Value vs Cost | Rawlings News

Should price be the only consideration?

It’s a big task when you decide to bring a new product to market and unless you’re bankrolled by a dragon cost is hugely important, but where do you draw the line between cost and value?  

When purchase decisions are made for low involvement goods, then price is generally how we compare brands, but when it comes to something as intricate and involving as developing product packaging, should cost be the lowest common denominator?  

The risk that occurs when using price to accurately compare products/ services at this level is that it’s not accurate; certain fundamental aspects are automatically sidelined such as the level of service you will receive, the processes used to create a product, or the materials used.  

When it strictly comes down to choosing an off the shelf glass container it’s arguably correct to compare suppliers on price because you are in fact comparing apples to apples. There are still aspects that can be missed such as continuity of supply and levels of service that can effect comparison (getting left in the lurch on filling day, or what happens if glass turns up broken) but this is usually seen later on down the line and one of the reasons why clients switch to us because our service levels don’t differ no matter what the size of the client.  

But when it comes to the creative element of packaging development, the graphic design, the application of this design in whatever form (shrink sleeving, labelling, screen printing, spraying), and the project management involved, this is a completely different kettle of fish. There are many elements involved at this stage and the value we provide may not come at the lowest cost, but this is something that we’re proud of.  

Brand Protection

Our standards of product development are one of the fundamental values at Rawlings, and we won’t negotiate on this if it will negatively impact the end visual. It’s just not worth it. Why go to all that time and effort to deliver a sub-par product just to shave off a couple of quid. In the long run this will be more costly as the product will have to be redeveloped because retailers and consumers have exacting tastes and if it doesn’t look good or there are elements that clearly look as if they have been done poorly the product won’t sell.   

An accurate judgement of a company’s ability to deliver a project is only really understood when you go beyond a price comparison. As well as an understanding of the project and how it will be achieved it’s important to get to grips with the industry experience of the company in relation to the expected outcome; the visual representation of previous work to help understand the cost vs value scenario, industry connections and affiliations, and the client base of that organisation.  

Be wary of a provider that purely tries to sell you on price, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Ultimately you do generally get what you pay for.  

If you’re interested in learning a little more about Rawlings take a look at our brief videos below and see what our clients think, or give us a call, we’d love to have a chat.