Where the Food Packaging Market is Going: Edible Packaging

The packaging market is continually evolving, but while most other industries focus  on the most advanced taping machines and carton sealing machines, the food packaging is taking a different, somewhat surprising, direction. The latest in the food packaging market is something called ‘Wikicell’, an edible form of food packaging invented by David Edwards, a professor at Harvard University.

WikiCell works a bit like skin; it can protect any liquid, foam, or solid food that it holds. To make this possible, the material has two layers. The first is like a soft skin made from tiny food particles taken from natural sources such as fruit, nuts, chocolate, and seeds, as well as a nutritious ion-like calcium, plus a natural molecule, which can either be chitosan or alginate. The result is a layer of electrostatic gel that can hold water or other beverages inside.

The second layer, on the other hand, is the outermost layer and serves as a harder shell around the first layer. There are two kinds of this edible shell. The first is the edible type, which is made of a kind of sweetener called isomalt. The other kind is not edible but is completely biodegradable; it is made of either tapioca or baggase, which is the substance left over when sugar is removed from sugar cane.

So depending on the kind of WikiCell packaging used, the shell can be eaten or peeled off and thrown away. Either way, there is no need to worry about solid waste. Even if the outer WikiCell shell cannot be eaten, since it is made from natural ingredients, it is completely biodegradable and is certainly a better option compared to plastic or carton packaging.

What’s truly interesting about WikiCell is that it can not only be used to hold solid food, but also beverages. There are two ways to consume drinks that are encased in the WikiCell. The first is when the WikiCell is small enough, so all you have to do is toss it into your mouth. The second is when the WikiCell is far too large to be consumed like a grape; in this case, you can actually use a straw.

The WikiCell is now in its latter stages of development and sooner or later, you might be able to enjoy ice cream wrapped in WikiCell. The good news is, once the other shell is removed, the ice cream, which would still be wrapped in the inner WikiCell layer, will not melt in your hands. But here’s the best part yet; since the soft skin can also be given flavor, it is no longer just a packaging, but actually becomes part of the food product. So if you’re eating vanilla ice cream, the skin could be made to taste like chocolate fudge. It is also possible to include some vitamins and minerals in this soft inner skin, which can even make food more nutritious.

Currently, WikiCell packaging can be produced by a single machine, which is capable of producing 50 to 100 WikiCells per hour. This new packaging material gives us a clue as to the future direction of food packaging. For one thing, it can give food sellers and marketers lots of great marketing ideas gunning for all-around convenience. After all, what can be more convenient than simply eating your food without having to remove its outer package?

WikiCell is now being produced by WikiCell Designs Inc., a company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Paris, France. Just recently, the company was given the prestigious Special Jury Award for Innovation at the SIAL Paris, a leading global food industry conference. 

Pack Expo International 2012: The Latest in Packaging Brought to the Spotlight

The Pack Expo International 2012 was held in Chicago last October 28 to 31 in a four-day record-breaking event. The event was hailed as the largest packaging and processing trade show in the world for 2012, thanks to the myriads of packaging and processing professionals that made it to the exhibit.

The exhibit covered an area greater than 1.1 million net square feet as up to 1,965 companies agreed to join. This was more than 6% higher in terms of space occupancy and up to 7% higher in terms of the number of exhibiting companies compared to the Pack Expo International 2010. These companies provided innovative packaging and processing solutions for every market, such as automotive, food and beverage, chemical and industrial, cosmetics and toiletries, dairy, electronics, fruits and vegetables, hardware and tools, meat and poultry, seafood, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, household products, toys, crafts, and many others. The exhibit included on-site demonstrations and product launches, with promises of new possibilities, improved security, higher cost savings, and sustainability.

The McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois was packed full of exhibitors and attendees, which also broke records. Pre-registration alone recorded a 10% increase compared to the last Expo. The final attendance numbers, however, was not as high as expected due to the unprecedented East Coast storm that hit during the scheduled dates. Despite this unexpected hindrance, up to 45,300 attendees still came, which recorded a final 3% increase over the 2010 attendance. The increase is attributed to the 8% increase in the number of attendees from abroad.

Despite the effects of the storm, the Pack Expo organizers still concluded their largest exhibit since 2006, and according to Charles Yuska, the president and CEO of Pack Expo, the exhibits who signed up for the event were very pleased with the leads that they received.

Those who missed the event can check out some of the exhibits presented during the expo on YouTube where some of the companies themselves have uploaded video presentations of their packaging products and demonstrations during the event.

Looking Forward to Pack Expo 2013

Now, the noise in the packaging industry has not died down, and the same exhibitors who were at the Pack Expo International 2012 are again aiming for yet another exhibit: the Pack Expo Las Vegas, which the organizers have announced will be held on September 23 to 25 in 2013. Preliminary updates state that there will be almost 560,000 net square feet of exhibit space in the Las Vegas event, which means the 2013 event is expected to be over 20% larger in terms of space occupancy compared to the 2011 event. Reservations for booth space have began, and Pack Expo organizers are quite confident that next year’s event in Las Vegas will be their largest yet.

There is another implication of this continuous increase in terms of size and attendance in one of the most important exhibiting bodies in the packaging industry. These positive developments, such as the growth in the number of exhibitors, all point to the fact that the whole packaging business is really on the rise. Every year, more and more companies are attending the events to showcase their latest packaging technologies. And every year, attendees from all over the world come to the exhibits with the intention of seeking potential packaging technologies that might be of use to their respective businesses.  This is also a good time to check out what's the latest trend in the packaging industry particularly in taping machines, case sealers and other packaging machines that can boost a business.

QR Codes in Your Product Packaging – Maximizing the Magic of Interactive Packaging

QR codes or Quick Response codes have been in use since 1994 when they were first developed. Now, Nielsen has revealed that 31 percent of mobile users have a smartphone that can read QR codes and that this number is continuously growing. In fact, based on market estimates, this percentage is expected to grow by a third over the next two years.

The market has responded eagerly to this development. The ability to push quite a lot of information – any kind of information, in fact - by adding a small, simple code that is basically free to generate is like a Pandora’s box of benefits to marketers.  You can now incorporate this outside the box just like a label.  Once the box passes through the taping machine, these codes will eventually be visible to the eyes of the consumer.  This will create a lot of open doors for marketing.  

In other words, it’s too good a technology to pass up. As a business, you should start creating QR codes of your own, and one of the best places to put them on is your product packaging.

How Creative Can You Get?

The best thing with these codes is that they are highly versatile, thus allowing marketers to use them flexibly. The possibilities are just endless, and you can match them even with your most specific marketing needs. So if you’re thinking of using QR codes in your product packaging, don’t just use them to give your customers a link to your website. Although effective and useful, this is actually the most old-fashioned way of using these codes.

Here are some more creative suggestions to help you get started.

• Use QR codes to store discounts, freebies, and prizes as a way of giving back to customers who support your products.
• Use QR codes to store instructions manuals; as an additional incentive, you’ll be helping save paper too.
•  Use QR codes to give your customers directions to your stores or to your service centers.

How the Big Brands Are Doing It

Before QR codes found their way to the market, the story all began in Japan. These small but powerful codes were developed by Denso-Wave, a Japanese automotive components manufacturer, who used it for distribution purposes.

The rest of Japan, however, quickly caught on, and before long, marketers were showing the codes on TV to allow viewers to link to company websites. Soon, McDonald’s in Japan began putting the nutritional information of their bestselling burgers in QR codes.

Eventually, renowned company Marks & Spencer adopted the technology in the UK. M&S was more creative; they placed the codes on their juice packaging and filled it with jokes and other information about their products.

Since then, a lot of other companies have taken up the technology, with Pepsi even launching an entire ad campaign to publicize the appearance of QR codes on its Pepsi Max packs. In Pepsi’s case, the QR codes contained video clips and free mobile games.

Some Last-Minute Reminders

Before you start printing QR codes in your product packaging, beware of these pitfalls:

• Linking to websites that are not mobile optimized. Most consumers scan QR codes with their mobile phones and access the content directly on the same device. If your code is linked to a website that is not optimized for mobile viewing, it will just frustrate your customers.
• Using codes that are only readable by certain devices. Many QR codes these days can only be scanned by iPhones or BlackBerry devices. Unfortunately, the Android and Windows smartphone markets are also growing, so make sure to create a more versatile code if you don’t want to make your customers feel alienated.

This smart guide to using QR codes in your product packaging is enough to get you started. As you go along, you’ll certainly learn how to be more flexible and creative with these codes.

Packaging for Your Online Business: How to Package Your Products for Shipping

Whether you are in the manufacturing or the retail business, you probably already have an idea how much impact a neatly wrapped and properly packed product can have on your customers. But now that more and more people are shopping online, the products they buy have to go through other delivery channels before reaching customers’ hands.

In many cases, the products don’t get to the customers in the same pristine condition as when they were shipped. Sometimes, the products get damaged, which can cause major repercussions for your e-commerce business, such as the need to replace the product just to satisfy your customers. And sometimes, boxes get torn and opened in transit; just imagine how your customer would feel to receive a dilapidated package. Whether you like it or not, these things will reflect badly on you, not just on the courier.

So if you’re selling your products online, take time to package your products for shipping, which is far more constrictive than regular product packaging. If you can get away with just using bags in your stores, when it comes to packaging for shipping, using properly and thoroughly sealed boxes is the best option.

Given this, you may want to consider investing in automated packaging solutions, such as carton sealers or taping machines, as these can help you pack your products properly and more speedily so they can be shipped in excellent condition.

Packaging Investment Suggestions for E-Commerce Businesses

There are several types of packaging equipment that can help streamline the packaging process for the benefit of your e-commerce business. If your products need to be protected from moisture, such as books, stretch wrapping equipment will be handy. If your products break easily especially when exposed to physical impact, shrink wrapping ‘bubble wrap’ machines are certainly a must. If your products come in large sizes, such as electronics, case sealers and case erectors are important investments as they can really make a huge difference in protecting your products. And most importantly, since all your products have to come in sealed packages, a taping machine should be one of your first investments.

If you want to go the extra mile to impress your customers, you should also consider investing in your own labeling equipment. This will help you build a brand identity, something that is harder for online businesses to do. You may not have a storefront to display your brand name and logo in, but you can at least leave labeled boxes in your consumers’ homes. They will certainly help make a more lasting impression and thus provide added marketing benefits.    

And before you forget, if you ship items that are breakable, make sure to label all packages with ‘fragile’ to provide additional protection for the items inside.

Going All the Way

Now, even if you’ve invested in packaging machinery and do your best to present your products properly to your customers, you won’t leave a positive impression if your securely and neatly packed product does not get delivered on time. So as an added tip, make sure to choose the right courier service to deliver your products; nothing can ruin a perfectly good product than poor service. Unfortunately, in the e-commerce business, the service of your courier has a huge effect on you. 

As an e-commerce business, shipping is part of your product distribution process, so you can’t just deliver your products to the courier as is. You are still responsible for it until it gets to your customers. Since you don’t have to worry about the overhead expenses that go into maintaining an actual store, you can at least invest in better, more secure packaging for your products. 

A Question of Convenience: How the Fast-Paced Lifestyle Has Changed the Food Packaging Industry

If you’re a food entrepreneur, you may want to keep yourself up-to-date with the latest trends in the food industry, particularly those relating to packaging.

Any entrepreneur in the food business knows that food packaging can be especially challenging as more factors, such as the cleanliness and freshness of food as well as cost should be taken into consideration. Thus, it’s not just enough to invest in carton sealers and taping machines. Coming up with the perfect food packaging is a lot more challenging than that, especially now that ‘convenience foods’ such as fast food and processed foods are on the rise.

‘Convenience foods’ refer to food products that are designed to be consumed quickly. Thus, aside from the usual considerations, business owners also have to check on flexibility and the ability to stay intact during transport.

If you are looking for the best and most convenient food packaging options, here are the top technologies you can use.

Polyester and Other Types of Plastic Containers for To-Go Beverages

In the beverages department, it’s obvious that if you are aiming for convenience, you should not use glass, which is very fragile. This is how plastic bottles became popular. Over time, plastic bottles have also changed. In the past, they were mostly made using PVC or poly-vinyl chloride. This material, however, was eventually banned, and this prompted the industry to look for other alternatives, such as PET or polyester, polycarbonate, polypropylene, and polyethylene.

Due to the large role of plastic in the world of food packaging, it is hard to completely get rid of it. But since plastic is not biodegradable and with concerns regarding environment-friendliness growing, packaging manufacturers are designing plastic containers that are recyclable. Although these still use plastic, they help eliminate waste by allowing repeated uses. 

Tetra Pak and StandiPacks: On-the-Go Snack Pouches

Aside from plastic containers, you can also consider using the all-too-useful Tetra Pak. This, unfortunately, is not a reasonable option for small businesses, and using Tetra Pak requires a significant investment due to the high manufacturing costs it involves. One excellent alternative is standipack, a special food pouch which is designed to stand by itself.

You can also try using retortable pouches, which are made using no less than five layered laminates. These also have sealable polythene on the inner walls. These pouches, or tubes, are most commonly used for paste products such as mayonnaise.

Carton Packs and Trays: On-the-Go Meals

Carton packs have become the norm for to-go food products, and some of these are designed like trays so they can hold complete ready-to-eat meals.

AMPET: Temperature-Resistant To-Go Packaging

AMPET, or amorphous polyethylene terphathalate is a relatively new packaging material that boasts of excellent barrier properties. Its most significant improvement over other packaging materials is its ability to withstand sterilization temperature. This is interesting to note for entrepreneurs whose products require some heating prior to eating.

Agronit Bags: Fruits to Go

Fruits are great to-go food items as they are highly nutritious but are easier and quicker to consume. However, they are also challenging to package as they can easily lose their freshness when not properly packed. Thankfully, Agronit bags, also known as mesh bags, offer the ideal packaging material that can preserve freshness for longer periods and allows you to see through to check on the quality or ripeness of the fruits the bags contain.

If you are selling food to go, you should definitely give your packaging a lot of thought. Additional packaging features that make the consumption process more convenient can go a long way in differentiating your brand and products from competitors.  

Cold-Seal Adhesives - Ushering In A Better World for Medical and Dental Packaging

The packaging pros are continuously working on new ways to package medical and dental products, and this has been a continuing challenge for them. Although they don’t have a problem rolling out carton sealers and taping machines for the consumer industry, the unique nature of medical and dental products and applications keep the packaging design engineers on their feet. One specific area they’ve had a tough time with is finding the right material and adhesive combination.

Cold Seal Adhesives – Medical and Dental Packaging’s Best Option

But now, design engineers are veering towards cold-seal adhesives. The cold seal technology has so far been known for its low cost, high bonding rate, and low temperature – three factors that make it a promising alternative to traditional sealing technologies. But engineers also found that this new technology solves several design problems in medical and dental packaging.

Cold-seal adhesives are made using a combination of synthetic rubber and a variety of adhesive components. In the past, natural latex rubber was used for this process, but this was banned from medical packaging back in 1999 due to the allergens commonly found in natural latex.

These adhesives feature a special type of pressure-sensitive adhesive that can form a very strong bond despite requiring very slight pressure at normal room temperature. But what’s unique about them is that the base polymer they use bonds only to itself. This means they will not bond with other substrates, which eliminates several problems in storage and assembly. Thus, they can be used without liners and without causing damage to the sensitive medical and dental products they house.

Cold seal adhesives come in different types. They are currently available in paper film, transparent carrier film, transparent plastic film, and other paper and plastic combinations. They also differ based on sealing forces, which range from 0.5N/15mm to 4.0N/15mm.

Assembly and Labeling – Other Important Considerations

After the design, however, comes another challenge: assembly. This is another common challenge for the medical and dental packaging industry, where factors such as antimicrobial protection come into play. The common assembly process used in cold seal adhesive packaging is ultrasonic welding, which provides a strong effective seal without using heat. Ultrasonic welding is also a top option for antimicrobial packaging as it minimizes seal contamination, minimizes rejects, and streamlines production.

Ultrasonic welding is a process that uses high-frequency, low-amplitude vibration to heat the area between the materials that need to be joined. The process is fast, clean, and can be used even for small objects.

After assembly, important considerations have to be made when it comes to labeling medical and dental products. It is crucial that the labels be tamper-evident and pressure-sensitive.The packaging design process is challenging enough as it is, with common concerns such as production efficiency and cost effectiveness, but the stakes are even higher in the medical and dental industry. Thankfully, design engineers continue to strive for new developments that help enhance production and eliminate the common challenges in packaging. 

Turning Pouches into Profits – How to Use Packaging to Drive More Sales

If you’re in the retail business, you are probably already aware of the importance of packaging. But according to a recent research, the role of packaging in driving retail sales is becoming more and more important. In fact, in the process of choosing between two closely similar retail products, consumers are more likely to use packaging as the ultimate differentiator. No wonder businesses, from big brands to small retailers, are now focusing their attention on developing innovative packaging solutions and are investing on automated packaging systems such as taping machines and carton sealers.

Well, if you’re wondering where exactly to focus and what to prioritize as you try to update your product packaging, let’s narrow it down to the three most important:

Your product packaging is an ad. Use it like one.

Don’t let your ads tell one story and your product another. This helps create a unified image of your brand in your consumers’ minds.

Packaging is often associated with boxes, yes, but it doesn’t mean you have to stay within them. Why not go out of the box in terms of the shape, color, or graphics of your product packaging? It will certainly add a unique appeal to your products and make it easier for consumers to reach for them on the shelf.

According to research, it takes consumers less than five seconds to make a purchase decision once they arrive in the right section of a retail aisle. This means that the more attractive your packaging is, the greater its chance of winning consumers over in those few precious seconds.

Just to give you an idea of how important those few seconds are, a packaging technology provider has reportedly developed a coating that can actually deliver a certain scent when a consumer handles the package. It makes you wonder how the supermarket will smell like by the time in case this new technology catches on.

People are extremely busy these days. Convenience is key.

These days, packaging should not only be attractive; the fast-paced lifestyle of today also calls for packaging that is also convenient. This is especially important for food products, which should be convenient enough to allow customers to eat the food in a hurry. This has been the focus of food packaging for quite some time now, hence the rise of microwavable containers and resealable packs.

Some small details can also make a huge difference, like easy-open features and ergonomic packs that are easier to carry. Easier to dispense pouches are now also preferable over bulky boxes. These are just some ideas you should certainly look into when choosing the right packaging for your products.

Going green goes a long way.

Your environmental responsibility can attract a lot of customers these days. You may think that your decision to incorporate greener packaging options in your business will only give you peace of mind but won’t help bring more profit, but you’re wrong.

More and more people are now becoming attracted to all things eco-friendly, and interest in them is ever growing. Consumers now feel more assured in choosing a brand that are aware of their social responsibility, and it’s also good publicity to be in good terms with environmental activists.

Fortunately for entrepreneurs, the packaging industry itself is rising up to the challenge of meeting the growing demand for innovative packaging technologies. This means that you now have plenty of options to choose from, which will make it easier for you to present your products to the market in the most attractive, most convenient, and greenest ways possible. 

New LED Packaging Technology Discovered: Packaging And Performance That Goes Hand In Hand

The packaging industry is a tree of many branches, but it cannot be denied that some branches extend further faster than others. The LED packaging technology is one such branch because it has no choice but to move beyond the technology used in automated carton sealers and taping machines. LED technology has become one of the most prominent technologies as a result of an increased awareness of energy efficiency, and many researchers have willingly risen to the challenge of packaging this technology safely for global distribution.

Packaging that Does More

Their efforts have most recently led to the development of a new way of packaging LED that not only protects it during transport, but can also boost its performance. The new study, which was conducted by researchers in Taiwan, have discovered that a unique flip glass substrate used for packaging LED has demonstrated several key improvements in LED performance several aspects of LED performance.

Currently, most LED products distributed commercially are packaged using PLCCs or plastic leaded chip carriers, PCBS or printed circuit boards, and ceramic holders. These packages are partly non-transparent to make sure the LED light does not penetrate through the sides.

The new LED packaging technology recently discovered in Taiwan, however, moves away from this design and instead uses side walls made of fully transparent glass substrate covered with phosphor on the outside. It then has a cavity created to house the LED; this cavity is filled with silicon whose role is to protect the LED. When the LED has to be used, the packaging is simply flipped over so that the LED light can be emitted through the transparent glass.

Benefits of Newly Discovered LED Packaging Technology

Wider viewing angles. According to researchers, this latest discovery in LED packaging can provide a wider viewing angle of 140 degrees, compared to the 125-degree angle offered by 95% of conventional LED packaging used nowadays. This improvement is caused by the LED light’s penetrating through the side walls, thus reducing reflection loss – a common problem caused by non-transparent packaging material.

Better uniformity of colors. This new LED packaging technology has also exhibited better uniformity of the angular correlated color temperature. This is what determines the coolness and the warmth of the LED light. Due to its lower maximum deviation of just 1300 K compared to the 2500 K of other LED packaging materials, the color uniformity is improved. According to researchers, the phosphor coating is the reason behind this.

Improved quality evaluation and assurance. This new technology also allows producers to test the LED and the packaging separately before they are fitted together. This means that they are better able to identify flaws in production that may lead to color quality problems. This can help reduce the waste levels and the errors during fabrication.

This new LED packaging technology is not yet out in the market, as researchers still have to improve the material’s transmission and perform more tests on its reliability and heat dissipation abilities. These aspects will also determine whether this packaging technology can be used for higher-power LEDs.

If you are a business owner supplying various LED products, this new development will be of great interest to you. Staying up-to-date with the latest packaging technologies can help give you gain a competitive advantage over other players in your industry. 

Transporting and shipping would be another crucial consideration.  Buying a quality and dependable taping machine and acquiring an automated packaging system will help you in ensuring that products are handled well from the manufacturing side down to the market.

Comparison Between Hot Melt And Acrylic Carton Sealing Tapes

Product packaging is very important in any business.  Packaging is sometimes neglected in introducing the product to the market.  It is often overlooked as a very important aspect of marketing.  Just like choosing the right adhesives that will suit your product, which is also often ignored.  Even if you have a dependable taping machine in your packaging department, if you use a not so reliable adhesive tape, your product may be up for a big surprise once delivered to the market.

So how do you chose from a wide variety of adhesives that are out there in the market?  To give you a better perspective and to guide you on what to use on your production line, here is a short comparison between two of the most popular types of tapes:

1.     Adhesion – Hot Melt adhesives have significantly higher adhesion compared to    an Acrylic tape.  This is true to almost any surface including fiberboards.

2.     Shear Value – Hot Melts performs well under constant pull or stress.  This is why hot melt adhesives are commonly used with or performs better in case sealers.  Just like a rubber band when stretched, it goes back to its original state.  Acrylic tapes can be pulled but will come off once they return to its original state.

3.     Price – Acrylics are cheaper that is why this is the choice of many especially when budget is a consideration.  Price of the hot melt depends on the thickness and the size.  Price would also vary if it will be used for heavy duty or just for regular or general tape use.

4.     Temperature – they are both functional in hot and cold temperatures.  Acrylic tapes works in temperatures ranging from 32 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit while Hot melt will work well in temperatures ranging from 45 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  Acrylics holds up very well in extremely low temperature.

5.     Appearance – Hot melts comes in various colors and it yellows with age.  While Acrylic does not change in color as it ages.  Acrylic tapes have stronger resistance to Oxidation that is why it doesn’t yellow with age even exposed under the sun or any element that can influence change in color.  This is also the reason why Acrylic is preferred by manufacturers whose intention in the first place is to display the box.

Choosing the right tape for your packaging is also essential to positioning your product.  It gives the consumer the sense of assurance that the product is of high quality and well thought off.  Make your customers feel that your product is sealed securely and durably.  Buy the right adhesive now for your product and see the results of having the appropriate tape.

Branding Your Product In The Market

Branding is how you package your product in such a way that your target market will see your product as the only available solution to their problem. 

A great marketing person would always think of the sum total experience of the customer with the product.  That is why every stage in the product cycle is very important.  From the creation of the idea to the manufacturing of the actual product down to the packaging using a taping machine to shipping and to delivery.  Every process is essential and will contribute to the whole experience of the targeted market.

So how does branding works?  What are the key factors that influences branding?  Listed below are some essentials for an effective product branding:

1.     Clarifying The Win – what is the “winnability” of your product?  Your product should have a defined and a clear goal.  What do you want your customers to feel when they are holding or using the product?  Ask the question “what is the most important thing that you want to achieve when your product is already out in the market?” 

2.     Focus on One Thing – you can clarify the win by also being focused.  Who is your target market?  What is your unique message?  Focusing will also help you in engaging your target market.  As you define your focus, as you own that one significant thing, your target market would understand your product even more.

3.     Be Consistent – focusing is not enough to engage the market.  You need to be consistent with how you brand your product.  If it’s for female today, don’t say that it can be for men tomorrow.  Consistency is essential.  Be consistent with your message.  Use the same taglines, logos, images, fonts, tone and other visual components that will make the customer remember your product.  Do this for a long time and you will win the market.  Imagine McDonalds, they have been around the industry for decades and one can still remember that yellow letter “m” that is visually present in almost all corners of the world.  Consistency is indeed essential.  This is also where you apply the technicalities of packaging the product.  To be consistent would mean that you employ automation let say in packaging.  Uniformity in packaging can be achieved by using high quality and dependable taping machine or case erectors.

4.     Call to Action – it is very important that you stimulate your target market not to just remember your product but most importantly to consistently buy you for a longer period of time.  Give them a good offer to buy your product.  Be intentional and be obvious with the offer.  This is where your pricing comes in.  Study the market for competitive pricing.  Quality and scarcity is also a factor for people to buy your product.

Branding a product is very practical but you have to be intentional and should be timely.  It is very important that you invest time in researching and building your product.  Every stage is a part of a bigger objective and that is to deliver the end product to the consumer.

Importance Of Packaging: Product And Consumer Safety

Packaging is an essential tool of marketing.   It establishes the identity of a new product.  It also brands or positions the product to attract the right market that it wants to hit.  Moreover packaging also protects both your product and your target market or what you call the end consumer.  That is why it is very important to have an excellent packaging system to make sure that these objectives are met.  Having a high quality-taping machine is one way of ensuring that the product reaches the last line of the cycle.  This machine ensures that products are encased and sealed properly securing it for shipping and distribution down the line.

Recently, a news broke regarding a child in Vancouver grabbed a laundry pod causing him to lose his eyesight.  These new technology in the detergent industry is making its way to the market like a hot potato.  This little plastic bag-like square that hold laundry detergent is an answer to those who do their laundry and wants a quicker way of doing it.  These pods will make laundry easier.  With this laundry pods, you don’t have to scoop the detergent powder and you don’t have to redo your washing just to add the stain remover and the brightener.  These pods will save you time, it may not be substantial but accumulated over a year, it might be significant. 

Are these pods safe to use?  Well these pods are designed for laundry but because of it s bright colors that are so appealing especially to children who likes grabbing small stuff that are colorful and delectable, this may pose danger to them.  Keeping those pods in higher places like inside your hanging cabinets or somewhere that your kids cannot reach would be a good way to store it.  If you don’t have any kids well good for you.  But an important consideration in packaging is that the product is not just presented well to the market but it should also ensure that product is kept safe especially when in the hands of the consumer.  Going back to these gel pods, yes it is safe to use it as long as it is kept safe from children.

These pods are shipped from the manufacturer down to the market and used by the consumer.  What’s amazing about this product is that it is heat resistant and it doesn’t melt.  Keeping it inside the box and sealing it through a taping machine will not affect the quality of the product.  It will only disintegrate once it is dipped in water.

Packaging of these laundry pods is truly a breakthrough in the detergent industry.  Imagine having three most important stuffs that you need while doing your laundry in one small plastic pod.  Nevertheless, even if the product has tremendous positive effects on the consumer, always make safety the top priority.

New Marketing Trend Through Packaging

Packaging plays a crucial role in positioning your product in the market.  If you are serious with your product you have to develop and continuously look for new ways on how to engage your target market to patronize your product.  Companies involved in manufacturing are now paying closer attention to how their packaging systems can get those new packages into the market faster and do it more cost effectively.  Having a high quality taping machine is a good start in ensuring and securing the product’s quality from the factory down to the consumer.  These case erectors and sealers are just part of a bigger and automated packaging system that a company has to invest in.

Going back to new marketing trends, interactive packaging is now gaining popularity especially in the food and beverage industry.   When it comes to promotion and selling of a product, packaging connects the product and the consumer beyond what media and advertisers can do; today packaging bridges the product and consumer through virtual encounter using technology.  Advertisers and Marketing people are now using augmented reality as a new way of engaging their market to buy their products.  Due to the popularity of Androids and smart phones in today’s generation, augmented reality is now transforming the way companies market their products.  Thought it has been around for more than 2 decades already, augmented reality is just being utilized today.  In essence if you create a packaging that has augmented reality, your view of the product that you are looking at through your smart phone is enhanced.  The packaging is augmented by a computer-generated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.  TicTac’s Shake Thing Up promo is one good example of a product, which used this kind of advertising through on-pack augmented reality.

Have you heard of QR codes or what they call “quick response code”?  This QR code is attached with a mobile application that will lead the consumer to a website, a game or a short video.  This kind of interactive packaging integrated with mobile applications is now seen in the marketing world.  These two-dimensional codes were originally used for the auto industry.  It was invented to track vehicles during the manufacturing process.  But due to its fast readability and larger storage capacity compared to the conventional barcodes, it is now used for interactive consumer advertising and packaging.  One successful story of QR code promotion is Verizon’s promotion.  Upon using the QR code, their customers are redirected to an online competition, which will allow them to win a smart phone.  This promotion increased the sales of that particular store by 200% for that week alone.

While sales and profits are the bottom-line of many companies, a business owner should not neglect that through packaging, a product is connected to the consumer in ways far beyond what you can imagine. 

Investing a little on an automated packaging system such as a taping machine and innovating on how you design and utilize your packaging like using QR codes and Augmented Reality will definitely help you achieve your objective, repeat sales and loyal customers.  Then profit will just follow.  

Impact Of Product Packaging In the Marketing World

Packaging is an essential stage in strategizing and positioning your product in the market.  It is not an end to itself but it is a way to attract and get your market to patronize your product.  A high quality taping machine, case erector and carton sealing tape plays a very important role in achieving the end goal.  This machine will not only achieve operational efficiency and reduced cost but it will aid in creating a lasting impression to the consumer.

So how does packaging impact the buying behavior of the market?  Most consumers would buy the product once they see how it is packaged.  Some would have an idea of what’s inside the box but they wont care until they see the packaging.  Packaging gives them assurance that indeed what’s inside the box is worth every penny.  Although it may vary from person to person depending on his buying capacity and preference, packaging is still part and parcel of the whole product.  But to prove the point that packaging indeed influences buying behavior of a consumer, imagine two identical products with the same amount placed inside two individual boxes.  One box is just plain white cardboard while the other box would have more colors and a more attractive design.  Guess which box would sell?  Yes, the second box would definitely sell, hence packaging can influence the behavior of the buyer.

Without a doubt packaging can persuade the buying behavior of the consumer.  Listed below are some of the many effects of packaging in marketing your product:

1.     Security – It assures the consumer that the product was carefully shipped from the manufacturer to the distributor down to the supermarket or department store then to the end consumer.  It also assures reseller or distributor that the item is of high value because packaging was well thought of.  Using a taping machine, case erector and a case sealer will ensure that products are sealed and protected from the factory down to the end line.

2.     Sense Of Quality – Aside from being secured that the item is of high value and that it was shipped carefully, packaging gives the consumer the feeling of having a high quality product.  Consumers and resellers alike will sense that the manufacturer invested in packaging because the product is of high quality.  It differentiates low quality competitors from the high quality brands.  It’s like buying a can of soda as against buying soda in a plain plastic pouch. 

3.     Brand Positioning and Awareness– Packaging itself promotes the brand and establishes market position.  Amidst too much clutters in the marketplace, packaging helps consumers pinpoint your product.  With the use of colorful images and logos, one can identify fast which one is your product and which one is not.  Let’s take McDonald’s as an example; if you would buy a burger from a store with 50 different types of burger from 50 different burger chains in the US, you would easily identify McDonald’s burger by simply looking for the M logo of McDonalds.

Strategizing how you would sell your product is very important.  Packaging should always be at the core of every market strategy.  But always remember that quality of a product should always be on top to make sure that consumers will come back for more of that product.  A high performance and a reliable taping machine will definitely be a good investment to make sure that your product is positioned well in the market and achieve the end goal which is repeat sales.

Thinking Out Of The Global Packaging Industry Box

UPAKOVKA/UPAK ITALIA 2013 is the 21th International Trade Fair on Packaging Machinery, Packaging Processing, Packaging Production and Packaging Material. This trade fair is an event worthy to be considered by those involved in the Packaging Industry, especially taping machine manufacturers such as BestPack.

BestPack offers the most diverse line of taping machines in the packaging industry. The company is known for its engineering innovations and customization ability. Because packaging needs vary from one industry to another, BestPack offers custom made taping machines and automation systems for its clients. This lead in the industry does not make BestPack compliant but rather motivates the brand to seek new ways to improve, innovate, and excel.

The UPAKOVKA/UPAK ITALIA 2013—the 21th International Trade Fair on Packaging Machinery, Packaging Processing, Packaging Production and Packaging Material—is a good avenue to learn about packaging industries in other parts of the world in order to gain a more three-dimensional perspective on the pulse of the global packaging industry.

The Russian packaging market offers a wealth of opportunities. Demand for packaging remains constant and interest in innovative technologies and materials for production is unwavering. Russia is on track to emerge as one of the world’s biggest consumer markets, and packaging manufacturers in the Russian Federation continue to invest in order to meet the expectations of customers in such sectors as food, confectionery, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. UPAKOVKA / UPAK ITALIA is organized by Messe Düsseldorf in conjunction with its Italian partner, Centrexpo. Messe Düsseldorf has been one of Russia's premier foreign trade show organizers over the past 40 years.

Centrexpo organizes exhibitions dedicated to graphic arts, converting and package printing technology. Centrexpo’s efforts, strategy and organizational aspects are all aimed at one purpose: to create value for visitors and exhibitors. The company focuses on communication as a basic element of maintaining good relationships with companies: the more useful information gets around, the better work the exhibitions.

Exhibitors choosing Centrexpo know they can count on a partner capable of providing positive stimuli and of solving problems, with a knowledgeable staff helping them getting the most out of their participation in exhibitions and effectively using all marketing and communication tools available.