Experts “Unbox” 2018

Trends impact brands and products. Those following relevant developments early on will find it easier to hold their own on the market later. By means of surveys and long-standing experience industry insiders have established what consumers will expect from their packaging over the coming months.

Packaging designers all agree: cluttered labels, small font sizes and antiquated designs are “out”. Shoppers instead look for products with a modern, minimalist design. Key information should be understood instantly – and all the rest should not feature on the label to start with. Sharp shapes and dark colours are not desirable and should be replaced by soft curves and pastel shades. Furthermore, the experts say, sustainable packaging materials continue to increase in importance: paper, hemp, bamboo and even edible packaging are up and coming.

Operating internationally market research company Mintel has also looked at the packaging trends of the current year. According to this study consumers pay particular attention to the following five aspects:

1. Avoid food waste: packaging ensures longer shelf life for fresh produce and also protects food against damage during transport.
2. To the point: just print the information needed onto the packaging and not more. A focus on essentials instead of cluttered designs.
3. Live sustainability: consumers expect companies to do more than just wrapping some products of their range in re-usable materials. In focus here is entrepreneurs’ responsibility for sustainability as a whole.
4. Supermarkets with clearly laid-out shelving systems: especially young shoppers are looking for fresh rather than canned fruit and extraordinary packaging designs rather than conventional boxes and bottles.

This is not a new insight but still a current one: the Internet is increasingly used as a shopping portal. Packaging producer DS Smith offers companies solutions to make online shoppers happy with their merchandise while promoting their brand at the same time.

• Step one: The company logo on the otherwise unobtrusive shipping carton tells the recipient right away what this parcel contains. This already delights shoppers while unboxing.
• Then: Unboxing – love at second glance. If shoppers are wowed when unboxing they are practically won over as customers. This “mini staging” is made possible by extraordinary tactile and visually striking features. Modern technologies for digital printing and flexible manufacturing systems make for personalisation without involving prohibitive costs. Supplemented advertising media can promote other goods – targeting not only the buyers themselves: there are more and more unboxing videos shared on social networks.
• Convenience even if the product is returned: Not only easy opening is ensured by pull strips or self-adhesive tapes but also simple reclosure in case of returns. Scanned barcodes serve as return notes.
• Finally: avoid waste. Fully automatic packaging machines that adjust shipping cartons precisely to the required order and forgo superfluous filling material not only reduce the amount of waste later but also cut costs for the company.