Innovation in Packaging
Packaging is the fastest growing print sector—and one of the most competitive. Being creative in your thinking, productivity and output will give your business the edge over a crowded field.
Packaging today is much more powerful and valuable than a mere receptacle.
It’s a shortcut to consumer decision-making and a communicator of a brand’s overall message. Because the demand for—and the rise of—personalized, innovative, engaging, beautifully designed or environmentally friendly packaging has become a mainstay of our day-to-day lives, packages have become a legitimate part of the customer experience themselves. The total digital package and label printing market is forecast to grow at a rate of 20% every year until 2024*. It’s an industry on the rise, both in terms of size and prominence.
A well-designed or innovative packaging solution is an increasingly important differentiator for brands and one that can have a disproportionately positive effect in driving sales. Advances in digital and smartphone technologies and a greater knowledge of green practices have significantly transformed consumer behaviour and their expectations. Product packaging is at the centre of these developments in the consumer retail experience, and it should come as no surprise that the packaging market is growing strongly.
The latest innovations in digital printing have opened up possibilities in the production process that never previously existed.** Here are four ways.
Customized Packaging
As customers and their needs grow increasingly diverse, customizing packaging has become a surefire way to gain traction. Mass customization is an attempt to deliver this heightened customer experience and engage with individual users without adding cost and complexity to operations.
Manage different markets.
Successful packaging depends on the consumer; packaging that strikes a chord in Western Canada may strike out on the East Coast. For retailers managing different markets, mass customized packaging is a useful and cost-effective strategy.
Heighten consumer experience.
Customization adds a more personal touch to consumers without adding more cost or complexity to operations. When brands elicit a unique response, customers connect and are more likely to return.
Gain traction.
As customers and their needs grow increasingly diverse, customization allows retailers to connect and leave an impression. They can increase the visibility of their brand without dipping into the advertising budget.
Engage individual users and create relationships with the brand.
With digital printing, it’s easy to edit packaging. Short print runs empower retailers to use personalized packaging as a main tool to differentiate themselves and attract customers. And by involving customers in the entire process, they may be less likely to return their purchases.
Convenience Packaging
Consumers want packaging that fits into their on-the-go lifestyles. That means packaging that’s lightweight, minimalistic, portable and purposeful. It’s packaging that goes one step beyond: single-serve receptacles that allow consumers to carry, store, even clean a product in one package. Think outside the cardboard box: digital print allows you to experiment with new shapes and unusual materials to meet these needs.
Experiment with new shapes and unusual materials.
Consider how packaging can easily assimilate into a consumer’s lifestyle. Use these different dimensions to your advantage; for example, incorporate part of the product into the packaging to show consumers what exactly they’re getting.
Service increasingly time-poor and on-the-go customers.
The more compact something is, the easier it is to transport. Consumers are increasingly looking for light but sturdy packaging that can be tossed in a backpack, purse or laptop bag; used to carry, clean and store a product; and opened with nothing more than their own two hands.
Capitalize on the rising single-serve and portion-controlled packaging markets.
Single-person households are already the most common household profile in North America***. Even those who don’t live alone seek the healthy convenience of portion-controlled servings. Not to mention smaller portions allow consumers the variety of trying new things—and retailers the ability to reach a larger demographic of tastes.
Anticipate customer needs.
Convenience means different things to different people. Determine what your customers prioritize—sustainability, portability, longevity, etc.—to ensure your packaging does more than just hold your product.
Smart Packaging
Smart packaging is a partnership between print and electronics. It helps shoppers make safer, more informed buying decision by enhancing packaging functionality. Active Packaging enhances protection by helping monitor the condition of packaged goods. Intelligent Packaging communicates external or internal changes in a product’s environment.
Facilitate partnership between print and electronics.
Manufacturers are empowered to design packaging that communicates more about their products and helps consumers with their buying decisions.
Provide enhanced functionality.
Packaging serves four functions: protection, communication, containment and convenience. Smart packaging enhances two of these functions: protection and communication.
Monitor condition of packaged goods.
Active Packaging communicates functionality such as moisture or oxygen control, helping to maintain shelf life and maintain product (specifically, food) quality longer.
Inform and communicate.
Intelligent Packaging incorporates features that indicate status or communicate product changes. This transparency enables shoppers to make more informed choices and increases their confidence in a brand overall.
Eco-Friendly Packaging
To be considered eco-friendly, packaging must be at least one of three things: reusable, recyclable and/or biodegradable. More and more consumers are prioritizing sustainability when making buying decisions. Go beyond using recycled or recyclable materials, and produce packaging with a never-ending life cycle.
Align practices with consumers’ priorities.
More and more customers are prioritizing sustainability when making buying decisions. By creating high-quality, reusable packaging, manufacturers create goodwill with their customers while keeping their brand visible every time that cardboard box, glass jar, non-woven tote bag, etc., gets repurposed.
Go beyond using recycled or recyclable material.
Print on materials that can have a positive impact on the environment once discarded—for example, media that contains plant seeds.
Produce packaging that serves a secondary function.
Sustainability means more than recycling or using recyclable materials; it’s giving second life to materials once their packaging purpose is complete. For example, a cardboard box with perforations that transforms it into a toy castle or house, or cartons that can be reused as planters.
Opportunities for Digital Printers in Packaging
With digital printing, it’s easy to edit packaging. Short print runs empower retailers to use personalized packaging as a main tool to differentiate themselves and attract customers.
Sources
*Smithers Pira, The Future of Global Printing 2018 (December 2013)
**Canon Europe Think Packaging (Autumn 2015). For further information, download the complete guide.
***Euromonitor International, The Rising Importance of Single Person Households Globally (2014)