Refillable packaging may increase brand loyalty. . .

A structural packaging engineer in Great Britain suggests that packaging can also be used to increase brand loyalty—think razor blade refills. Take it a step further, she suggests and design the package to "act as a docking station," becoming the caddy that conveniently holds the product and its companion products. A recent Gillette gift pack was designed to hold a razor, refill blades and shaving cream. One cleaning product brand allows customers to refill their bottles from a large container found at specialty stores. And Reschke's reusable wine bottle comes with an easy-to-remove paper label. The company logo is subtly etched into glass and a glass stopper with a rubber seal comes with the wine so that the bottle can be refilled with water once the wine has been drunk. The package designer says, "People will buy into the wine brand because they like the idea of the little bit of social responsibility." Brand loyalty may improve as the reusable bottle—which displays the brand in a beautiful glass etching—creates an "unconscious cachet" that you are an environmentally-conscious consumer.

Source: www.packagingnews.co.uk