Your product’s packaging can be a helpful marketing tool through in-store advertising. Branded products are easily recognized, so designing packaging with your logo front and center helps consumers remember your product next time they are shopping.

Benefits of Packaging

• Packaging protects the product.
• Packaging keeps the product from going bad.
• Packaging decreases costs.
• Packaging informs.
• Packaging provides hygiene.
• Packaging means economy.
• Packaging is a preventive measure.

At its most base level, product packaging serves to protect the product inside. Packaging must keep the product safe during shipment between the manufacturing facility and the retailer and must prevent damage while the product sits on the shelf. Therefore, product packaging must be sturdy and reliable.

Packaging performs five basic functions: 1) Protection 2) Containment 3) Information 4) Utility of use 5) Promotion!

• Protection:
• Containment:
• Information:
• Utility of use:
• Promotion:

The following is a brief overview of all three types of packaging, which together typically form a complete packaging line.

• PRIMARY PACKAGING. Primary packaging is the packaging in direct contact with the product itself and is sometimes referred to as a consumer unit.
• SECONDARY PACKAGING.
• TERTIARY PACKAGING.

Important functions of packaging are given below:

• (i) Product Identification:
• (ii) Product Protection:
• (iii) Convenience:
• (iv) Product Promotion:

5 basic principles in good product packaging design

• Principle 1: Packaging design is “the face” of a brand.
• Principle 2: Packaging design should be consumer-friendly.
• Principle 3: Creative packaging design.
• Principle 4: Packaging design should be multi-purpose.
• Principle 5: Pay attention to product packaging material.

The selection of proper packaging materials and systems is an integral part of food process and product design. Robertson (2005) attributes to packaging four functions: containment, protection, convenience and communication.

5 of the Most Common Packaging Materials in the World

1. Paper/Paperboard/Fiberboard. Paperboard and fiberboard are used in both primary and secondary packaging for companies throughout the world.
2. HDPE/PET/Rigid Packaging.
3. LDP/LLDPE/Flexible Packaging.
4. Aluminum Packaging.
5. Glass/Jars.

The leading role of food packaging is to keep the product in top condition and keep it safe for consumption. It is also essential that the packaging helps to maintain the flavour, shape and texture of the product. It’s important to remember that convenience also plays a significant role in increasing product sales.

The roles of packaging are to protect the contents from the elements, allow for the ease of transportation, provide information, add convenience in stocking, marketing and communicating the value of the product, security of the product to keep the consumer safe, and finally, environmental responsibility.

The primary purpose of packaging is to protect its contents from any damage that could happen during transport, handling and storage. Packaging retains the product intact throughout its logistics chain from manufacturer to the end user. It protects the product from humidity, light, heat and other external factors.

Primary package is the first containment of product that directly holds the product. Secondary package is the containment for the primary package. Tertiary package is the containment with the foremost purposes of protecting the product during distribution and providing for efficient handling.

Packaging can help sell the product because it provides space for sharing information about the product, such as nutritional information, usage or directions. For example, some packaging contains marketing messaging on the front to attract customers to pick it up and look at the product.

4 Fundamental Factors to Consider When Choosing Packaging Materials

• Secure and Durable. While all packaging should be reasonably strong, the amount of protection needed will of course, depend on the fragility of your product.
• Affordable and Easy to Use.
• Always Widely Available.

An attractive packaging beckons the consumer and encourages impulse buying. Symbols, colors, texture, and styling create instant recognition and persuade a customer to make a quick buying decision.

It shows the recipient that you are passionate about your product, and reinforces the handmade ethos – that your product has been lovingly made and packaged by hand – not by some machine in a factory!

Following are the main features of good packaging:

• Convenient. Good packaging should be convenient.
• Attractive. It is another essential feature of good packaging.
• Economical. The other feature of good packaging is to be economical.
• Protective.
• Communicative.

Ingredients: The label on a product allows the customer to know what is in the food they’re eating or the product they’re using. This allows the consumer to know how healthy, or unhealthy, the product is. It’s also important to display the ingredients for those who may be allergic to certain ingredients.

Product labels perform several functions: to identify the product; to promote the product; and to provide essential, often required, information about the product and its use.

Different kinds of label are discussed under:

• (i) Brand Label: Such a label which has only the brand name of the product is known as Brand Label.
• (ii) Grade Label: Grade label highlights the quality or grade of the product.
• (iii) Descriptive Label: ADVERTISEMENTS:

Labelling is an important part of the marketing of a product. Labelling is essential as it helps to grab the attention of a customer It can be combined with packaging and can be used by marketers to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product. Packaging is also used for convenience and information transmission.

Reading labels can help you make informed food choices. Packaged foods and drinks—the types that come in cans, boxes, bottles, jars, and bags—have a lot of nutrition and food safety information on their labels or packaging.