You only have a few seconds to get a shopper's attention. At the same time, when your products are on a crowded store shelf, you need to quickly demonstrate that your item is more valuable than a competitor's. How can you make sure that you accomplish this feat? It all starts with smart strategy and good packaging and design. Here are some ideas for creating a front panel that sets your company and its products apart.

Create an information hierarchy

Packaging is a marketing workhorse. In very limited space it needs to convey a lot of information. A lot of information goes on the front of a product, so it's crucial to determine what the most important elements are. According to Packaging World, a typical hierarchy is:

1. Brand
2. Product
3. Variety
4. Benefits

Depending on the company and product, these elements may go in a different order. However, it's important to plan out your strategy and stick with it throughout your product groups. All in all, this is more user-friendly for the customer and allows them to find what they're looking for more efficiently.

Reinforce your value

Every brand has something that sets it apart from competitors and makes it special. Is it price? Quality? It might also be convenience, or the fact that you support environmentally friendly initiatives or use natural ingredients. The front of the package needs to immediately communicate what makes your products unique. Whatever idea you pick is likely the No. 1 element you need to highlight on your front panel. Use color, shape, photography and other strategies to emphasize it.

Use value-added enhancements

Increasingly, companies are turning to value-added techniques to elevate the perceived value of their packaging. According to a report from Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization, 93 percent of packaging service providers and trade service providers reported that using value-added enhancements like foil stamping, tactile finishes and specialty stocks increased sales and profits. Elements like scented inks, dimensional and watermark effects are also growing in popularity as a way to draw more attention to certain packaging elements and encourage customers to engage with packaging more deeply.

Make it relevant

Digital Printing techniques allow companies to print unique cartons and labels for specific markets. According to MarketingProfs, personalized print media has a greater impact than personalized email because audiences are aware that it is harder to accomplish. Variable data printing makes packaging more relevant to specific markets, whether that means using a local sports team or even printing first names, as Coca-Cola did. When a product speaks directly to a consumer, they are more likely to give it a second look.

Products have very little time to catch a consumer's eye, so it's worthwhile to put a lot of strategy into them. Carefully consider what you need to communicate, what sets you apart, and how you can use the substrate, value added enhancements and copy to make this statement.