Nowadays, convenience packaging seems to dominate the food industry. With time being one of the most precious commodities, there’s a greater demand from consumers on-the-go for accessible, ready-to-eat meals.
As a result, here are 6 things you should consider if you want to package with convenience in mind.
Serving/Portion Size
Millennials and younger generations largely contribute to the market for convenient single-serve foods. This is because they’re continuing the trend of late marriage and parenthood.
In turn, the demand for single-serving portions has been on the rise to reflect the needs of a population which is busier and more health-conscious.
By adapting your packaging to provide single-serving portions, you may be able to successfully target millennials. In addition, you can also cater to those who wish to sample a large variety of products!
Consider the French wine brand, “Le Froglet,” which is available in RosĂ©, Shiraz and Chardonnay.
The brand uses these single-serving Tulip wine glasses which come with its own peal-off foil lid. These glasses have become a popular choice for those seeking convenience as they’re perfect for all types of outdoor and indoor occasions. Moreover, the single-serving portions help meet the needs of those seeking a healthier and waste-conscious lifestyle.
In terms of its design, the Tulip is successful in portraying the wines through simple, transparent packaging. Unlike traditional wine bottles, single-use wine glasses are lightweight, don’t require glass bottles and can help you to achieve lower shipping costs as well!
Accessibility
Features such as resealable closures are essential to convenience packaging! There’s a greater demand from consumers for resealable pouches in order to help keep foods fresh while they’re on-the-go.
Consequently, it’s important to consider whether opting for resealable closures will benefit your consumers! Instead of having to rip open a pouch and spend time locating an elastic band or bag clip, resealable closures can help to save time and ensure maximum freshness!
An example of a popular chip brand which successfully applies this concept within its packaging is Pringles. All of their chips are packaged in a corrugated tube with a plastic lid.
Weight of Packaging
When it comes to packaging for convenience, weight is a very important factor! Light weight packaging not only attracts all types of consumers, but can save you a lot of shipping costs too!
Nonetheless, it’s important when considering light weight packaging, that you don’t compromise the security and perishability of your product!
Is it Easy to Dispense?
Convenience packaging doesn’t always mean single use servings, nor does it only cater to those on the go. Convenience can also be achieved by ensuring that your packaging enables your consumers to successfully use your product without having to worry about waste and messes.
In turn, packaging designs can impact the convenience factor of any given product. For example, if you package your skincare products in tubes vs pump bottles, it can influence the way your consumer will interact with your packaging.
Pump bottles can make it easier to dispense lotions and can make it a more convenient option instead of having to squeeze tubes. However, if your products are made for those on-the-go, the more convenient option would be packaging your products in tubes to prevent any spills from pump bottles.
Shape
Shape is another major factor to consider. More businesses are opting for flexible packaging options such as stand up pouches because features such as spouts, zip locks and resealable seals can easily be incorporated in the packaging design.
Moreover, flexible packaging can be cost-effective, innovative, light weight and eco-friendly too! The cost of manufacturing flexible packaging is lower than more traditional packaging, partly because it requires less materials.
Less materials result in lower weight, which means the cost of shipping will also be relatively lower as well. This gives you the opportunity to optimize your distribution channels and fit more products.
Overall, flexible packaging is now a very popular choice amongst businesses because they’re the future of convenience packaging.
Eco-Friendly
Lastly, when considering convenience, try incorporating eco-friendly options!
In addition to existing Kraft paper, technologies such as corn-based plastics and biodegradable materials are becoming readily accessible and affordable for you to use!
In turn, although single portion packaging predominantly uses plastics, your business won’t have to compromise your social responsibility. Moreover, a lot of the eco-friendly options these days are malleable so they can be molded into whichever shape you like as well!
For more information, you can read our previous blog post on alternative packaging materials! Also, look out for our upcoming blog series on alternative materials! We go in-depth on unlikely packaging materials, including how manufacturers make them and what their main uses are.
We’re Here to Help
In conclusion, the demand for convenience packaging is likely going to continue rising. This means that more emphasis will be put towards accounting for single-serving portions, packaging shape, weight, materials, and usability.
With multiple factors to consider, you can rest assured that our experienced design specialists are here to help!
With our knowledge of eco-friendly materials, design trends and custom-made packaging, we can help you achieve convenience and meet the needs of your consumers!
Don’t hesitate to contact us today for your free consultation!
I definitely agree that single-use portions are not a requirement for convenience packing, nor is it limited to individuals who are always on the go. Indeed, another way to make your product more convenient for your customers is to make sure that it comes in packaging that makes it possible for them to utilize it without worrying about spills or waste. Okay, this is why I feel like business owners should know their product to see whether they need to purchase flexible packaging or something else.
Thank you for your comment Lily! We totally agree! Creating mindful packaging can also be great for increasing convenience. 🙂