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Reshaping Packaging's 'Silent Salesperson' Role

Clutter at retail, wider international markets, and evolving brand strategies lift packaging’s importance in making the sale.

Packaging for the Kodak Water & Sport one-time-use camera respond to club store needs. The primary packages are in a multipack t
Packaging for the Kodak Water & Sport one-time-use camera respond to club store needs. The primary packages are in a multipack t

A major driver of packaging innovation today is the need to sell brands at the point of purchase. Crowded shelves, a shift in retailing toward super stores and club stores, and newer brand strategies are impacting package design and structure.

To assess the scope of these challenges, Packaging World convened a roundtable of thought leaders in packaging development. They are designers, managers at consumer packaged goods companies, and a researcher (see Panel Members sidebar, p. 60). Led by packaging consultant Jim Peters, the group offered a perspective on just how effective packaging can be when consumers make their in-store buying decision.

Jim Peters: Superstores and club stores continue to grow at the expense of traditional grocery outlets. How do these growing retail channels add special packaging challenges?

Jim Scott: We do a lot with both club stores and superstores. They all want something different from what consumers will find in conventional retail channels...primarily they want products in larger sizes. A good example is the Kodak Water & Sport one-time-use camera. We sell it in a two-pack primarily for club stores. That gets the price into the β€œhigher ring” category those stores want.

As with many club store packages, this package appeals to two buyers. First is the consumer who has a big enough family to buy two cameras. But we also have to appeal to the small retailer who buys from the club store for resale. That buyer may be a small sporting goods store or an oceanfront fishing shop. To accommodate both, we make the package β€œbreakable”...that is, we design it so the small retailer can open the package and resell each of the individual cameras.

The result is a packaging project that has to coordinate four elements: A primary package that has to be labeled for subsequent resale; a secondary two-pack; a display tray with graphics to help the consumer find this product in the club store; and finally, the pallet configuration that will help these products survive the distribution system and yet be β€œshoppable” in the store setting.

Scott Young: There is a growing awareness of channel-specific packagingβ€”a different package for each channel. From a testing point of view, we do β€œreality checks.” How do we adapt the traditionalβ€”or perhaps the newβ€”package to new retailing environments?

Art Herstol: One of the things we’re cognizant of is that consumers in club stores are looking for a great value. We need to maintain the essence of our brands, but it is about communicating value. One of the ways to accomplish this is to leverage the shipping carton, which acts as display and primary communication vehicle in this environment. In super stores the situation is quite different.

The primary consideration is that consumers don’t have a lot of time to shop. They may be facing up to 30κ―  items in less than 30 minutes. It is about the β€œfirst moment of truth” when a consumer has to locate and choose between your product and your competitors’. The strategy here is to eliminate all unnecessary copy and focus on the central messages.

Liz Grubow: With beauty products, you have to strike the balance between what your brand is and what you are going to do to fit into the retail environment. It is a balance of the brand and value. You never want to trade down on the essence of the brand. You don’t want to wind up in the bargain bin.

Jim Peters: Given the clutter and that shoppers are time-pressed, are we seeing a shift toward simplicity and toward icons as a packaging communication tactic?

Jim Scott: I’m seeing this primarily in high-tech products such as our digital cameras. Our proposition is similar to the one George Eastman developed over a century ago: β€œYou press the button, we do the rest.” The packaging has to reinforce that message, and for our digital cameras, we have simplified the front-panel graphics tremendously.

Scott Young: I see a shift toward simplicity. The more clutter there isβ€”and it is growingβ€”the more people are using visual language, rather than words, to sort products. They have to sort by colors, visuals, shapes and icons. The more choices there are, the more they have to do.

Words come into play when shoppers have one product in the left hand and one product in the right hand, and they’re making a purchasing decision based on product attributes. But you have to use non-verbal cues to get them to that point.

Researched List: Engineering Services Firms
Looking for engineering services? Our curated list features 100+ companies specializing in civil, process, structural, and electrical engineering. Many also offer construction, design, and architecture services. Download to access company names, markets served, key services, contact information, and more!
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Researched List: Engineering Services Firms
Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
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Conveying Innovations Report