Quick start

Start with a packaging image, compare alternatives, and explore improvements.

How to use

• Sign in, enter the workspace, and choose “New analysis”.
• Upload a clear packaging image and review the product information.
• Select competitors that fit your category, price tier, and target market, then start the comparison.
• Review the evidence and recommendations, then explore “Optimize”.

Questions and solutions

What should I prepare?

Prepare a clear front image, target market, category, and selling price. Keep price units comparable: a single bottle and a case are not equivalent price tiers. Decide whether you want better visibility, clearer information, or a more consistent visual system.

What happens after upload?

Review recognized product details, open Pick rivals, select comparisons, and start analysis. Read the report evidence before opening Optimize. If the next button is unavailable, check whether recognition is running, required fields or competitor selections are missing, or a sign-in or credit message is shown.

Can I explore without uploading?

Open View analysis example on the homepage and choose a case. Public examples show the workflow but are read-only: you cannot modify their projects or start your own analysis inside them.

Not ready with an image? Open “View analysis example” on the homepage. Public examples are read-only.

Sign up and sign in

Use an email code or Google sign-in. No separate Packlens password is needed.

How to use

• Enter your email to request a six-digit code. Your first email sign-in creates an account.
• Use the latest code. If it expires, follow the page instructions to request another.
• For Google sign-in, complete the authentication shown in the sign-in window.

Questions and solutions

My code has not arrived. What should I check?

Check the full address, including the domain and accidental spaces. Use the different-email option to correct it. Check the inbox and spam folder for recent Packlens mail. Wait for the resend countdown before requesting another code, and avoid mixing codes from multiple requests.

The code is expired, invalid, or rate-limited.

Request a new code in the current sign-in flow and enter the latest six digits. For rate limits, stop retrying until the page allows it. Delivery-service, security-verification, or configuration errors cannot be fixed by repeatedly entering codes. Contact support with the exact message, time, and sign-in method.

Google works in my browser, but sign-in did not finish.

Start Google sign-in again from Packlens, choose your account, and let the flow return to Packlens. Restart if you closed the window early. If Google sign-in is not configured, use an email code. Google authorization in the Mac Mail app is separate from Packlens sign-in.

Check your email address and spam folder if no code arrives. Follow any rate-limit instructions. If Google sign-in fails, try an email code.

Upload packaging

Use a clear front view of one target package, with its brand, category, and main information visible.

How to use

• Prefer JPG, PNG, or WebP. Avoid blur, strong glare, and large obstructions.
• Review the brand, category, price, market, and packaging format shown after upload. Correct editable fields where needed.
• Replace the image if it is not recognized as packaging. If prompted to choose a package, select the target you want to analyze.

Questions and solutions

The file is not an image, cannot be decoded, or is too large.

For “Please upload an image file”, choose an actual image; renaming a PDF extension does not convert it. For “This image format cannot be decoded”, export a JPG or PNG. For “Image must be smaller than …”, compress or resize below the displayed limit, then check that branding and key text remain readable.

The package is not recognized or the details are wrong.

Crop unrelated background and keep one complete package, its brand, and front information visible. Replace images with severe glare, blur, or obstructions. If prompted to choose among packages, select the target. Correct editable product fields; report non-editable errors that affect competitor matching.

How do I investigate a general upload failure?

Check for session-expired or insufficient-credit messages first. Retry once with a small JPG or PNG that opens locally. If only the original fails, investigate its size and format; if multiple files fail, check connectivity. Report time, browser, file format and size, and whether upload or recognition failed. Avoid repeatedly creating the same task.

Other formats depend on browser decoding support. Convert the image if a format fails; follow on-screen size limits. If your session expires, sign in and select the image again.

Choose competitors

Choose products shoppers might compare side by side, rather than packs that simply look similar.

How to use

• Review the candidate images and product information in “Pick rivals”.
• Prioritize similar categories and prices in your target market.
• Select the competitors to compare, then continue. Follow the selection limits shown on the page.

Questions and solutions

How do I evaluate a candidate?

Compare category, pack size, price, and market. For drinks, distinguish single bottles from multipacks and everyday drinks from electrolyte products. Relevance labels help with screening but do not replace checking product information.

Can I upload my own competitor?

Use the competitor-image upload control in Pick rivals. Once uploaded, locate and select it in the candidate list. If uploaded competitors cannot be loaded, use Retry beside that message before uploading the same file again. Read-only examples do not allow competitor changes.

My selection is missing, or I cannot continue.

Turn on Selected only to review the comparison set and remove unsuitable items. Continue is disabled with no selection or while submission is running. Also check filters and collapsed low-relevance candidates. The candidate count is not the number of products that will be included in your report.

If candidates do not fit, check the product information and use the available adjustment controls. Contact support if you cannot find suitable comparisons.

Read your report

Start with the overview, then use evidence and competitor gaps to understand possible improvements.

How to use

• Visibility & Impact: how easily the brand and package can be noticed and recognized.
• Information efficiency: clarity of category and key information, including potential confusion.
• Visual system: layout, graphics, typography, and visual expression.
• Open dimension details and review the evidence alongside your product positioning.

Questions and solutions

What should I do with the overall score?

Identify the weakest dimension, then review its evidence and competitor gaps. For thumbnail recognition, inspect whether the brand and category remain readable when reduced. Connect each observation to a specific comparison and proposed change before selecting optimization directions.

What do the three dimensions mean in practice?

Visibility & Impact covers brand prominence, shelf discovery, and thumbnail recognition. Information efficiency covers category clarity, readable key details, and confusion with rivals. Visual system covers hierarchy, typography, and graphic consistency. Read the evidence before assuming every weakness needs brighter colors.

A conclusion looks wrong, or a dimension is missing.

Check the target image, selected rivals, product details, project, and analysis result. If a dimension is processing or failed, inspect progress rather than treating placeholders as conclusions. Report the exact dimension and conclusion, why you disagree, project ID, and time.

Scores support design decisions; they do not predict sales. Results from different images or competitor sets are not necessarily directly comparable.

Optimize packaging

Turn findings into visual directions your team can explore and discuss.

How to use

• After comparison, open “Optimize”.
• Choose available directions, focusing on the most important issues. Review selection limits and credit requirements.
• Generate a concept and compare it with your original packaging and recommendations.

Questions and solutions

No directions are available, or I cannot generate.

If report recommendations are not ready, return to Compare and finish analysis. If none are selected, expand Other directions; the current limit is five. If selected suggestions are unavailable, refresh and review the selection. Resolve credit or in-progress-task messages before continuing.

How can I avoid changing too much?

Start with one priority, such as brand recognition or information hierarchy. You do not need to fill all five slots. Remove unrelated directions before generating. Check the resulting brand name, flavor or size text, imagery, and layout against your original problem.

Generation failed or produced incorrect details.

Record the error, confirm processing has ended, then use an available retry control and review credit requirements. Have a designer correct inaccurate product text and brand details before external use or printing. Report project ID, selected directions, the incorrect content, and time. Do not assume retries are free.

Generated images explore design concepts. Check text, brand information, structure, and print details before production. A concept image is not a production-ready print file.

Credits and plans

Check your balance in the workspace account area and open plans to see current options.

How to use

• Review credit requirements before starting an analysis or generation.
• If your balance is insufficient, review the available plan or recharge options.
• Check the currency, price, and subscription cycle at checkout.
• If benefits do not update after payment, refresh your account status. Contact support with the payment time and on-screen message if the issue persists.

Questions and solutions

How do I handle an insufficient balance?

Check the balance in the lower-left account area and open plans. Review recharge options if offered. Compare the operation requirement with your balance before buying, and confirm the actual checkout currency, amount, and billing cycle rather than relying on old screenshots.

Payment succeeded but my benefits did not update.

Confirm payment success, return to the same Packlens account used for purchase, and refresh its status. If it remains incorrect, contact support with payment time, plan, order or receipt number, and a redacted success screenshot. Do not buy again merely to refresh benefits.

Was I charged for a failure? Can I cancel or get a refund?

Record failure time, project ID, and any confirmed balance change, then ask support to check the transaction. For cancellation or refund requests, include the purchasing account, order number, and reason so support can review the order and applicable policy.

Live pages determine balances, prices, and available benefits. Do not email card numbers, passwords, or verification codes.

Troubleshooting and support

Read on-screen messages first. Clear feedback helps us understand the issue.

Questions and solutions

A task has not finished. What should I do?

Open the project progress dialog. If still processing, wait rather than starting another identical task. For a clear failure, save the message and use the available retry control. If status remains unclear after refreshing, report project ID, start time, last stage, and browser. Keep the project for investigation.

Contact us does not open a window, or sending fails.

If no compose window appears, check your default email app. If it opens but sending fails, verify the sender account, outgoing server, and authorization. A browser Gmail session does not authorize Mac Mail. In Mac Mail, use Window → Connection Doctor to inspect SMTP/IMAP errors; complete browser reauthentication if requested.

What makes a useful support request?

Keep the prefilled account email and project ID. Add time with timezone, starting page, exact clicks, expected result, actual result, and full error text. Say whether the issue repeats. Include relevant controls and messages in screenshots, but hide passwords, codes, and sensitive payment details.

The contact button requires a working default email app. If sending fails, check its account authorization and outgoing server settings. Keep passwords and verification codes out of screenshots.