Packaging News You Can Use

Consumers are busy and you have to reach them where and when you can. We’ve already seen the growth of higher end products in convenience stores to catch consumers on the run. So where else can you capture to dollar of that elusive consumer and what packaging will appeal to them?

Despite all you have read about excess packaging of products consumers still want convenience and are willing to pay for it. It has to fit their busy lifestyles too.

For example the trend towards more healthy eating even on the go is offering more opportunity. Companies have developed fresh produce offerings for vending machines.

Del Monte Fresh produce introduces fresh fruit and vegetable vending line to address need for healthy snack alternatives.

Or even the vending machine itself. This is a far cry from the typical “roach” coach.

Advanced Technology: h.u.m.a.n. machines include digital LCD screens, credit card readers, and remote inventory monitoring capabilities.

Other options might include offering fresh fruit such as bananas in not traditional places.

As in most fruit ripeness is a factor so packaging is helping extend the shelf life.

Individually wrapped bananas are coming to many 7-Elevens as part of a marketing test.

Other retailers are expanding into more varieties of offerings such as Walgreens such as this headline indicates:

“Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) — Walgreen Co. plans to offer fresh foods and prepared meals to draw “time-starved” shoppers to its more than 7,000 stores, taking on retailers such as Target Corp. and Kroger Co.”

or

“Target, the second-largest U.S. discount store, is expanding its food offerings in general merchandise stores under the name PFresh. PFresh stores will have fruit, ground meat and other fresh foods, as well as pre-made sandwiches, salads and other prepared meals in the store’s Food Avenue area, said Jana O’Leary, a spokeswoman.”

Lastly you have consumer products companies such as P&G going directly to retail bypassing traditional retail outlets.

The maker of Tide detergent, Pampers diapers and Gillette shavers is taking hundreds of its popular consumer products directly to shoppers through a new Web site.”

In this image provided by Procter & Gamble, the home page for the company’s “eStore” is shown. Procter & Gamble is taking hundreds of its popular consumer products directly to shoppers through the new Web site. (AP Photo/Procter & Gamble) Via newsvine.com

With all these new avenues of selling the consumer its even more critical that your packaging reach out to them in the right places with the right message. You never know where your next purchase might come from.

Packaging Phrases To Watch For In 2010:

• Non Conventional Retail Outlets
• Walgreens
• Target
• Fresh Produce
• Modified Atmosphere Packaging
• Procter &Gamble

Tags: fresh produce, Modified Atmosphere Packaging, Non Conventional Retail Outlets, packaging, Procter &Gamble, Target, Walgreens

Its always hard for me to choose a “best of” because there are some many criteria impacting product packaging. But every month there are a few outstanding examples of innovative product packaging.

So here are my picks for Oct:

FreshCase: wine box design by Constellation Europe

The lightweight box holds the equivalent of three bottles (2.25 litres), while using the same shelf space as one bottle, and keeps wine fresh for six weeks. This looks amazing for space utilization. Now if the wine is just as good as the package.

Products in packaging pouches for kids that don’t spill and are portable. This is such fun packaging even grown ups will like it

Innovative packaging snacks for vending machines. A whole new category opportunity for the fresh produce industry providing the packaging does its job.

A new concept in pizza boxes which has remained virtually unchanged for years. It reduces waste and promotes recycling.

This patented invention is that fact that the Green Box is made from 100% recycled cardboard. There is also the option for a vegetable-based coating.

Tags: fresh produce, green, packaging, packaging innovation, sustainable, vending, wine

Just this week I read about a rooftop garden project called Sky Vegetables. The premise is simple growing food on the rooftops of buildings (mostly unused space) to provide locally grown produce.

Therefore saving on transportation miles to deliver fresh produce locally and cost effectively.

It got me to thinking about how local produce can be marketed through packaging. As consumers evaluate their purchasing decisions in terms of what’s most environmentally friendly, the producers are struggling how to convey that information on the packaging.

It’s important to provide the correct information for the consumer to make an informed purchasing decision yet at the same time protecting the product and keeping it fresh and sanitary.

One of the best ideas is to have a color coding system that shows have far each product was shipped or traveled to the point of sale. Consumers could look at each item and make their purchasing decision (if they care to) on how far a product has traveled.

This could be a simple as a color sticker applied on the existing packaging. Like this system used in Canada by Byward Market Standholders Association that uses four color-coded, circular stickers:

• Red means Canadian.
• Blue means imported.
• Green means from within 100 kilometres of Ottawa.
• Yellow means organic produce from anywhere.

Another concept would be to have a wrapper somewhat similar to a barcode that gives you the actual statistics and a printed receipt that spells mileage out exactly. These numbers can be somewhat scary but in a global economy not all that uncommon. If fact many economy’s are built around alternative shipping seasons such as Chilean produce shipped to the US during our winter. (It’s their summer)

This is a conceptual idea only not in actual use.

Far Foods (way too far according to this)

You can also use the fact that your products are grown locally as a marketing and branding tool like theses examples that cover a broad range of locally grown products identified by a specific geographic area.

When buying close to home counts.

Of course if you have plenty of money to spend you can launch a branding campaign like FritoLay supporting its potato chips as a locally grown brand. You scan a special code on the packaging and find out where your potatoes were actually grown. Check out how it works with their chip tracker tool @ http://www.fritolay.com/lays/chip-tracker.html

Lastly another consideration is utilizing local suppliers, how far is your packaging being shipped to you. Can you source closer to home? Then you can use the locally grown and sourced statement on your product packaging too.

Grown locally and food miles will continue to be a hot issue as people become more aware of using resources more effectively. In fact there is evan a term called “locavore.” “Packaging going local” is a great marketing and sell tool if you use it properly so ask yourself how can you capitalize on this trend to build your brand.

Tags: branding, buy locally, eco friendly, food miles, fresh produce, marketing, packaging