The value of product packaging in the successful sale of a specific product or service is undeniable. This is especially true given the nature of marketing and retailing product methods in large supermarkets and other retail stores. Customers need to be impressed aesthetically, or intrigued in one way or another, in order for them to decide to even consider, let alone purchase, a particular product. Product packaging nowadays does not only refer to the external packaging of product it also covers the way in which a product is merchandised within the retail location it is meant to be sold at.

The successful journey of product packaging begins from printing, then to the very act of shipping out the product and ends at the visual presentation of that same product atop the store shelf. Making sure that a secure and protected shipping package, which prevents damage to the product before it reaches its retail destination, will ensure that the product is unhindered by travel, and ready to make a favorable impression. Also investing in quality wrapping or packaging will help send the message of excellence in quality to prospective clients, while poor or subsidized packaging will not. In fact it may cause damage by implying a negative image of the product, and the brand in general, to the eyes of the buyer.

One of the great advantages of product packaging in the modern day market is the advertising that it can achieve. If the packaging of a product is resonant and eye catching it is most likely to attract attention and thus more effectively showcase the brand name and the product. This should be taken advantage of by products that have not established a reputation in the industry they are trying to break. This is also key in determining the place of the new product in relation to the available competing brands which have already earned a client base and a reputation. One example is that the older versions of Corel Painter software used to be shipped inside a gallon paint can.

Some other modern day examples of elaborate packaging that scream for attention include Huggie's Henry the Hippo hand soap which flashes for a period of 20 seconds in order to indicate to infants that they need to be washing their hands for a specific period of time.

In addition Coors Light bottles now have temperature sensitive labels, with the insertion of thermo chromatic ink, which change colors depending on how hot or cold the contents are.

Product packaging constitutes a main way of advertising, especially through the means of product stand out design shelves, which customers have learned to look for and admire.

Old or reformatory packaging may cause the product to literally be invisible to the consumer as the visual competition for the consumer's attention is increasing by the day. Customers are always expecting something new and exciting regardless of how costly it may be to market with all the additional packaging. So it is within the hand of marketers and retailers to find affordable, creative, and efficient forms of packaging, which is able to achieve marketing goals without breaking the bank.