How Design Impacts Customer Buying Decision

Businesses nowadays are all about innovative designs. Design improves your business and gets you brand new customers as well. You can retain the old customers, too, with this strategy.

• How Graphic Design Influences Shopping Decisions

All sorts of business, whether digital or traditional, everyone is using design to collaborate with the rising market needs and to meet the customers’ demand in today’s world. 

Evidence suggests that most of the customer decisions are made in-store. The decision is based on a number of factors, including the brand image, store environment, past experiences with the brands, and consumer preferences. The issue is that there are hundreds of products similar to yours. This is where designing comes into play.  

According to a report from the Design Management Institute in 2015, these design-conscious companies like Apple, Pepsi Co., Disney, IBM, Coca-Cola, Nike, etc. saw 200% greater returns than those non-design-conscious companies between 2004 and 2014.

Customer Behavior: What You Need to Know?

By definition, customer behavior is the study of customers’ actions as to how they react while buying the product or what steps drive them to buy the product, and what needs to satisfy them in regards to the products.

If you are a marketer and not studying consumer behavior, you lack something very crucial. This study helps you in understanding the needs and expectations of the customers and the prospective market. With having proper knowledge of consumer behavior, you can know the likes and dislikes and put extra effort into the marketing and designing strategy.

It is vital to assess the kind of designs liked by customers so that your brand gets a boost. For instance, every top business marketer has a team of consumer research analyst, and it is their core duty to know why customers behave in a certain way.

How Product Design Impacts the Decision to Buy

Here are five ways explaining how product design impacts consumer purchasing decision:

1. It Reflects Company’s Behavior

Design can bring a range of benefits for your company if you understand the customer’s needs and meet their expectation. The design reflects the company’s behavior and attitude. If you are innovating your design strategy, you are adding more value to your company.

Design tells your customers that you care for them. For example, many health care brands disclose warning information on product packaging. On the other hand, the design also shows the company’s ideology. 

Consider the example of Apple’s technology products that follows the ‘Be simple’ strategy when it comes to product design. The products, packaging, and even advertisements are kept sleek, uncluttered, and minimal, with simple background schemes.

It reflects the company’s behavior to innovate and bring the best to the customers. And it has been observed that customers are willing to pay more for the well-designed products.

The concept which prevails among some marketers is that if they have an exciting and creative logo, we have done our part, and nothing else needs to be creative. Remember, your brand is more than your logo; it tells so much about you.

2. It Tells the Brand’s Story

There was a time when people want to listen. Our product/service is the best in town or a country, you will not get any binding offer like this, and you should buy it!’ 

We have moved past that side of the marketing, and now people want to know why it is the best, how it is produced, and who the manufacturers are behind this product. All this could be described with good storytelling.

The story doesn’t have to be elaborative and wordy, but it should be catchy and hooky. It doesn’t matter what your business age is or what type of product you sell; there’s always room for improvisation. The design will harness the power of brand or business storytelling. 

The legendary Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey spirit bottle was redesigned in 2011 with a more noticeable square look while continuing the legacy of the brand even after several decades. 

Social media platforms can be used to tell your customers about your newly designed product, etc. According to a survey, 72% of people/customers make a purchase, if they follow the brand or product on Twitter.

3. Helps to Connect with the Customer

A lasting relationship can be built between customers and businesses with the visual identity and branding process. The design of the logo, symbols, and products helps marketers to communicate with the customers. This type of design between customers and brands is called interaction design. The better your interaction is, the better you are at building relationships. 

For instance, the visual identity of the motorcycle brand Harley Davidson is reflected through its iconic badge and blacked-out retro-look models. The design embraces the idea of power and freedom. 

According to Harvard Business Review, only 23% of consumers say they have a relationship with a brand. This is only possible for brands that invest in their designs.

Undoubtedly, if you get connected with the customers, they will be walking by your side and also recommend you to others. Your design should communicate with customers every time you come up with a new campaign or product. Excellent designs that are catchy and get attached to the customer soft corner are ingredients to build a healthier customer-business relationship.

4. It Improves Customer Retention

One thing that is very important for customer retention is satisfaction from the product. The design should be elaborative, and most importantly, but the product should function the way you have mentioned on the design label.

Companies should have the analysis process, which enables them to observe and function accordingly. Your design for the products must have a connection building strategy that connects you to the customers, and you will never lose them. 

Many people are attracted and connected to the product because of the packaging, design, and presentation. Even if you are a company that makes sports goods, your sport design matters because it hooks the players, for instance, if we talk about golf, the instruments used in it are made for specific purposes and several customizations.

5. Attracting New Customers

Design is the key to hooking new customers. Your overall brand and product design should be attractive and enchanting to attract new customers when they see your product the first time.

Your first impression should be so creative that it makes people wanting to try your product. Word of mouth plays a pivotal role in businesses around the world; new customers can be gained from existing customers.

Whatever your business is or whatever product you manufacture, the design must be creative and colorful as it gives a boost to your customer gaining. According to Forbes, creative brand colors improve recognition by over 80%.

People should never feel like what’s that product? What is it used for? Etc. Your design and branding should be elaborative. By having this, your business will get new prospective customers.

Conclusion

Leading companies are continually working on their design strategy even though they have earned the status and reputation, which shows that design plays a significant role in making your brand shine and successful. 

If you lack in design strategy, you are far behind your competitors. Design impacts your business strategy, and if you want to take an uphill, you must work on improving the design.