1. The product manufacturer opts for a design that looks good on paper but lacks validation testing of the pallet configuration and individual packages on the pallet. Tom Blanck, APSG manager, says club stores are either returning damaged pallets or noting that damaged products on display pallets aren't selling.
2. CPG companies often aren't prepared to act when a club store that rejected their products earlier suddenly reverses course and wants them—fast.
3. Package design is completed without knowing whether the contract packager that has been selected can run the new packages on its lines.
4. Designs are often perpetuating the one-size-fits-all approach. “It used to be easy to sell one package into all the clubs,” Blanck says. “Now, you've got to create a unique package for each of them.”
The author, Jim George, is the Editor-in-Chief of Contract Packaging magazine.
