Not only does this Flexible Packaging Assn. Gold-award winning package help reduce waste by eliminating the need for the paperboard insert, it also allows consumers to open and feel the soft socks inside prior to buying, courtesy of a zipper supplied by Presto.
"People were tearing open the old packages in the store by the hundreds," says John Faucette of Burlington, NC-based Gold Toe Brands. "It’s been a major problem in department stores.
We were constantly having to bring goods back in for repackaging, or sending packages to the stores for the employees to repack. Once a bag was opened, it was ruined."
The conversion from a simple plastic bag to a stand-up pouch allows the package to be merchandised either on pegs or standing up on the shelf. The rigidity of the package is provided by the 48-ga PET/ink/adhesive/4-mil clear LLDPE structure.
"The material for the old bags was cloudy-looking," Faucette says. "It didn’t show the socks very well. Now you can see the socks perfectly. It really makes a good presentation."
The package is reverse-printed by flexo on the polyester, providing a silver back panel and an orange inside panel facing the clear front that helps reinforce the design concept and custom colors essential to the marketing of the brand. Additionally, by burying the inks inside the structure, the package appears glossier and scuff-free.
Rolled out to Sears stores in December, the silvertoe gear women’s socks are packed by hand into the bags manufactured by North State.
"The customers that we’ve shown the new pack just love it, and love the idea," Faucette says. "It makes for a very attractive package. It draws people’s attention."
