According to a recent report by Allied Market Research, the value of the men’s personal care market is set to grow by 5.4 percent a year worldwide and reach a total of $166 Billion by 2022. Increasing changes in lifestyle and higher disposable incomes have boosted demand for personal care products for men. The growing variety of products available, from haircare, shaving and oral hygiene products to skincare, bath products and nail care, is also contributing to market growth. In addition, increasing health and fitness awareness among men and the booming online retail trade worldwide are resulting in higher sales. When appealing to male customers, retailers and manufacturers can play on the sensuousness of their products and reinforce this aspect through the packaging.
Cosmetics from the internet – feeling good is just a mouse click away
One of the trailblazers in selling cosmetic products to men is the e-commerce platform “The Modern Man”, designed exclusively for male customers. The company’s strategy consciously incorporates a high-end packaging design intended to create a positive unboxing experience for the customer.
Industry giant Zalando is also well aware that there is money to be earned from the combination of online retail and a direct appeal to male customers. The online platform launched its lifestyle offering for men at the end of last year. Its “Care” beauty range for men includes 25 brands and 1,500 products in the categories skin, body, beard and hair care.
Naturally, the retail sector would also like to benefit from the growing sales in the male target group and/or increase its online revenue. One such example is German drugstore chain dm. Since March 2019, the retailer has had a new sales platform for male customers online and in-store that focuses on male skincare, shaving and styling. The specially created “Seinz.” brand aims to attract customers to the range with specially designed in-store displays and a corresponding online strategy. In line with gender-marketing principles, the packaging is reminiscent of “masculine” items like engine oil containers and comes in dark/silver colour combinations.
Individual and environmentally aware
Online retailers can offer even more value by “customising” products to meet customer preferences. Packaging firm Karl Knauer, for example, figured that what works for mymuesli (a mix your own muesli start-up) would also be a good fit for gift packaging. The packaging company is the first manufacturer to offer its customers the option of being able to design and order customised gift packaging online. Very small quantities can be custom-finished with a high-quality print or stylish hot foil stamping.
Modern digital printing is a cutting-edge technology for customising. It allows stylish personalisation or the printing of special editions with high-quality images. Because digital printing does not need any printing plates or templates, it is a very fast and easy to use technology. The information is transmitted directly from the computer to the printing machine, so that every sheet can be printed differently. It is particularly inexpensive for low print runs. A particular attraction for cosmetic manufacturers is that this printing process is ideal meanwhile for various types of paper, e.g. coated, uncoated or even with sophisticated 3D paint finishes. This allows packaging to be created with a high-quality, natural or customised look and feel. Smaller batches and changing product ranges are typical of the requirements of cosmetics manufacturers, so digital prints are a welcome option for adding value and tapping into new customer groups. Given these qualities, online retail is an obvious sales outlet, as small print runs can easily be customised as gifts, for individualists or for special promotions.
As well as customisation, sustainability and/or environmentally friendly packaging are becoming increasingly important in the cosmetics sector. Whether male or female, any customer opting for natural cosmetics generally wants the packaging to reflect this philosophy as well. The above mentioned online retailer “The Modern Man” has taken this on board and has substantially improved the recycling capacity of its shipping packages. Reducing empty space in the boxes is also intended to reduce the CO2 footprint during transport. In the case of product packaging, manufacturers are also increasingly opting for sustainable alternatives. The exhibitors at FachPack will demonstrate how diverse and environmentally friendly packaging already is. At the special show “Environmentally friendly premium packaging” in Hall 8, especially successful examples of cosmetic product packaging will be on display. And in the PackBox Forum in Hall 7 on the second day of the fair there will be presentations on the topic of packaging design.
Source: FachPack
