For me, nothing is more evident of being tuned in (or out) than packaging. Most businesses view packaging as a way to solve their own problems and maybe do some marketing on the side. The tuned in companies are the ones that put their buyers' problems first.
My hall of fame for tuned out packaging is the blister pack (rather attractive name isn't it)? You may be familiar with this clear vacu-formed packaging that allows you to see the product, but threatens you with a trip to the emergency room after trying to open it with a kitchen knife. What problems does this solve? The manufacturer gets to show off the product, include some graphics, and the retailer likes it because it inhibits shoplifting. The buyer's needs don't appear anywhere in the solution list.
Yesterday, I opened a package of screwdrivers that I bought at Costco. Mind you, the reason you buy screwdrivers is probably because you don't have one. So how do you get this snazzy package open? It requires a Philips head screwdriver! The entire clear plastic front is screwed down with lots of... screws!
Speaking of Costco, they recently changed their milk jugs. The outer cap has a security feature which works great. But they changed to a new inner seal with a little pull handle. The problem, in my experience, is that about 90% of the time, the pull handle comes off with the seal still intact. Back to the kitchen knife drawer to carve open a spout for the milk. Doesn't anyone at the factory test this stuff?
I always let out a little groan when a box arrives in the mail and upon opening it, out fly dozens of Styrofoam "peanuts." How annoying is that? I opened a huge box recently with literally bushels of peanuts. To assure I wasn't missing any small parts, I had to transfer these little shards-from-hell from one box to another. Thinking I could avoid making a mess in the house, I performed this maneuver in the driveway. In mid-transfer, the wind picked up and I had Styrofoam flying everywhere, like a rare blizzard in Scottsdale. Lovely! Peanuts solve the shipper's problems. They are cheap and easy to dispense but they create hassles for the buyer.
So who's tuned in? It's hard to name them; not because there aren't any but because the experience of opening the item is not particularly memorable. The negative experiences are seared into our mind while the positive ones are a distant memory. One great example of the right approach is Amazon. They use the little air pillows to fill their boxes. Or, they shrink wrap smaller items to a piece of cardboard and put it in a box. Another example is the orange juice vendors who replaced the old spread-fold-invert cardboard containers (which frequently failed requiring the handy kitchen knife) with a simple pour spout with a screw top.
Ironically, these vendors might even save money over conventional packaging methods but the biggest bang is the subtle user experience that subconsciously says, "I want to do business with this vendor again."
