orange with a straw. Industry reports at the time described a sharp fall in sales within weeks, and the company returned to the original design within two months.

The lesson is not that packaging should never change. It is that change must be planned around what customers actually recognise.

Evolution or revolution?

Packaging redesigns sit on a spectrum.

• Evolution. Small, careful improvements that keep the main recognisable features. Typography is updated, clutter is removed, information is reorganised, and colours are refined. Most loyal customers notice that the pack looks better but still recognise it instantly.
• Revolution. A completely new look, often linked to a repositioning, a new brand identity, a move into new markets or a struggling product that needs a fresh start.

Most established products benefit from evolution. Revolution can be the right choice when a product has weak recognition, when the brand is being repositioned or when the existing design is actively harming sales. The decision should be based on evidence, not taste.

Our packaging redesign process

Step 1: Audit the current packaging

We start by understanding the current packs in detail:

• Which elements do customers recognise and value?
• What information is on the pack, and is it all necessary?
• How does the pack look on shelf, from two metres away and from close up?
• How does it look as an online thumbnail?
• Is all mandatory information present and correct for each market?
• Are there production problems, such as colour inconsistency, damage or high costs?

Step 2: Understand shoppers and the shelf

Next, we study how the product is actually bought. This can include store visits to photograph shelves, observing how shoppers choose, and short interviews with customers and retail staff. We also review competitors’ packaging and note the conventions of the category, such as colours commonly used for certain flavours.

A simple but powerful test is to ask loyal customers to describe or sketch the product from memory. What they remember is what must be protected.

Step 3: Define what stays and what changes

Based on the audit and research, we agree three lists with the client:

• Keep. The distinctive assets customers rely on, such as the main brand colour, the logo or a signature shape.
• Improve. Elements that are useful but poorly executed, such as product names, flavour cues or photography.
• Remove or replace. Clutter, outdated claims, weak images and anything that confuses shoppers.

This framework protects recognition while making room for real improvement.

Step 4: Design and develop options

Our designers develop options, usually ranging from a light refresh to a bolder evolution. Each option is shown on the actual pack shape, in a realistic shelf setting alongside competitors and in an online thumbnail. Where products are sold in several sizes or variants, we show the whole range together.

Step 5: Test with real people

Before committing, we test the leading options. Testing can be simple and affordable:

• Shelf findability tests, where shoppers are asked to find the product on a mock-up shelf.
• Preference and understanding tests, asking which design communicates the product and benefits better.
• Recognition tests with loyal customers, checking that they still identify the product.
• Online tests showing the new pack as a small product image.

Step 6: Check regulations and technical details

A redesign is a good moment to make sure every label meets current regulations. In Sri Lanka, the Food (Labelling and Advertising) Regulations 2022 replaced the 2005 regulations, and sugar levels in liquid foods must be shown using a colour-coded label under separate regulations. Labels must also carry certain information in Sinhala, Tamil and English. In the UAE, food labels must be in Arabic, or Arabic and English, under labelling standards based on GSO 9. Rules change and implementation dates have been extended, so current requirements must be confirmed for each product.

Technical checks include dieline fit, barcode placement and quality, colour accuracy on the chosen material and finishes. Our article on packaging quality control explains these checks in detail.

Step 7: Plan the transition

How the new design reaches the market matters as much as the design itself. A transition plan covers:

• Using up existing stock of packaging to avoid waste.
• Timing the launch to avoid peak selling periods where possible.
• Informing distributors, retailers and sales staff in advance, with images of the new packs.
• Updating product images on websites, online marketplaces and retailer systems.
• Adding a temporary “new look” message, where useful, to reassure loyal customers that the product inside has not changed.
• Updating shelf talkers, point-of-sale materials and advertising.

Step 8: Measure the results

After launch, we track the measures agreed at the start, such as rate of sale, listings, repeat purchases and customer feedback. We compare results with the same period in previous years to account for seasonality. If a variant underperforms, we investigate and adjust.

Using a redesign to improve sustainability

A redesign is an ideal moment to review packaging materials. Options include:

• Reducing unnecessary layers, such as an outer carton around a pouch.
• Moving to materials that are easier to recycle locally.
• Right-sizing packs to reduce empty space and transport costs.
• Using certified paper-based materials where suitable.

Any change must still protect the product. Tea, coffee, spices and nuts, for example, need strong barriers against moisture, light and oxygen. A pack that saves material but lets the product spoil wastes far more.

Using a redesign to fix range architecture

Many brands grow one product at a time, and their range ends up looking like a collection of unrelated designs. A redesign can introduce a clear system:

• A consistent brand block that appears in the same position on every pack.
• A colour or pattern system to separate variants or flavours.
• A clear hierarchy of information: brand, product, variant, benefit and size.
• Templates that make it quick and cheap to add new products later.

A well-organised range looks bigger and more confident on shelf, and makes it easier for shoppers to try other products in the family.

Designing for online shelves

More products are now discovered and bought online, through supermarket websites, delivery apps and marketplaces. Online, a pack is often seen as an image only a few centimetres wide. A redesign should check that:

• The brand and product name are readable at thumbnail size.
• The product type is obvious without reading small text.
• Variants can be told apart at a glance.
• High-quality product photographs and rendered images are available for retailers.

Packaging redesign for the group’s own brands

Dsigngo Group manages its own product brands, including Raiden Tea, Raiden Coffee and Udari Nuts & Spices. These products face the same challenges as our clients’ products: protecting freshness, standing out among strong competitors and meeting labelling rules in more than one market. Lessons from our own brands, about what shoppers notice and what they ignore, inform the advice we give clients.

An illustrative example

Here is an illustrative example of a packaging redesign. It does not describe a specific client.

A Sri Lankan biscuit brand has sold well in local shops for many years, but struggles to win space in supermarkets and in the UAE.

• Audit. The pack has six different typefaces, small product photos and no clear flavour system. All flavours share the same red background, so shoppers confuse them.
• Research. Loyal customers recall the red colour and the brand’s mascot more than anything else.
• Keep, improve, remove. The red brand block and mascot are kept. Product photography and flavour names are improved. Excess claims and decorative borders are removed.
• Design. A new system keeps red as the brand block but gives each flavour its own accent colour. Arabic and English versions are created for the UAE.
• Testing. Loyal customers still recognise the product, and new shoppers find specific flavours faster on a mock-up shelf.
• Transition. Old stock is used up, retailers receive images in advance, and a “same great taste, new look” flash runs for three months.

Working with retailers and distributors

Retailers and distributors are partners in a redesign, not just recipients of new stock. Involving them early can turn a packaging change into an opportunity.

• Share the reasons for the redesign and the evidence behind it.
• Show the new packs in advance, ideally as printed samples.
• Ask buyers for feedback on shelf presentation and case sizes.
• Confirm any changes to barcodes, pack sizes or case quantities well before delivery.
• Use the launch to request better shelf positions, displays or promotions.

Buyers are more willing to support a brand that plans changes professionally and explains how the new packaging will help sell more product.

Budgeting for a packaging redesign

The cost of a redesign has several parts, and planning for all of them avoids surprises:

• Research and testing, from simple shopper interviews to larger shelf tests.
• Design and artwork for each product and size.
• Translation and regulatory checks for each market.
• New printing plates, cutting dies and colour proofs.
• Physical samples and mock-ups.
• Updated photography and product images for online stores.
• Point-of-sale materials and launch communication.

The largest hidden cost is often wasted stock of old packaging. A good transition plan reduces that cost by timing the switch carefully.

Common packaging redesign mistakes

• Changing the distinctive assets loyal customers rely on.
• Designing on screen only, without testing on real materials and real shelves.
• Adding more information instead of prioritising it.
• Ignoring how the pack looks online.
• Forgetting to update regulatory information.
• Switching packs without warning distributors and retailers.
• Judging success too soon, before shoppers have adjusted.

Frequently asked questions

How often should packaging be redesigned?

There is no fixed rule. Many brands make small evolutionary updates every few years and larger changes less often. The right time depends on sales performance, competition, regulations and brand changes.

Do we need to change our barcodes?

Not usually. If the product, its size and its contents stay the same, the existing GS1 barcode number can normally be kept. A new barcode is needed when the product or pack size changes. Check the current GS1 rules for your situation.

Will a redesign increase our sales?

A well-planned redesign can improve visibility, understanding and appeal, but it is not guaranteed to increase sales on its own. Price, distribution and product quality matter too. That is why we agree measures and track them after launch.

Can you redesign packaging for export markets?

Yes. We can adapt packaging for different markets, including bilingual Arabic and English labels for the UAE, while keeping the brand recognisable.

Do you handle printing as well as design?

Yes. Packaging design and print is one of Dsigngo Group’s in-house services, so the design and production teams work together from the start.

Should we change the product and the packaging at the same time?

It can work, but it makes results harder to read and increases risk. If the recipe or formula changes as well, clear communication on pack becomes even more important, and testing should cover both.

How long does a packaging redesign take?

Timelines depend on the number of products, the amount of research and testing, and regulatory checks. A small range may take a few weeks, while a large multi-market range can take several months.

Conclusion

Packaging redesign is one of the most powerful tools a brand has, and one of the riskiest. The best redesigns protect what loyal customers recognise, fix what is not working, meet current regulations and arrive on shelf with a careful transition plan.

Dsigngo Group’s approach combines research, design, testing, regulatory checks and production expertise, so brands can look fresher without losing the customers who made them successful.

Thinking about refreshing your packaging? Ask us for a packaging audit.

Request a Packaging Audit

Sources

• Ipsos for the Paper and Packaging Board, consumer survey on packaging, as reported by Packaging Gateway.
• NielsenIQ, UAE FMCG growth in 2025, as reported by Communicate Online; Worldpanel by Numerator, UAE shopper trends.
• Supermarket News, organised retail share of FMCG trade in metropolitan Sri Lanka.
• Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, research on distinctive brand assets (Jenni Romaniuk, Building Distinctive Brand Assets).
• Industry reporting on the 2009 orange juice packaging redesign in the United States.
• Sri Lanka Food (Labelling and Advertising) Regulations 2022 and sugar colour-coding regulations; GSO 9 and UAE labelling requirements.