7 Tips for Product SKU Naming for FMCG Food & Drink Brands

Product SKU naming is a critical aspect of a well-developed and thought-out FMCG or CPG product. A well-crafted product SKU name can help differentiate your product from competitors and make it easier for customers to identify and purchase. A smart SKU name can signal your brand and brand positioning before a consumer has even clocked your logo, it can show aspiration and relatability to consumers, that your brand fits with their tribe.

In this blog post, we take a look at 7 Tips for Product SKU Naming for FMCG brands…

1. Make it snappy

Product SKU names need to be short and concise, even more so with DTC and online retailing – your SKU name will often be shrunken down to one or two words, with the rest truncated.

Grenade keep their SKU name short and snappy, even shortening ‘Carbohydrate’ – and making it feel more on trend and relevant for their brand and audience…

2. Know your audience and tone of voice

Is your brand an English Truffle brand which wins Great Taste Awards each year? Or are you a bold protein brand like the above? The way you communicate and talk to your audience would be very different. Know how you communicate with your audience and the kind of language they will naturally resonate with.

The Jolly Hog have created a range of products that are easy to navigate (the difference), unique name propositions to their brand, and something a little bit fun…

3. Does it make sense?

Thinking of the SKU name alone – does it make sense? Is it clear what the product is? If you removed all of the packaging and brand elements, and just kept your SKU name on the packaging – would a consumer understand what they are being sold? Or would it need to be explained?

If you were presented with just the SKU name, with no imagery of product “THIS ISN’T BACON” would still give you a hint of what the product was offering…

4. Keep it consistent

Whether you just a basic SKU naming format that clearly calls out the product type, or something more elaborate and brand-focused, make sure it is consistent and makes sense, and is just as strong across the full product range.

Innocent focus on quirky SKU names for some of their ranges online – the language plays on common phrases, all of the SKU names are just as strong (and roughly the same length) across the full product range…

5. Use descriptive words

Include descriptive words in your SKU name that accurately describe the product’s taste, ingredients or benefits. Like the Innocent example above, exaggerate and romanticize to reach a point of aspiration.

Oatly enhance and romanticize their proposition by adding words like “WHIPPABLE” – chances are no other tinned custards in the category were using words like this, premiumising the Oatly offering and making it seem a more versatile proposition in consumers minds…

6. Make it ownable

What unique words can you bring to your category for shelf standout and ownability? No brand would ever dream of trying to call their milkshake CHOCOLUSH once it is on shelf and registered. The consumer knows exactly what the product is, it exaggerates and elevates the product proposition, and signals a fun and cheeky brand which offers a more unique experience to the mass players and own label.

A perfect example of perfect product naming from Shaken Udder – with a brand name like that, they had no option but to follow through on their SKU names with fun and unique propositions…

7. Consider cultural sensitivities and export opportunities

Although your product name makes sense in the UK – does it make sense in Europe? How about the US where their take on language is very different. Will you create different SKU names for these regions for relevancy?

A brand with real global ambition – the SKU name “Clock Work Orange” has full Western appeal and will be just as relevant in the UK as it would in the US…

In conclusion, product SKU naming is a crucial aspect of product considerations for an FMCG brand. By following these tips, you can create effective SKU names that resonate with customers, differentiate your product from competitors, and bring a unique brand to the shelves. More on DTC packaging.