Packaged to please

Todays technology advances on the packaging side offer much more than product protection and window dressing. From seal and reseal features to in-bag cooking capabilities, packaging functionality improvements are getting almost as much attention as the products themselves.

But what functionality-minded features resonate most with todays consumers?

Convenience rules
"Anything that can add convenience to a package is going to be appreciated by consumers and drive brand loyalty," stresses Bob Tupta, product manager for Weatherchem, Twinsburg, Ohio.

Convenience-minded packaging is a must for products aimed at millennials and baby boomers, he adds. Retailers will win here with time-saving functionality that supports millennials on-the-go lifestyles and with easy-to-open functionality for boomers.

"Dispensing closures that can be flipped open offer many benefits to [boomers]," he says. "They do not have to unscrew a cap that could roll off a counter; dispensing products is easier, more accurate and less wasteful, and it can be more sanitary."

Speaking of easy-to-open functionality, Jim Foster, marketing manager for Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Clear Lam Packaging Inc., notes that his company is seeing a lot of activity around new packaging alternatives that offer "intuitive" open and close features.

"Easy-to-use lidding systems are ideal for multi-serve [and multi-use] products like foods or personal health care products," he says, "since consumers continually open and reclose the package through use."

Also on the convenience side, Stacy Falconer, business development director for Dion Label Printing Inc. of Westfield, Mass., notes a rise in the printing of shrink sleeves and pouches to decorate and house individual servings.

"Shrink sleeves can be designed to either cover an entire product container or only a portion of the container," she explains. "The pouch not only decorates the product container, but also acts as the container itself. The pouch is convenient, as it can hold single-use products and tear open with tear marks or hold more servings and contain a reusable seal."

Wendy Zhou, market manager, food and spirits for Amcor Rigid Plastics, Ann Arbor, Mich., agrees that convenience-minded functionality features are important, but adds that consumers also want packaging that promotes freshness and sustainability – whether it is used for food or non-food items.

"Packaging technology advancements in resin/barrier/processing enable many applications to be converted to rigid plastic that meet the needs identified," she says.

In addition to convenience features and resealability, consumers want packaging that doesnt take up too much space in the refrigerator or cupboard, says Michelle Elizondo, marketing manager for West Liberty, Iowa-based West Liberty Foods LLC.

"Modern, sleek designs with minimal or natural-looking graphics have also grown in popularity," she says.

Whats new?
When it comes to functionality-boosting packaging innovations, retailers and their store brand supplier partners will find plenty from which to choose. One such innovation, the SteamPak Plus self-venting steam bags for fresh potato applications, comes from Global Source Packaging Inc. of Kansas City, Mo. Brad Alcock, the companys president and founder, says the bags meet consumers need for convenience, as well as trends toward health and gourmet.

"As you can imagine, value-added packaging solutions must address the needs of the entire supply chain, not just consumer demands," Alcock says. "Our steam film technology in this fresh potato application allows for high oxygen transmission for extended shelf life [and] evenly cooked/moist potatoes, and retains any in-package moisture/sauces, which can migrate [or] leak out of the package with competitive steam films."

For its part, Weatherchem, in combination with parent company Mold-Rite and sister company Stull Technologies, recently debuted two innovations aimed at convenience: the Ultra Light flip top closure and the MegaFlap closure.

"The new design features a liquid trap that keeps the separated liquid inside the bottle. The caps modern opening mechanism promotes a cleaner, more sanitary orifice that is positioned to provide improved directional dispensing," Tupta explains.

As for the MegaFlap technology, it features a flap-style full open orifice with a scoop retention feature, making access to products such as nutritional powders and snack foods easy and convenient, he says.

Amcor, too, has a number of new offerings that enhance package functionality, Zhou notes. For example, the company now offers lightweight PET bottles that boast a unique barrier coating technology (developed by Germanys KHS Plasmax GmbH) that extends shelf life for oxygen-sensitive products such as wine, fruit juice and pasta sauce. And its new roll-on pilfer-proof (ROPP) finish for aluminum screw-cap makes PET bottles for wine, vinegar and more easier to open and close while also giving them a premium look. Finally, Amcors new compression blow-forming (CBF) technology with 100 percent in-line particulate and leak inspection and corona flame treatment enhances packaging quality and provides the ability to produce lighter-weight bottles in applications such as pharmaceutical.

"It is also a greener process – uses less energy – and [has] a higher output rate than other potential cost-saving opportunities," Zhou says.

On the peel and reseal end, Clear Lam introduced new-generation flexible lidding film for rigid containers that eliminates the need for rigid lids and shrink bands, Foster says.

"The technology provides a simple and consumer-friendly solution for opening and reclosing packaging while reducing the amount of plastic used," he explains. "Additionally, the lidding film material is delivered on rolls, which take up less [cube] space on a truck and less space in the warehouse than pallets of preformed rigid lids. This space savings translates into tangible cost reductions in trucking and warehousing and a reduced carbon footprint."

For store brand packaged lunchmeat offerings, West Liberty Foods has several innovative peel and seal packaging options, Elizondo says. They range from a 7-ounce retail package to a bulk package that holds 28 ounces.

"Another newer offering that is gaining in popularity are all-natural products that are packaged in a chip-board box that is made from 100 percent recycled materials," she says. "With recently installed HPP [high-pressure processing] capabilities, West Liberty Foods is able to offer retailers and consumers more clean-label products with longer shelf life."

Outside of the actual packaging, label innovations boost functionality is terms of communication to consumers. Here, Dion Label offers new booklet (hinge) labels and wrap-around labels, Falconer says.

"Hinge labels can be applied to flat surfaces and allow end users to learn of extended instructions and ingredients," she notes. "Many customers have been able to save from adding printed inserts or even a box to their packaging. As a result, more product is able to fit on condensed store displays, and brands are able to reduce their carbon footprint."

As for the wrap-around labels, Falconer says they also allow for expanded information content, but are applicable to travel-size products and other small cylindrical items that pose a challenge for label application and typically are not sold in a box.

Worth the investment?
Most technology advances involve an investment, of course, and those that improve packaging functionality are no exception. That being said, how does a retailer determine whether or not a particular enhancement is worthy of pursuing for a store brand product?

Elizondo says the biggest question retailers should ask is: "Will my customer be willing to pay for this package?" The answer to that question, of course, requires a bit of investment itself, in shopper research and packaging research.

Tupta agrees that research is called for, suggesting that retailers first focus on the user experience. Essentially, they would take a look at what the package is "saying" from a distance of 10 feet or 25 feet away, and incorporate tests and retailer decision-makers own experience as a consumer. The opinions and experiences, as well as suggestions for improvement, would be shared with the decision-making team.

Retailers (and their supplier partners) also should identify the specific functional requirements for the particular package, Tupta says, and consider regulatory implications, environmental impact, retail shelf dimensions, filling and capping operations and more. Finally, they need to ask whether the design enhances the "defining moment" for the product. In other words, "What happens when the consumer gets the product home and uses it for the first time?" he offers.

In the end, retailers should understand how any particular packaging change will improve the consumer experience, Foster adds, as well as create opportunities to reduce packaging, improve logistical and manufacturing efficiencies, help on-shelf merchandising and slash environmental impact.

"The retailer can explore these opportunities with support from suppliers and technology companies," he says. "Traditional marketing research such as focus groups and test markets can also be used to gain consumer insights and validate preferences."

And retailers also need to understand that not every functionality improvement comes with a higher price tag.

"Many times, the packaging enhancement is saving on the cost of additional packaging materials or allowing a brand to stand out and attract attention," Falconer says.

Finally, dont weigh packaging decisions in a vacuum. Decision-makers need to consider the packaging strategy as part of the overall private label strategy, Zhou emphasizes.

"Involve capable packaging manufacturers as a strategic partner early in the process," she adds. "Best-in-class packaging manufacturers often have strong design and engineering capabilities [and are] able to share market insights and provide quick packaging conceptualization development. [They can] consult and explore various options and help to find a way to achieve custom design while also delivering production efficiencies and cost savings."