How your merchandise is packaged and presented can make or break a sale. Customers want what they buy to be packaged correctly. If it’s food, for example, they want it to be packaged so that it stays fresher longer, to be environmentally friendly and not to be difficult to open. “Packaging plays a key role in consumer packaged goods innovation, whether marketers are introducing new products or trying to invigorate existing brands,” said Lauren Demar, Global CEO, Ipsos InnoQuest. “As a key driver in the consumer’s decision to buy, packaging features can often be leveraged to charge a premium.” Demar added that because consumers place a higher value on packaging that preserves freshness and provides environmental benefits, marketers may have the opportunity “to win over consumers and increase revenues through innovative package designs that deliver sustainability of freshness as well as sustainability of the planet.”
How Important Is Packaging?
The consumer is influenced by how your product is wrapped. Is it fresh? Was it difficult to open? Did the packaging protect the product, or is it in a million pieces? Were there holes in the packaging, and is it contaminated if there were? Product contamination can happen at any point before the customer buys your product. When that happens a recall can destroy your products creditability, reduce sales, and you can possibly get sued. Also, FDA regulations require an ingredient list, possible side effects, the batch ID number and the date of manufacture to allow tracing if there is a problem or thrown away if expired.
Freshness Counts
If your food isn’t fresh or doesn’t taste fresh, you’ve lost a customer. A date on the package which explains when your product should be used by helps customers know how long they can depend on product freshness. Several types of packaging extend product shelf life and help to control the products freshness. Some of the materials used are glass, rigid and flexible plastic, aluminum, and cardboard. These materials can also be used in any combination to protect the merchandise. Also, the familiar bag-in-a-box packaging is used for cereal, crackers and products of that nature. Aluminum is used for cans of soda, sports drinks and food containers, and flexible plastic is used for variety of drink products.
New Packaging Products
There are some new advancements in packaging to help keep merchandise even safer. One example is flexible packaging such as flow wrapped candy bars. The flow life has a longer shelf life than foil or paper packaged candy bars. Film barriers are used in meat products, for example, and there can be coatings added to the film to enhance the product’s shelf life. With the re-sealable packaging, the product keeps it’s freshness by having air locked out through a zipper, lid or label enclosure.
If you use the right shape and colors in packaging your brand, then you will build brand awareness for your product. If you use the right packaging for product safety, you will make your consumer feel safe in purchasing your product. By investing your time, money and consumer awareness, you will keep your customer safe as well as make a profit by increasing sales.
Photo Courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
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