Scenarios have been popular in recent years, and everyone knows to use OBPPC for sales, but from first principles, we must return to analyzing user behavior within scenarios. Different jobs-to-be-done represent different consumption motivations and needs, but since scenarios and tasks are hard to describe with limited language, we need to collapse to specific user behaviors: how are users transacting? As I mentioned before, consumer purchase behaviors can be roughly divided into four types: buy, browse, stock up, and follow; these represent immediate, impulsive, planned, and social purchases. Different behaviors involve completely different decision-making mechanisms during the purchase process. Although there is a need for "more, faster, better, cheaper," this need is only the ultimate transaction goal in consumer shopping decisions. When brands interact with consumers through packaging, they must address different purchase behaviors. Different purchase logics require different design patterns in product packaging. For example, in immediate purchase scenarios, the product should focus on communication and informing. Clearly tell the consumer: What is my product? Which brand is it? The goal is to reduce the user's decision time and cost. Packaging should have clear information, highlight product functions, and products should be centrally displayed so that the brand or category can be identified at a glance among the dazzling shelves. Coca-Cola's red and Pepsi's blue are not just for looks; they are for recognition within 0.3 seconds in convenience store coolers. The packaging information hierarchy should also be minimal—category > brand > specification; users won't read your selling point copy. In impulsive purchase scenarios, such as snacks, users typically buy without a clear goal, so to facilitate the transaction, packaging and display should aim to impress the user as much as possible. Product packaging influences users through enticing flavors, cute and interesting designs, creating consumption associations, and ultimately facilitating the transaction. Additionally, there is an unexpressed core: giving oneself a reason to buy. For example, "0 fat" or "high protein" on snack packaging is not really for rational comparison of nutrition labels, but to give impulsive consumption a justifiable excuse: I'm not craving, I'm supplementing protein. In planned purchase scenarios, users have low time cost and are very rational, focusing more on product function, supply, quality-price ratio, and promotions. Rational decisions require persuasive packaging, specifications, and display promotions. When users make planned purchases, they will flip the package to check the ingredient list, origin, and certification marks. Therefore, the completeness of information on the back of the packaging is important, and even the detail page after scanning the QR code is part of the decision chain. Many white-label brands lose to big brands at this stage, not because the product is inferior, but because the information is not reassuring enough. Social purchase scenarios generally refer to live-streaming e-commerce, KOL-recommended content articles, and short videos. This type of purchase is similar to impulsive buying, but the decision is not based on the product's own packaging to persuade the consumer, but rather on the buyer's trust, recognition, and the "influence" of authoritative recommendations, resulting in the transaction. The premise here is that the user first identifies with the recommender, and then makes the purchase. The packaging of such products should focus on corroborating the recommender's reasons, allowing users to verify the expert's views and suggestions during the purchase and experience process, thereby generating secondary identification. A well-executed case is printing the streamer's recommendation directly on the packaging, such as "Li Jiaqi recommends: this ingredient is truly amazing." When the user receives the product, the packaging repeatedly reinforces this trust anchor, reducing cognitive dissonance. Four packaging languages, implementation methods Immediate purchase/Informative packaging: The only goal is to make the user see and understand within 0.3 seconds when their eyes scan the shelf: Who is the brand? What is the product? Method: Place the brand name and category word in the front C-position, use large fonts and short sentences for key information; use "color bands" for colors, arranged in three rows for instant recognition; use "pocket packs/single-grip packs" for specifications, placed at the checkout counter or the first line of sight in the cooler. Metrics: Recognize the brand from 3 meters away, see the category within 1 meter, and read one selling point in hand. Impulsive purchase/Appealing packaging: The core is to first evoke emotion, then explain the rationale. Method: Use one of "appetizing/cute/fun" for the main visual (e.g., enlarged food texture, fun illustrations, co-branded elements); copy uses "feeling words + scenario words" ("crispy to the crunch," "afternoon tea lifesaver"); display uses stack displays, hanging strips, and end caps for "face-to-face" tactics. Metrics: In A/B tests, can consumers generate the "I want it" feeling within 3 seconds, increase dwell time, increase grab-and-go rate, and increase cross-selling opportunities. Planned purchase/Persuasive packaging: When users have sufficient time cost, they need rational evidence and comparison. Method: Provide quantifiable benefits on the front (e.g., "one tablet per wash, 50 washes" as a clear promise); place comparison tables/ingredient lists/target users on the back for easy scanning; use large packages, refill packs, and family packs; display next to "price tags" in the main aisle. Metrics: Can users find all decision information within 30 seconds, and do repurchase rate, average order value, and promotion conversion rate improve? Social purchase/Endorsement packaging: Because users trust the person introducing the product, the packaging is responsible for corroboration and secondary dissemination. Method: Clearly state the recommendation reason on the front (you can appropriately put the streamer/expert's quote, short and screenshot-able); set up credible credentials (source, test report summary, traceability/anti-counterfeiting code, QR code scanning to the same product page); create gift boxes/sets for gifting and unboxing sharing. Metrics: Can users recall the recommendation scenario, and do live-stream conversion, photo-sharing rate, and word-of-mouth secondary dissemination improve? Communication, persuasion, and appeal—these packaging design languages are not only applied across different categories, but also within the same category, different specifications and packaging forms should be designed based on different scenarios. A successful modern brand cannot be satisfied with just one packaging design; it should build a dynamic, scenario-based packaging matrix around users' different "purchase moments," creating a "family-style multi-scenario" approach. The suggestion is: "three constants, one variable" Brand identity, main color, and category word remain unchanged; selling points and visual style can vary by scenario. At the SKU level, it is usually a "four brothers" set:

  • "Instant-understanding" (immediate): shortest copy, largest category word, small size, placed at the front of convenience stores.
  • "Heartbeat" (impulsive): limited-time flavors/co-branding/novel shapes, placed at end caps and stack displays to catch the eye.
  • "Quality-price" (planned): large size + comparison table + strong promotion, stationed in the main aisle.
  • "Recommended" (follow): gift boxes/co-branded commemorative/screenshot-able endorsement sentences + QR code, prioritized for live-streaming and social content. Let's take several categories as examples to see how the same brand can practice this concept:
  1. Coffee
  • Planned purchase (persuasion): On supermarket shelves, sell large-capacity coffee beans/ground coffee. Packaging emphasizes persuasion—highlighting "100% Arabica beans," "single-origin traceability," "roast curve," with professional icons and dark tones, attracting home coffee enthusiasts to study carefully.
  • Immediate purchase (communication): In convenience store coolers, sell ready-to-drink coffee. Packaging focuses on communication—huge brand logo, clear flavor names ("unsweetened American," "velvet latte"), clean background, allowing time-pressed consumers to lock in within a second.
  • Impulsive purchase (appeal): On bookstore or creative store shelves, sell co-branded drip coffee bags. Packaging aims to appeal—using illustration styles related to the co-branded IP, with the box designed as an exquisite gift box, sparking the impulse of "this is so cute, let me try it/give it as a gift."
  • Social purchase (endorsement): In live-streaming, sell a new cold brew concentrate. Packaging focuses on endorsement—the streamer will showcase its "instant dissolve" and "comparable to hand-brewed" features. The product packaging may print "recommended by coffee masters" and use a design-forward box that is easy to display, making users feel "worth the money" and willing to share on Xiaohongshu.
  1. Toothpaste
  • Planned purchase (persuasion): Family large tubes, emphasizing "7-in-1 anti-cavity," "fluoride certified," with charts showing effects, persuading consumers that this is a long-term reliable choice.
  • Immediate/impulsive purchase (communication/appeal): Small tubes in convenience stores or travel kit areas. The design is either extremely simple (communication: brand + "whitening") or fresh and cute (appeal: macaron colors, fun slogans), attracting customers with temporary needs or impulsive trials.
  • Social purchase (endorsement): "Niche high-end toothpaste" recommended by dentists or beauty bloggers. Packaging is endorsement—minimalist medical style, highlighting "imported ingredients like 'French grape seed'" and "clinically verified," corroborating its professionalism and excellent experience, justifying its high price and the recommender's taste. Summary Today, the essence of modern marketing and packaging design is: shifting from "product-oriented" to "scenario-oriented." Brands no longer just shout the same message to everyone; instead, they must use different "languages" (packaging designs) to communicate precisely with consumers in different scenarios. In immediate scenarios, say "look at me quickly"; in impulsive scenarios, say "like me"; in planned scenarios, say "trust me"; in social scenarios, say "recognize him, and you recognize me." Building such a packaging system is the key to a brand's success in the complex retail environment.