CHICAGO — NielsenIQ has named the winners of its ninth annual Design Impact Awards, recognizing eight package redesigns that combined stronger shopper experiences with measurable commercial performance. Across nearly a decade of NIQ Design Impact Award winners, recognized redesigns have been associated with an average volume increase of approximately 4%.
The 2026 NIQ Design Impact Award Winners*:
- Aval French Cider (Parent Company: Aval Cider; Country: USA)
- Liquid I.V. (Parent Company: Unilever; Country: USA)
- Root & Splendor (Parent Company: Root & Splendor; Country: USA)
- Hostess Cakes (Parent Company: The J.M. Smucker Company; Country: USA)
- Back to Nature (Parent Company: Barilla Group; Country: USA)
- John West Tuna Chunks (Parent Company: Thai Union; Country: UK)
- Country Fresh Ice Cream (Parent Company: DairyMaid; Country: South Africa)
- Rustica Pizza (Parent Company: McCain Foods; Country: USA)
"The Design Impact Awards reinforce the critical role packaging plays in influencing shopper decisions and driving business growth," said Andrea Fraboni, vice president & global leader, Pack & Design Solutions, NIQ. "Packaging has seconds to do its job. The strongest redesigns make products easier to notice, understand and choose while preserving the distinctive brand cues consumers recognize. This year's winners demonstrate that packaging design isn’t simply aesthetic. When done well, it can be a meaningful driver of shopper engagement and business growth."
Following a review of submissions from around the world, NIQ's Pack & Design experts evaluated entries against key packaging principles and the role packaging plays throughout the shopper journey. NIQ's proprietary Retail Measurement Services (RMS) data was used to identify brands that achieved measurable sales growth following the launch of their updated package designs.
While this year's winning redesigns spanned categories ranging from beverages and household products to frozen foods and snacks, they shared a common objective: making the shopper journey easier. Through stronger shelf visibility, clearer information hierarchy, simplified communication, and more distinctive branding, each redesign helped shoppers notice, understand and choose products with less effort.
NIQ's Pack & Design Solutions practice helps manufacturers identify, evaluate and optimize packaging that drives shopper engagement and business performance. By combining neuroscience-based methods, including Real System 1 (EEG) research, with behavioral and survey-based approaches, NIQ provides actionable insights that help brands validate packaging concepts and make more confident design decisions.
To learn more about the winning redesigns, the packaging principles behind their success, upcoming regional presentations, and NIQ's Pack & Design solutions, visit the NIQ Design Impact Awards webpage.
*All products and company names are trademarks of their respective holders. No affiliation or endorsement is expressed or implied.
