Packaging is growing in importance – but many issues remain to be solved

It’s no exaggeration to say that brand owners realize that a planned and properly designed packaging increases the link with the consumers and gives a better result on the bottom line.

Brand owners also realize that it must cost a bit more to reach these results. Conscious consumers choose “good” products which values they sympathize with, for example organic, Fair trade or locally produced. The packaging have in this context a significant impact on how the product is perceived. A unique packaging design is therefore of great importance, but it is not always easy to find the right one.

Today’s packaging should communicate with an older generation that have an increased purchasing power. At the same time it must communicate with a younger target group where social media plays a big role. The packaging should also be environmentally friendly and sustainable. It’s of course difficult to find an optimal packaging solutions that both conveys a sense of “purchase me” and is perceived as sustainable.

Companies that want to win the trust of the customer must be open and honest. Many companies probably think that they have their consumers in a firm grip, but a recent survey shows that 74 percent of all brands could disappear without us missing them.

Another survey, conducted by Tetra Pak shows that 4 out of 10 consumers put more emphasis on food packaging than just five years ago. Six out of ten respondents believe that packaging will be of increased importance for food products in the future.

Meanwhile, there is a great scepticism among us consumers. A contributing factor is the “overload” of information that we receive daily. On packaging we are somewhat bombarded with different markings and information that we really don’t need. Only a third of us believe that those markings communicated on different packaging are true.

Smart and intelligent packaging can be a way to provide correct information in an understandable way (up to 60 percent of US consumers don’t understand the information in the list of ingredients or a list of nutrients). Packaging that clearly indicates that the content is still edible, or a smartphone app that provides an easy way to communicate the ingredients, can be solutions that increase consumer interest and willingness to buy.

The packaging has today an important role, and it will be increasingly important in the future. A major force for packaging innovation in the coming years will undoubtedly be to offer differentiation. To be recognized as important. There are studies that show that children already at the age of 3 can recognize 100 different brands. Packaging is often their first contact with a brand, and this applies also for many adults. Ads and TV commercials decrease in importance, we don’t want more, but we can’t get rid of packaging, even if there are attempts, such as a store in Berlin called Unverpackt. There it is expected that the customer have their own packaging with them to bring home their products.

An interesting question to carry with you is the role of packaging in the rapidly growing e-commerce. Will it decreases or increases, or is it perhaps the status quo? Do packaging that sell on store shelves also sell on your screen? Or will we need a new type of packaging?

There are many questions, and the answers are not always crystal clear, but if you want to get an update on the subject, we recommend that you participate at our next Packbridge LIVE on November 17th in Malmö.

If you want to know more about Smart and intelligent packaging you should attend our event in Sunne, Värmland on the December 15th.