How to Design A Product That Sells

That's something consumers really look for. You see it more and more on packages these days so that when you're picking up something new, you have an idea of what you're getting. It makes the customer feel confident in their purchase, enticed and intrigued, and it shows your unique product.

Some brands get lost in that, right? And they focus on what the actual product is and almost leave their brand at home. In this podcast, we share how we grew a 7-figure food business out of our 2-bedroom apartment in Chicago. All during the height of a global pandemic and bring in expert entrepreneurs to share their stories and wealth of knowledge in business strategy and innovation. I'm Annie Slobodsky.

And I'm Morgan Lerner. In today's episode, episode 5, Designing a Product That Sells, we are going over all the things you need to think about to create a product that people actually want to buy. If you have a product idea and are ready to bring it to market, this episode is for you. We'll cover everything from packaging and naming to timing and making it shareable, or what we call these days, Instagrammable. And we're getting our hands dirty with this one. It's a good one, y'all. So without further ado, let's bite into business. So this is something we love talking about. We are big ideators here and come out with a new product every month here at GoNanas. So one topic we're super passionate about and where to begin. This is a big topic, right? We're gonna break it down into all the little things. And yes, making it Instagrammable and shareable is definitely important, but we gotta step back a little bit, right, Annie? So let's start with the packaging, shall we?

Packaging is so important, especially for people that are selling their product in stores. Like, how are you gonna stand out in a sea of items? For us, we really wanted to be bright. Um, we walked in that baking aisle and there's a lot of muted tones, whites and blues. So where did we go? Hot pink.

I remember we actually made a deck and it had all of the different competitive packages and it was almost a given. We looked at all of them and nothing popped. So hot pink was the natural choice. Yeah.

And we knew that that would be challenging to go across all of our products, right? We can't have just like a sea of hot pink products. So for consistency's sake and also just for standing out as a brand and making something look uniform, if you close your eyes and picture on a shelf, all of our products have this hot pink strip up at the top that has our slogan, "Not your nana's banana bread," for those of you that didn't know. So when you look at our products in a store, all the different flavors, it's so obvious that it's part of a collection because they all have— it's like a little cute hat. They all have that pink strip at the top.

Yep. And we could take it even further. Each package has a different color that also represents the flavor. So immediately you have a bright color that draws you in, that also identifies with the flavor, and that pink strip across all of our packages to say, oh, that's GoNanas. But another thing to think about beyond just the colors and that consistency, we think about format. So one of the very first things we did, again, looking at all the competitive sets and seeing what kind of formats they use, some mixes use boxes. Some mixes use a package. They're all different sizes. What did we want this to look like? So we even thought about that and also to make it the most usable. So you're not just trying to differentiate yourself in format, you're trying to make it the most usable for the consumer.

I think that's a great one. And I also think when we were looking at our competitors, visuals are super important. Um, showing the real product shot is something that we'll talk about as being super important. But some brands get lost in that, right? And they focus on what the actual product is and almost leave their brand at home. I know we interviewed Lesser Evil recently, and that was one of the examples they used as a mistake when they first came out, is that all of their products were like Buddha Popcorn and Paleo Puffs. And you're like, oh, I love these different products, but you have no idea that they're Lesser Evil. Popcorn, lesser evil items. And so for us, it was super important. Large across all of our packages is GoNanas, because when you do extend into different products, you don't want people to have to discover that product and to say like, oh, I would like to try this because it looks delicious. It's going to be so much easier when they have an affinity. They try your first product and they're like, I love GoNanas. I'm a GoNanas person. And then they see our instant banana bread packets, for example, with that same pink strip up top. They know it's from us immediately. They already like the brand and therefore want to try the product, right?

I mean, if you also just think about it logistically, if you're in multiple places in a grocery store, for example, so you have multiple product lines, people could discover you separately and then not make the connection versus if all of your products are sitting next to each other on a shelf. So I love the Lesser Evil example because when you put all their old bags together, you would have no idea. It was lesser evil. Now you can, it's, it's clear, it's on the top. So I think that one is super huge and we set up our product development process with that in mind from the very beginning. And another thing, you touched on this just previously, showcasing the real product itself. So we talked about the branding, how it's important to keep it consistent and recognizable across products. And you also just mentioned this, but touching on it a little bit more about showcasing the product itself. Itself on the packaging. So for example, we used to make ready-made banana bread, and our package from the get-go was a transparent bag so you could see for itself what you're getting. That's the extreme version of transparency. We thought about that with the mixes— not as valuable because you're not seeing what the final product is. So we have a big dank muffin of each flavor center on the package, big and gooey, so people can see what they're buying. And that's something consumers really look for. You see it more and more on packages these days, so that when you're picking up something new, you have an idea of what you're getting. It makes the customer feel confident in their purchase, enticed and intrigued, and it shows your unique product.

So funny you bring that up. I remember us making that decision so vividly back when we started our company and we're making those ready-made loaves, because on the one hand it didn't look as professional necessarily because it's a complete lucite bag. With just our logo on it. But on the other hand, our product is so delicious and visually it's so appealing that it was worth it to maybe lose some of that professionality to have something enticing for what it was, right? A baked good on the go. And I remember when we were in school, I was doing a project for Zingerman's. And for those of you who don't know, it's a deli in Michigan that is really famous if you're in the Midwest. And during my project, they were telling me that they had started selling ice cream. And when they switched from opaque packaging to see-through lids, that their sales shot through the roof. Just another case study of that working.

That's so interesting. And I also remember when I worked at Kind Bars, they were the ones that spearheaded transparent packaging in the bar industry, and now a bunch of bars do it, but theirs look so good. So the transparency, you see this like chocolate nuttiness and you're like, oh, I want that. So I think it's pretty genius.

It just doesn't work as well with mixes. Yeah.

Another important thing, this is a little bit more technical, but for some products more than others, your certifications, your callouts, your symbols are going to be really important, again depending on the product, to certain consumers. So for us, it was a big choice actually. We are a vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free company, so we these symbols on the front, you could call them a little vague, and that's intentional because for some people it turns them off. So you go to the back, we have that list of all the things our product doesn't include. So we're nut-free, dairy-free, preservative-free, etc. And on the front we have some symbols that are recognizable to those customers looking for it, and those are key for a lot of people. So you want to be strategic about where you put them But if you have unique callouts and they're integral to your product or brand, put them on there and make them clear.

It's such a great callout because, you know, for our mission, we are trying to be what people think of when they think of banana bread. We are trying to be a better-for-you, accessible product. And so we wanted on the front of our bags to have those symbols for somebody who is vegan or somebody who has dietary restrictions or somebody who's, you know, has these allergies. To know if they're looking for that, that they can eat our product. But we didn't want to scream vegan on the top of our bag because we want people who aren't vegan to enjoy our product as well. And I think a brand that does this so well is Bonza, right? They are gluten-free, they are vegan, and they talk about that on their social and they talk about that within their mission. But the front of their packaging is clean and simple and honestly bright like ours. And it doesn't scream, hey, we're a product for vegans, we're a product for people with dietary restrictions. They're trying to be the next pasta, the next healthy rice, the next healthy pizza. I think they're doing a great job of it.

And taking a step back, you have to remember that all of these decisions source from or come from your positioning. So we position ourselves as a product that's accessible to all. We're not the cleanest product in the market, and we want everyone, like you said, to just associate us with banana bread. So that was a strategic choice for us to not put those callouts all over the front of our package. And again, that just came back to our positioning and that ties back to every decision you make when you are designing your products. And this even goes into beyond packaging, right? That's maybe step one where you design what it's gonna look like. But naming is a super important thing that I don't think enough people talk about. It's something Annie and I go into depth every time we're coming up with a new product. And one thing that we've learned over the many products we've sold are making an attractive name is so, so important. For example, if we're coming out with a double chocolate banana bread, we could call it double chocolate or we could call it fudge brownie. Which one sounds more attractive? The fudge brownie. And that's what we went with. A name can lure people in again if they're new to your product or curious about trying. So that's a really key piece.

The attractiveness is so important. And for something to be attractive, I think we have to call out that comes with it being recognizable, right?

Yeah.

One of our first SKUs, Crackly Banana Bread, literally, what is that? I loved it, but like the people who weren't you and me, the people who did create it, have no idea what that is describing. So I think to your example, Fudge Brownie, that sounds dank and delicious as the mix was, but everybody in the United States of America knows what a fudge brownie is. They've all presumably had one in their lifetime, and so they're brought back to a memory of eating a delicious fudge brownie versus having to question what that could be, right?

And the recognizable piece is key too, because let's say we're making a chocolate caramel. We could call it turtle whatever, but a lot of people don't know what turtle is, or maybe that's less well known, versus a gooey chocolate caramel. So You have to pair the two. And another example I love is when we were coming out with our blueberry crumble, we literally put a poll on Instagram to say, okay, which one's better? Blueberry pie, blueberry crumble? Like, which do you want more? And people chose blueberry crumble cuz it sounded better. And those two maybe were both just as recognizable, but one was more attractive. So we take it very seriously and it can also be super fun and a way to, um, get customer feedback. And engage with them.

100%. I think another two good examples of that with our flavors specifically were between birthday cake and Funfetti. It was like unequivocally birthday cake. And I think that one's like, not everybody knows what Funfetti is, even though to us as bakers, I'm like, Funfetti, everybody knows what that is. I'm going to tell you, everybody knows what a birthday cake is. Right. And then another one is apple pie. I'm not a huge fan of apple pie. I know you're not a huge fan of apple pie. That was a beloved flavor, but the hype was a little less so. And I wonder, could we have named it Caramel Apple? Would that have gone over better? Yeah, maybe. We'll find out next year.

Yeah, I was about to say, stay tuned. You have my interest piqued. We're just ideating live on this podcast.

Exactly.

So naming's always a fun one, and packaging is great. I'm just getting all these flashbacks to sitting on our couch coming up with our very first package. But another thing that is so key that we now work into our business model is timing. You want to think about when is the right time to launch it. Can it align with a holiday? So seasonality is one we always take into consideration and has sometimes just birthed an idea for a product on its own. So carrot cake, for example, this was actually accidental that we did this, but Carrot cake was a flavor we wanted to make and we wanted to launch it before Easter. We timed it pretty well, I gotta say. That also ties into our future points about making it shareable, but this seasonality one can be so key because it gets people to buy something that they maybe wouldn't. Maybe they're looking for something to make for that occasion. An Easter dinner is coming up and carrot cake would be perfect. So it can get people to buy and increase conversion, which is an awesome one.

You know, baking mixes, for those of you who don't know, it can typically be a slow a slow-moving product. You know, it's shelf-stable. You buy it, you put it in your cupboard, you maybe forget about it for a month, and maybe you make it. But if I'm buying GoNana's carrot cake banana bread mix to celebrate Easter, I'm gonna remember to make it next week for Easter. So not only could it help increase demand, but it also can help increase usability, which is always a nice one. And I also think taking that a step further, having flavors that are so specific also speak to people's specific interests and loves, right? I love carrot cake. It's one of my favorite cakes. And I also love red velvet cake, which happens to be the current flavor that we're, we're working on launching. To me, if I saw a brand like GoNanas launching a carrot cake-specific or a red velvet-specific item, I would love that because, you know, as widely produced as a chocolate flavor or a vanilla flavor— and I grew up eating those flavors, and I feel like that product is made for me.

And that's even just like marketing and product development 101— give the people what they want and be different. So she's right, not a lot of people are coming out with carrot cake things. Maybe red velvet's a little more popular these days, but I would argue it's less. It's not like a chocolate chip that is everywhere for every kind of product. So doing something specific can add a lot of value and create a— fill a gap in the market as well.

And I think that some brands may be scared to go so specific, right? You know, I don't want to make a carrot cake mix for Easter because maybe not everybody celebrates Easter, maybe not everybody likes carrot cake, and they want a broader audience. But I would argue that having much more of a niche target especially when you're growing and small, is gonna help you grow exponentially quicker.

I think in general it's harder to be a generalist because it's just harder to nail it down when you're trying to appeal to so many versus nailing down a niche. And especially when you're trying to grow, it's so much easier to nail something that's so specific and you have less competition. So I'm all for it, even though we're a little biased. Because it's what we do. I think it's a good principle that can apply to a lot of different businesses.

Shall we stay on this carrot cake example for just, for just one more moment? Bear with us.

You're making me hungry.

I know. I think that that's a perfect example for our next point, which is to make something shareable. When we came out with our mixes, we had no idea that the people who would eventually purchase our product would post it so frequently on Instagram and help grow our business exponentially. You know, baking mixes are inherently shareable because people take the time to make their own item. Maybe they make it beautiful, maybe they make a decadent cake, maybe their loaf just looks delicious and they're proud of what they've created. And that's something that they want to share on the internet, as many of us do with delicious looking food. And I think carrot cake was such a great example of this because so many people chose to take that mix and make an Easter cake, a carrot cake, banana bread cake. I don't even know what I would call that. They all looked amazing. But that helped bring so much hype to that product because everybody was posting their Easter or not carrot cake banana breads, right?

It was a trend at the time too. And so people were hopping on that. It was a flavor. I mean, it makes sense because of the season, but I think it's just funny with our mixes because when we launched them, we truly had no idea how much more shareable it was than our previous ready-made products, which people didn't post as much. It's kind of like a beverage per se, like less people may post that just because the nature of it, versus when you bake something and make it your own, people are more likely to share.

That's not to say though that a beverage can't be postable. If you make your product cool, if you make your product shareable, people will post it. And you'll laugh at this example, but Poppi is a brand— we interviewed one of the founders, Allison, on a previous episode. They're an incredible healthy gut prebiotic soda company, and their brand is about as cool as you can get. So cool that I was actually scrolling on TikTok the other day and a woman was doing one of those videos where she shares her daily outfit and her accessory. I kid you not, she took a chain and linked it to a can of Poppi and said, this is my purse, her Poppi can.

Oh my God.

So it's definitely possible if you create that feel on social media, if you have influencers, micro-influencers, interesting people you entice them to post about your product, it can create this ripple effect.

Totally. And that's a great point because some products are just inherently less shareable, but that doesn't mean you can't get it there. I think that's why we call it out. So yes, a baking mix is maybe more inherently shareable, but a beverage like Poppi, if you make a package, a brand that pops, and then you have an association with your brand, a cool fact factor. People will want to share that simply because it's poppy, it's vibrant, it's sexy. So I think it's— that's a fun one to think about. And we even have a little bit of a challenge with our instance because a mug cake is much less sexy. It's the same looking every time. Maybe your mug gets a little messy. So how do you make that shareable? For us, again, it comes back to that package. We spotlight a lot of people on our social media, so maybe incentivizing them to want to share it. So there's a lot of things you can do to increase shareability if it's not inherently shareable. And then beyond all of these things that go into the product itself, so this is our final point, a little drum roll, please. Coming up with innovative product extensions that can lead to increased sales across the board. So we like to say product development doesn't stop once you've completed the product. You have to be forward thinking. About the next thing and what other things can draw attention to your product line or lines overall. So creating a new red velvet flavor— let's say I'm not a big red velvet fan, but I see the launch going on, I'm intrigued, I see you in my feed, you're top of mind for me, you're innovating, and maybe that is the product that draws me in to go nanas and I try it for the next time along with other flavors. So always know that new products or even product lines can draw new and existing customers in and create more loyalty amongst your brand. In addition to you just staying top of mind.

To bring back in Lesser Evil to this podcast, they are a great example of this. So as a reminder, they're a healthy snack company. They make a ton of popcorns and curls and things like that. And over the summer last year, they made lemonade flavored popcorn. A little strange in my personal opinion. And watermelon. Thank you. It was all over the news. And I don't know if this is— if you guys do this too, but I go through phases where I eat something all the time and then I forget about it. Maybe I bring it back in. And I'm pretty sure that was a time where I wasn't having Lesser Evil on a daily basis. It just reminded me that they existed as a brand and I did not buy their lemonade. Flavor, but I went back in and I bought their, you know, ghee-flavored popcorn, right?

And it was something new. I think that's— you're not alone in, in the trying and leaving. That's humans. We want new, we want innovative things. I eat something different every day. I can't eat the same things every day, so I'm always looking for that new product or that new flavor. And so even just seeing something new of theirs on the shelf, even if we didn't try that watermelon, which I'm regretting, like I love everything that they make, so I'm just curious, but it kept them top of mind. It was a new package on the shelf. I was like, these people are innovative. So it helped them stay relevant for us. And we are both avid consumers.

Yes, we are.

I think that pretty much touched on all of our things. I know we hit a lot. We touched packaging, we touched naming, timing, how to make it shareable and postable, and those innovative product extensions that can bring it all back and bring you those sales. Across your product lines and products. So thank you for listening to this episode all about product design, guys. Remember to make a functional yet eye-catching package that stands out against the competition, fits in with your broader product line or lines for brand consistency, and has an attractive and recognizable name. And beyond packaging, don't overlook seasonality, shareability, and how other product extensions and future innovations can help its longevity. Woo! And that is all for this episode of Bite Into Business. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your day, and we will catch you guys in a week to talk about how to develop a brand strategy with one of our favorite brands who we talked a lot about this episode. Bless or Evil Snacks, none other than— see you guys soon! Thank you guys for tuning in. And for our sweet tooth friends out there, if you're like, what is this banana bread? I need to try it. I'm so glad I discovered this podcast. You can find us on the gram at @go_nanas. You'll get all the fun updates, behind the scenes, new flavor updates, all that jazz. And you can also find us online at eatgonanas.com. That's E-A-T-G-O-N-A-N-A-S dot com. And if you want to try our banana bread for free, we're just starting out, and so we are building our reviews. You can help us grow. It means so much. So if you're on Apple Podcasts, rate and review, or for Spotify or something that doesn't use reviews, share your favorite part of the podcast on Facebook and Instagram and tag us. We will see you. We will enter you into this, and we'll be picking winners to give away free banana bread every month. So you'll be contacted. We'll be on the lookout, and they just make our day. If anything else. And the link to subscribe to our emails and the podcast itself so you never miss a Bite of Business will be in our show notes as well. So check those out. There's a lot of good links there. And see you guys next time.

Bye!