How to Refresh Without Confusing Your Loyal Customers.
In the previous blog, we explored the three types of brand change— Refresh, Revamp or Rebrand—and how to choose the right path for your business. If you’ve landed on refresh, you’re in good company.
From small independents to established legacy brands, a brand refresh is one of the smartest ways to stay relevant without losing what makes your brand familiar and trusted.”
This guide will walk you through how to refresh your packaging and branding in a way that feels familiar, intentional, and low risk—with real-world tactics you can test, measure, and roll out at your own pace.
As one former PepsiCo design director put it:
“Your packaging is a handshake with customers. Refresh the grip—don’t amputate the arm.”
What Big Brands Teach Us About Refreshing Without Regret
Heinz Ketchup (2021)
What changed: Sharper typography, cleaner layout, fun tomato “drip” icon
What stayed: Iconic red/green palette and keystone shape
Why it worked: Customers still saw Heinz—just sharper
Tropicana (2009)
What changed: Everything. They dropped the orange-with-straw visual
Result: Customers didn’t recognise the pack. $50M lost in 8 weeks
Lesson: Don’t throw away the parts people remember you for
Here are your 3-Step Refresh Plan
Step 1: Listen Before You Design
Goal: Understand what not to change before deciding what to refresh
Ask Your Top 10 Customers:
“What’s the first thing you notice about our packaging?”
“What’s one thing we should never change?”
Next, Run a Quick Shelf Blind Test:
Print or screenshot 10 product packs (yours + competitors)
Cover logos and ask:
Which one looks premium?
Which feels outdated?
Watch Outs:
Don’t rely solely on your internal team’s opinions
What you consider distinctive may not be what your customers value
Step 2: Test Changes
Goal: De-risk your refresh by testing design ideas in low-cost ways
Option 1: Limited Edition Trial
Best for: Food & beverage, cosmetics, or any brand with seasonal SKUs or product promos.
Create a small batch of product using the new look — this could be a special flavour, holiday edition, or campaign tie-in.
Position it as a limited edition to build curiosity (and give yourself an exit strategy).
Monitor how customers respond: Do they notice? Compliment the new look? Engage more?
Ideal for testing colours, layout, or illustration styles — not full rebrands.
Option 2: Digital Mockups + Ads
Best for: Direct to customer brands or businesses with strong online engagement.
Create realistic packaging mockups using tools like Canva, Boxshot, or Adobe Dimension (If you can) or this can be an easy task for your designer.
Run A/B ads on Instagram or Facebook, showing two or three packaging versions.
Track click-through rates and comments — the stronger performer gives you real-world data before anything hits the shelf.
Bonus: This method is fast, cheap, and doesn’t require printing a thing.
Option 3: Quiet Store Trial
Best for: Brands with physical retail or café presence.
Place the refreshed packaging in 1–2 low-profile locations.
Don’t announce the change — just observe.
Compare sales performance to control stores still using the old pack.
This uncovers whether the design alone is driving more attention, purchases, or confusion.
Watch Outs:
Avoid full rollout too soon.
Launching across all channels at once removes your ability to measure what’s working — and what’s not.Don’t kill key visual cues.
Be cautious about removing elements customers rely on, like trusted colours, product photography, or flavour indicators. Even small changes can cause recognition loss.
Step 3: Launch Without Losing Anyone
Month 1: Tease It
Send a “first look” to your email list and social channels
Invite loyal customers to vote or give feedback
Makes them feel part of the journey
Month 2: Teach It
Use shelf-talkers, in-store signs or simple signage: “New Look. Same Great Product.”
Equip staff to explain the change and collect feedback
Month 3: Go Big (But Stay Local)
Update your website, labels and menus
Share the refreshed look through video, local PR or partnerships
- Activate your customers:
Invite them to share testimonials, unboxings or shelf selfies with the new pack
Why This Works for SMEs
Low Risk
You test before you commit—no costly mistakes or excess packaging waste
Cost Efficient
Use your existing channels (email, social media, in-store) instead of big-budget media
Customer Friendly
Keeps loyal buyers engaged and informed, reducing confusion or drop-off
Team Empowering
Your team becomes part of the refresh story—building buy-in from within
Your Action Plan
This Week: Survey 10 best customers about your “brand anchors”
Next Month: Test 2 design concepts via limited editions or digital mockups
Quarterly: Review competitors’ packaging changes (set Google Alerts for “[your industry] packaging redesign”)
Need Help or Still Nervous About Changes? Book a free 30-minute chat – We’ll review your packaging and identify low-risk updates.
