Packaging that has added functionality, that is easy to use and makes life easier for consumers continues to be popular. We will continue to see many new examples come through the innovation funnel. With most of the development focus on sustainability, it is essential that brands and retailers can still deliver pack formats and solutions that meet an unmet functional need to make the consumer experience easier and more pleasurable. Plastic reduction is a primary focus for the majority of brands and retailers and there are signs this is having an impact on pack functionality in the market. We have tracked a couple of recent examples in the cheese sector where the resealable functionality has been removed to achieve packaging reduction targets. These isolated examples might just be a sign of things to come. However, the worldwide ageing marketplace means an increasing need for packaging that is easy to open and close.
Packaging that is easy to use will always have a place in the packaging innovation schedule. With the focus very much on sustainable solutions, it is important that packaging still delivers the necessary functional requirements and packaging. Easier to use packaging will always create a point of difference in the market and often meets the needs of a growing senior consumer segment.
Learn more about ThePackHub's Innovation Zone here.
Ampersand Projects Cooler PackThePackHub
Portable Cooling Pack Designed for Drinking Out and About
Ampersand Projects, an independent Australian drinks producer, has launched an innovative pack designed for outdoor gatherings, such as picnics. Their Vodka Soda Sunset Series Cooler Pack is being touted as a portable cooling container or esky as they are known in Australia. The pack contains nine cans of three different flavours to which the customer adds ice to the level indicated on the pack. The innovative multipack format is seen by Ampersand as a good way to increase sales in the run-up to their market’s summer season, especially as there is reported to be no other product like it on the market. The vodka sodas are available in three exclusive flavors not available separately, Pine-Lime, Raspberry and Passionfruit, with no added sugar and with an alcohol content of 4.2% ABV, and have a volume of 355ml.
