Understanding and targeting specific demographics is vital in effective packaging design. For Generation Alpha, packaging design incorporating technology and interactive elements, sustainability, and personalisation, can be highly effective in driving sales. They are receptive to the intentional expression of less rather than more. Nowadays, the elements that require obsessing over are quite different.

Investing early in understanding and building loyalty within the cohort will pay off for brands as this predicted wealthiest generation grows.

Since their inception, Generation Alpha has been the target of relentless marketing, pushing an agenda of societal issues. They are also the first generation unwilling to accept anything less than a personalised product purchasing approach.

They are a generation that is pivoting towards change. A generation that will only purchase from companies where they know what their money is going towards.

Consumers expect so much more from brands than just physical products. Premium products need to wrap service, meaning, and engagement around an authentic consumer experience, and digital and social media can open up a canvas of possibilities. 

How does a product speak to a consumer? Does the product solve their problem or make life easier?

Brands of every size can learn more about this demographic through the way they interact through product packaging. They can then use this knowledge to personalise their interactions with consumers and ensure they’re serving content and products that appeal to them the most.

Standing out for the right reasons

Packaging matters and it matters more than ever.

To stand out on screen or retail shelf, a packaging design can no longer just hold a mass appeal but must take aim at the generation most likely to buy your product. The most innovative generation, Gen Alpha, will look for CPG brands that match their level of innovation.

Being late to trends is disastrous. They seek brands that are first and never follow.

They’re also watching you. They’re taking note of the business practices that fuel your brand and asking whether you’re part of the problem or the solution.

The best way to break through is to look for opportunities to share details about your brand’s story, challenges, and background. The most dependable way to create a message worth sharing is by aligning with the consumer’s values and interests. And the good news is that Generation Alpha is less likely to be ‘tricked’ by brands making false promises or glorified claims. They have deemed that honesty, transparency, and consistency are necessary traits in themselves and the brands they purchase from.