By: Kyle Knott
When it comes to retail sales, packaging is everything. You have a fraction of a second to get your product noticed by consumers. To this end, companies are constantly looking at new ways to stand out on the store shelf. In this article, I will explore some of the recent packaging trends I have seen while shopping for my own pets.
The largest change I have seen in the pet food market is the packaging material. Up until a few years ago, the multi-wall paper sack was the reigning king of pet food packaging. As premium and super premium diets became increasingly popular, pet food companies started looking for ways to differentiate their high-end diets from the low cost, big box store pet food. Plastic packaging provides a host of options not available with a paper substrate. Print-ability, strength and overall aesthetic appeal are just a few upsides. Couple that with recent technologies in air release methods (http://www.pacificbag.com/valve-tutorial/) and available anti-skid coatings and you’ve got a bag that not only functions well at the manufacturing level but, also looks superior to any plain, old paper bag on the store shelf.
Lastly, packaging is getting smaller and smaller. As the cost of raw materials and ingredients increase, companies look at ways for minimizing the impact. Instead of passing a price increase through, they start by downsizing the amount of product being sold. The old “stand-by” 20lb and 40lb bags have given way to 12lb-15lb and 33lb-35lb bags.
These are just a few of the many changes I have seen in my favorite stores. Things are constantly changing in the retail environment.