Here is my list of 5 packaging trends to watch closely in 2014:
1) Food
waste, Smart Packaging a part of the Solution
In a world of 7 billion people, set to grow to 9 billion by 2050,
wasting food makes no sense Economically, Ethically and
Environmentally.
Food safety and Food waste is a bigger environmental problem than
packaging waste. Packaging has a vital role to play in containing and
protecting food as it moves through the supply chain from farm to fork. Shelf-life
extension is the Holy Grail for the food industry.
Smart packaging (active and intelligent) has been focused on retailer-benefits,
namely: food safety and security, spoilage reduction and extending shelf-life. In
the future expect it to be more consumers focused: delivering enhanced
freshness and better information to elevate product quality for consumers.
According to Freedonia Group (2012), US Demand for smart packaging is
forecast to climb 8% annually to $2.3
billion in 2015, significantly outpacing overall packaging demand. Advances
will be driven by the availability of products with more reasonable price
points and those offering enhanced shelf life and/or improved quality.
2) Stand-Up
Pouches are growing rapidly - Standing for protection, communication,
convenience, and sustainability
Consumers’ nomadic life-styles and the growing number of
single and senior households favor a trend toward single and small-portion
packs. Flexible packaging, especially stand-up pouches constitute the ideal
solution.
The top three packaging characteristics cited
by packagers as reasons for choosing stand-up Pouches are cost savings per
individual package, improvements in shelf appeal and better barrier performance.
The top three manufacturing performance justifications for the choice of
flexible packaging are decreased operating costs, increased output, and greater
flexibility in manufacturing change-over.
According to PCI Films Consulting (2013),
US demand for stand-up pouches is forecast to grow by 42% over the next five
years to reach almost 24 billion units in 2018. Beverages and pet food are the
largest end use categories, closely followed by human food applications with
around 30% share. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is
the increase in demand for convenience in packaging.
3) Bio-based
packaging materials will grow, but not necessarily biodegradable
Recyclable
PET made from renewable resource (Sugarcane) is projected to offer significant
growth potential over the longer term, particularly as large corporations,
especially those in the soft drink industry, are investing heavily in the
development of this material.
According
to European Bioplastics (2013), the production capacity of biobased PET today is
around 600,000 tonnes a year. This
volume is reported to grow to roughly 5 million tonnes by 2016. Regarding rigid
applications, PET is mainly used to make beverage bottles, other transparent
bottles or rigid trays and films.
4) Inbound
Marketing - Social media and social selling
Social selling has rapidly gained influence as a powerful B2B
strategy for building customer relationships, as well as generating sales
opportunities. People want to buy from a company they can trust as being
honest and transparent. Your positive and social interactions in social media
networks will go a long way in establishing the credibility of your brand. The
more people feel they can trust you, the more people they will tell about you.
It is clear that marketing is changing on a fundamental level
as the internet continues to revolutionize how we find, buy, sell, and interact
with brands and their products or services. The days of annoying consumers with
intrusive advertising and marketing tactics are fading. Traditional Marketing
was about pushing messages out. Today it’s about pulling people in. Inbound
marketing is a marketing focused on getting found by customers. The new
age of marketing is about providing value and earning customer loyalty instead
of simply pounding a message into consumers heads and hoping it will stick.
From a recent Canadean report “Global Packaging Industry CEO
Business Outlook Survey 2012-2013”, advertising budgets, “email and
newsletters,” “social media and networking sites” and “public relations” are
expected to register the highest investment, identified by 47%, 44%, and 36%,
respectively. Conversely, “television,” “outdoor,” “radio” and “newspaper”
advertising is expected to decline.
5) e-Commerce
– a sales channel for growth
It’s
no secret that online retailers are gaining serious market share. Consumers
spent a total of $5.3 billion online over Thanksgiving weekend, an increase of
22% over last year, when shoppers spent $4.3 billion online. Cyber Monday, the
busiest online shopping day of the year, broke yet another record this year as
shoppers spent $1.74 billion online,
marking a record for the most dollars spent online in a single day. By 2017,
eMarketer estimates that e-commerce spending will reach $440 billion
The growth in e-commerce presents an opportunity to assess
the whole supply chain, to consider new types of packaging. As e-commerce
grows, it may be possible to use simpler retail packs, make them smaller, leave
them unprinted or perhaps remove them entirely.
The continuing popularity of online shopping will propel
healthy gains for corrugated boxes used in the fulfillment of Internet sales
(Corrugated & Paperboard Boxes, Freedonia 2012).
Best wishes for a healthy, wealthy, sustainable and
innovative New Year 2014!
From an environmental point of view, pouches are
more sustainable than traditional packaging formats (cans, boxes or rigid
plastic container). They utilize much less material, improve the product to
package ratio and eliminate over packaging and waste. Depending upon the
application, pouches can weigh up to 95% less than rigid containers and take up
less than 10% of the space typically used by rigid containers. In addition,
pouches require much less landfill space than other containers.
