Bottle labels: How important are they for regional beverage retailers?

Among other things, the quality of the label design plays a role here. The following article explains which aspects are also relevant for a label and why bottle labels can be decisive for beverage retailers.

The purpose of bottle labels

A label on the bottle enables (potential) customers to find out more about the beverage in question. The information on such a label includes, among other things, the ingredients, the expiry and production dates, the nutritional information and the name of the company. Certain information is even required by law. For example, the label of alcoholic beverages must inform about the alcohol content.

Furthermore, with the help of a bottle label there is the possibility to communicate one's own advertising message to the consumers. Labels can therefore be a part of marketing. Basically, the more elaborate or pretty a label is, the more likely it is that more people will look at the product and buy the drink. At the same time, appealing labels on bottles can help strengthen the brand image and set it apart from other brands.

What influence do labels have on consumer behaviour?

As already mentioned, consumers can learn more about the beverage through the bottle labels and look at the ingredients, for example. Accordingly, a label can have a significant influence on consumers' buying behaviour. Besides the important information about the beverage, the design of the bottle label plays an important role. It should be visually high quality and make a good first impression.

To increase sales, it is also important that the label is designed to be as eye-catching as possible. After all, consumers are offered numerous drinks. So one's own drink should stand out from the crowd. Moreover, these days more and more people are also paying attention to sustainability when buying drinks in order to do less damage to the environment. Accordingly, an organic seal or a fair trade label, for example, can have a positive effect on the willingness to buy.

Use bottle labels as an advertising message: This is how it works

With the help of bottle labels, it is possible to increase the recognition value or to make consumers more familiar with the values of one's own company. For example, one could point out that it is a family business from the region or that it was produced regionally. The label should match the respective beverage and be attractively designed. For example, the font, the text and the colour play a role. You can also tell a shorter version of the company's history on the label, for example. This often creates a good feeling among consumers. However, if you want to integrate the background story of your company on the bottle label, you should make sure that the text is not too long.

But labels are also suitable for conveying other messages. For example, it is possible to advertise certain offers of one's own company or a partner company on the bottle labels. This can be done, for example, in the form of discounts on other products from the range or smaller vouchers. In addition, events can be promoted on the bottle labels. This way, new and existing customers learn about an event and can attend it if they wish. This can strengthen the bond between the producer and the customer.

If you are a beverage retailer with a website or a social media channel, you can also add a QR code to the label. Through the QR code, customers can perform a mobile phone scan and are thereby directed to the page. Here they can then find out more about the beverage range or the company if required. The bottle label can also be used to announce personal messages. Established brands can thank their customers for years of loyalty, for example.

Using bottle labels for marketing: What should I avoid?

Regional beverage retailers have the opportunity to use bottle labels for marketing and thus strengthen their image or increase sales. However, mistakes can also be made when designing a label. These might even deter potential customers from making a purchase. After all, most people want a certain seriousness and often pay attention to smaller things. The following points should therefore be avoided when designing bottle labels:

• Unreadable fonts
• Too much text
• Outdated designs
• Blurred images
• Exaggerated advertising promises
• Misinformation
• Unclear design