The best bottle shape for your product may not be the best for your competitors. There are even more variations if you look across industries. With such a wide variety of products that come in bottles, it is no surprise that they each have unique requirements.
Whether you sell lotion, beverages, spices, makeup, or anything else that comes in a bottle, you will want to keep the following in mind as you consider the ideal shape.
Get to Know the Shapes
Before you start thinking too hard about your product and its requirements, make sure you know the most common bottle shapes. These are round, square, and rectangular bottles. But you can also find cylindrical bottles, tapered bottles, hourglass-shaped bottles, bulbous bottles, oblong bottles, and Bordeaux bottles.
Think About Your Product Type
The very first consideration should be what type of product you sell. From there, think about industry trends and what your users prefer. For example, round bottles are the most common option for beverages, although some brands use square bottles to make the most of shelf space and stand out from the crowd.
Food items, including spices, on the other hand, tend to be in rectangular or square bottles. These let consumers maximize the space in their shelves and cabinets. Or consider cosmetics. Lip gloss and mascara, for example, tend to be in narrow cylindrical bottles.
Consider Labels
Next, think about the labels you want to place on your product. There will be some legally required labels, especially for foods and beverages. But what else do you want to put on the bottle? Do you want product tips? A QR code for your website? Make sure your chosen bottle has enough space for everything you need.
You Can Get Extra Space from Secondary Packaging
Sometimes, there simply isn’t a good way to fit all of the necessary labels on the product itself. In this case, you can opt for secondary packaging, such as placing the bottle inside a box with an insert. This gives you the extra exterior space of the box for additional information.
Consider Shipping
Don’t forget to consider how you will ship your packaging. At first, square bottles may seem more logical, as they make the most of the available space in a box. However, square bottles will be touching each other in the box, potentially rubbing against each other or causing cracks. Square bottles also prevent air flow as they touch each other. This lack of air flow can even slow down the loading speed.
Consider Where You Sell
If you sell your product in stores in addition to online, think about how it will look on the shelf. Rectangular bottles tend to be easier to view on the shelf as the labels will sit flat. They also make it easier for more of your products to fit on the shelf. But round bottles tend to feel more comfortable in shoppers’ hands.
Conclusion
Start by considering industry trends when choosing the ideal bottle shape for your product. Then, decide if there is anything unique about your product that means you should go against these industry trends. Don’t forget to consider whether you will put your bottle in a box or just place it on the shelf in its primary packaging.
