Few products and services are still popular long after their actual market launch. Packaging can contribute to success or failure in this respect. Packaging of the future will be intelligent and will not deceive the buyer.Innovation is not an end in itself, but a means to an end, powered by the race to meet changes in consumer requirements. Against this background it is obvious that enhanced technology alone is not enough to move product. Rather, the product on the planning board has to convince the customer that it will satisfy his needs better than the existing product. If this is not the case, or if the new product development actually fails to address the customer’s needs, the product is highly likely to be a commercial flop.
The public usually notices when there is a discrepancy between packaging and purpose, for instance when packaging creates the illusion that the content is greater than it actually is, or results in an unusually large amount of waste. At Model we are very conscious of this topic and in discussions with clients about developing new packaging solutions make a point of emphasizing the importance of avoiding misleading packaging.
Consequently, in addition to solid technical competence in problem solving, a company also needs additional competitive advantages in procuring, processing and exploiting customer information. To use a metaphor, it is a question of finding the greatest common denominator of all the information on needs and solutions. Every customer with his ideas, desires and suggestions for improvements is an important source of information. A precondition for a product’s longerterm success is customer involvement in the innovation process.
Anyone who makes the effort to inform themselves about the latest developments in packaging will find a lot of original solutions and information about trends, e.g. thermal insulation packaging with freezer pack or packaging with solar cells that provide consumer information. Modern packaging technology also has to be compatible with brand protection and brand coding. The variety of printing and finishing methods also play an important role in packaging development.
Current trends in the world of design area soon find their way into the world of packaging. Another trend is towards ordering packaging in smaller, limited batch sizes. Demand for CO2-neutral products has also soared. Regardless of the individual effect of new developments on production and the use of packaging materials in recent years, we can identify three major trends: fewer material inputs, better quality packaging materials, packaging methods and auxiliary materials. new packaging functions – additional benefits.
Raw materials account for +/- 50% of the cost of corrugated board packaging, which offers opportunities for optimization. In the internet age, e-commerce, for example, can in some cases even result in higher material costs. The crucial point remains that we need to continue to reduce material inputs in the future, partly to compensate for the rising costs of raw materials. The increase in the oil price affects e.g. the price of adhesives, a very important material in the packaging industry. New packaging functions are closely tied to improvements in quality - not only of the products, but also of the packaging. This serves as an indicator of the compactness of the packaging and of the freshness of the packaged goods.
