Description For most people, the term packaging conjures up images of fragile, cute boxes and colorful, sparse packing materials. However, packaging encompasses much more than those images; it is an art and a science of creating, evaluating and maintaining packages. In fact, packaging is an important part of the entire supply chain management system of any organization.
Why is packaging so critical to today’s businesses? Simply put, consumers expect to receive their purchased goods in pristine condition when they pay for them. As a result, packaging plays a significant role in ensuring that manufacturers and distributors provide their customers with top quality products. Consumers expect to be able to identify a product originating country, supplier, and date of manufacturing or sale within a pack. With the ability to properly identify these key elements, consumers feel better about the purchase they make and the care they are taking of their investment.
Packaging, however, is far from a one-time function. Packaging, after all, must continue to evolve to meet the changing needs of today’s marketplace. As the demands of today’s marketplace continue to evolve, so too must the packaging involved in those products. Over time, improvements have been made in the science of packaging, as well as in packaging design, resulting in an increased ability for manufacturers and distributors to produce a greater variety of packaging for their products.
In addition to basic packaging, many organizations and businesses employ specialized packaging to help their target market to identify their merchandise. Some types of packaging include custom boxes and containers, labelling, tamper evident labels, comprehensive shipping and delivery manuals, invoice stickers, invoice labels and foam labels. All of these packaging types help to ensure that consumers can easily and quickly understand the purpose, location, source, date of manufacture, as well as address and other pertinent information for each product they purchase.
As packaging materials become more sophisticated, they are becoming increasingly important to the overall effectiveness of the marketing campaign. Packaging has become an essential component of an organization’s marketing mix because it can help create a professional image, foster brand loyalty and create a positive impression for the consumer. Many companies recognize the importance of packaging in creating this type of first impressions. Whether the packaging is being used to promote a specific product or to provide consumers with information about that product, the effect on the consumer’s mind can be profound.
The importance of packaging cannot be underestimated. In fact, it is likely that packaging plays a larger role in the effectiveness of the overall advertising campaign than do most television advertisements. Package packaging and the various types of labeling it supports can actually create a positive atmosphere between the buyer and the product, creating a more likely to purchase than if the packaging was poorly designed or the label itself read like an advertisement. Package design and proper labeling can also provide consumers with valuable information about a product, such as what it contains or any warranties that may be offered.
Another aspect of packaging that is often considered in the overall effort to improve consumer awareness and appeal is the location of packaging. Many marketers believe that the best place to place an advertisement is on the side of a package. This placement positions the advertisement where it can be seen by most consumers, which encourages potential buyers to take the advertisement into their own hands. However, many researchers have found that consumers tend to ignore ads placed in the middle of a shelf or around the sides of a package. While placing the advertisement at the bottom of a shelf or on the sides of a package does sometimes produce results, these kinds of locations are also often the most difficult for consumers to remember and they also rarely relate to the products that are displayed.
Proper packaging has become increasingly important as consumers become more conscious of the impact of their actions on the environment and they are now demanding environmentally friendly packaging methods. Improved manufacturing techniques have resulted in more durable and effective packaging, which has made it possible for packaging manufacturers to utilize every square inch of space available. This increased awareness among consumers has also spurred a surge of new interest in the design of packaging. As a result, the packaging machinery necessary to handle this multifaceted process has steadily increased in size and complexity, resulting in increased productivity and an overall higher level of satisfaction among consumers.