According to the WHO, 15% of the global population lives with a disability. Because of this, we know that the need for accessible packaging, or packaging that is designed to be more easily used by individuals with varying abilities or needs, particularly those with disabilities or physical limitations, is something that organizations should keep top of mind. Today, we’ll break down the importance of accessible packaging, recent innovations, and considerations for your business.  

Why Accessibility Matters in Packaging 

We know that Millennials place an extreme value on brand loyalty, with 73% of individuals in this generation remaining loyal to their preferred brands. We also know that disabilities can develop throughout a consumer’s lifetime. For individuals who have always used a product, over time, they may discover that their needs change and the product packaging no longer fulfills them. In cases like this, having more accessible packaging can help ensure a consumer’s brand loyalty extend farther. 

It’s also clear that accessibility can help open the door for more customers. By increasing consumers’ accessibility to the product, businesses are increasing consumers’ accessibility to their brand and enhancing their overall customer experience. Brand differentiation also plays a factor, with 92% of consumers having a more favorable perception of companies that support those with disabilities.  

Innovations in Accessible Packaging 

There are many ways businesses can alter their package design to help make their products more accessible. This can involve making packaging easier to grip and open, adding tactile symbols for those with visual impairments, or including digital bar codes to provide audio descriptions of a product when shoppers scan them. So, what can this look like in practice? 

Easy-to-Open 

Easy-to-open package designs can be helpful for individuals with dexterity issues. For example, Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty cosmetic line is packaged in a wide bottle with a cap design that makes it easier for users to grip. Many individuals with limited dexterity have found the product to be easier to use and have praised the brand for disability-friendly packaging. Rare Beauty is also partnering with the Casa Colina Research Institute to figure out what makes products more accessible and plans to share this research with the beauty industry to help other companies develop their packaging to be more accessible too.  

Other companies, like Tide, have eliminated the need for plastic packaging altogether. The company designed Tide evo, a tile form of laundry detergent that is activated with water. The only packaging needed for the tiles is a cardboard box designed with a large tear strip to make it easier for consumers to open. 

Xbox has also designed easy-to-open packaging for its products. The company shipped its new line of accessible gaming devices in packaging with tape loops on the ends, for consumers to easily remove the sealing tape. Easy-to-open packaging designs are a great first step for businesses to make their products more accessible to consumers.  

Tactile 

In addition to helping individuals with dexterity issues, businesses can also design packages for people with limited visibility. Tactile features on packaging can help consumers with visibility impairment to feel what a product is when they can’t read the packaging. 

 Olay Indulgent Moisture Body Wash was the first body wash to include a tactile symbol on the bottle. Tactile symbols can help individuals who are blind or have low vision more easily identify and differentiate between products. 

Mattel has also made efforts to be more inclusive through tactile packaging, utilizing braille on their popular doll packaging to spell out “Barbie.” The packaging and the doll depicting a blind Barbie were designed in partnership with the American Foundation for the Blind. These new innovations in packaging design demonstrate ways businesses can showcase their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.   

Digital 

There are also many ways companies can use technology to help increase accessibility to their brand. QR codes and near-field communication (NFC) tags are one way technology can enhance product accessibility. For consumers with visual impairments, scanning a product code or NFC tag with their smartphone can allow the product name and description to be read aloud to them. By utilizing technology, companies can develop their products to serve diverse consumer needs and enhance the customer experience.  

Accessible packaging isn’t just limited to people with disabilities; everyone can benefit from the innovations of more accessible packaging. However, there are also some challenges businesses may face when redesigning their packaging.  

Considerations 

We recognize that as organizations consider what their accessible packaging strategy could look like, there are a lot of things to consider in terms of how it makes an impact on day-to-day operations. Redesigning packaging is a cost investment, especially for businesses that already sell a wide variety of merchandise. Redesigning the packaging for each individual product can be an overwhelming and expensive effort, and the associated costs come in multiple forms.  

Companies must start by reengineering the package design, which takes time and labor. Once the packaging is redesigned, businesses must make package supplier adjustments, which can be a difficult switch for established companies to make. Once a product is already on the market, it is even more difficult to redesign the packaging.  

Gathering consumer feedback can be a great first step for businesses looking to make their packaging more accessible. This can help identify problem points for packaging and narrow down the most urgent or frequent issues. From there, businesses can highlight consumer packaging needs as they develop future products. Ultimately, businesses need to consider their budget and consumer needs when deciding whether to implement accessible packaging designs.  

Next Steps 

While it can be costly and difficult to implement, accessible packaging is an investment for businesses. Individuals can develop disabilities throughout their lifetime and while consumers may be loyal to one brand now, developing an impairment could result in them switching to a different brand. Accessible packaging can increase brand loyalty, open doors to more customers, and help businesses to stand out in a competitive market. Our team at Clarkston can help you understand your diverse consumers and develop a strategy to best support them. To learn more contact us here.  

Contributions from Natalie Pollock