Unveiled: New packaging concept puts refrigerator accessories in the right light

The refrigerator and freezer manufacturer Liebherr offers a wide range of accessories that were previously only sent via customer service. The packaging design agency Pacoon helped the German company to package the value-added products attractively for retailers and present them at the point of sale.

Liebherr is as Manufacturer of refrigerators and freezers The durable products are known for their high quality, meaning that customers can enjoy them for many years. Over time, many people want to customise their kitchen furniture and increase its functionality and comfort.

The manufacturer of energy-efficient appliances has been offering the right replacement parts and accessories for a long time, from butter dishes and Activated charcoal filters, bottle shelves, cooling batteries and water filters up to digital control systems there is almost everything. However, until now these products could only be found by consumers via the trade catalogues or by searching online. Customer service acted as the interface, sending out the required parts on request.

The family business wanted to change this and, in addition to selling its products via its own online shop, also wanted to market accessories in specialist shops. But how could the range of accessories be brought closer to the consumer? The Munich-based packaging design agency Pacoon convinced Liebherr with its concept for the design of sales-promoting packaging. The result is impressive and easy to see. Customers can now find a selection of attractively packaged accessories on the shelves of international specialist shops.

Consolidation of the product range to common items

Until this happened, agency managers had to Peter Désilets and his team delved deep into the storage and logistics situation at Liebherr in order to take into account the many accessories manufactured in different plants. Depending on the refrigerator model, they could be combined in different ways. Last but not least, the ideas of the sales partners also had to be taken into account.

In intensive consultations with Liebherr, the range to be packaged was reduced to eight particularly popular items in just under 30 variants condensed. Pacoon then developed, in co-operation with a print service provider, a Standardised packaging concept from eleven different Assortment cartons, to which the accessories were assigned via product families. Inlays were developed for each family, into which the individual components could be securely fixed for transport and placed in the boxes.

„We chose the photo perspective of the products in such a way that the differences are barely recognisable to the consumer.“
Peter Désilets, head of the packaging design agency Pacoon in Munich.

It all depends on the right photo perspective

Once the basic principles of cartonboard had been clarified, it was finally a matter of designing packaging and Presenters. Liebherr wanted a high-quality look and feel. The range components were to be presented as „hero“ products. Once again, Pacoon's task was to make the real variety of products manageable and attractive through sensible standardisation: Peter Désilets reveals, „To achieve this, we chose the photo perspective of the products so that the differences are barely recognisable to the consumer.“ Rather than showing details, attractive shots of the type were taken. „For example, the different activated charcoal filters are only shown from the underside. The main features, rectangular or round, are recognisable, but not the length and other dimensions of the four filters in total,“ he explains.

What is actually inside the box is revealed by a Line drawing and an additional Colour code, which simplifies differentiation in the warehouse, on the shelf and for the end customer. Each pack features another very useful graphic element that helps to avoid mis-selling: a QR code invites consumers to scan it and receive information on their smartphone about which Liebherr models the accessory fits.