The famous saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is something to strive for but often not how it works in reality, especially not in the packaging industry. The packaging is often a determining factor if a customer buys a product or not. Therefore, the packaging industry needs to adapt according to customer demands. Possibly, the ones who know the most about the customers’ opinions are the ones who get to see the purchases – the retailers.
The packaging drives the customer’s perception of the product
When working in the packaging industry, you must always ask yourself what the customer wants. The customer has a relationship to the product, based on, for example, a certain taste or quality. But before starting to enjoy the product, the customer is confronted with the packaging of the product. The packaging is the first thing the customer sees when walking into a store. Therefore, it must create interest and engagement for the customer. The packaging drives the customer’s perception of the product. Poor packaging makes the customer believe the product’s quality is poor too.
Packaging facilitates a purchase by creating interest and engagement
The packaging must attract all the human senses. From vision standing on the shelf line, to feeling when putting the product in the trolley, to opening and consuming the product adding smell, taste and hearing. When optimising packaging, it is important to think about every time a customer interacts with a product. What role can packaging play to make the customer want the product even more, and to see the application area for the product? The packaging needs to show how, for example, a kitchen product, can make the customer’s kitchen experience better and in what way the product will stand out in the kitchen.
Online trend affects the packaging development
Retailers often talk about unlocking the potential value packaging can bring. Packaging is more than just getting a product to the customer, it is also an important part of the brand experience. The customers’ exposure to packaging and products are continuously changing. The experience of buying a product in a store is switching more and more to online purchases, where 50 percent of all online purchases are conducted from a mobile device. This challenges the packaging industry since it is harder to connect with people and create an interaction through a screen. When shopping online, the customer can only use one sense – the vision. This means the packaging design is more important than ever.
The retailers’ contribution to the production chain
The packaging industry lives in a fast changing world with a high turnover of products. For a production chain to function and to deliver an excellent end result, it is therefore important that there is a close communication between all parties throughout the production chain. The retailers experience the interaction between the customer and the packaged product and the further back you go in the production chain the more technical it gets. The retailers’ contribution to the production chain is thus to try to unlock and reveal how the market pulls. The retailers keep track of the customer demand to provide the production chain with the right indications to ensure that a correct supply of goods is available to the customers.
Automated production flow solutions for gentle handling of product packaging
The customers’ demands on product packaging, as well as quick changeovers, affect the packaging industry, and in turn the industrial automation equipment. Since the packaging are individually manufactured to fit specific products, the packages come in different shapes and sizes. To operate with the correct automated production flow solutions is crucial to guarantee the right handling of the packages, to avoid damages and deficiencies. FlexLink customizes their automated production flow solutions to fit specific production needs, to deliver the gentle handling the packages require.
How do you think the development of packaging has changed throughout the years? Would you like to know more about FlexLink’s automated production flow solutions handling of product packaging? Drop by our website or contact me directly. Also feel free to discuss product packaging in our social media channels.
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