4 packaging trends to boost your business in 2021

 

 

2020 was a year of rapidly changing demands and challenges for the packaging industry. However, the crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic has also created an e-commerce boom spurring innovation in packaging design, strategy and technology.

As we say goodbye to 2020 and look towards the new year ahead, we’ve put together a roundup of the biggest upcoming packaging trends. These are the trends to embrace this year for the benefit of your business.

1. Extra protective packaging

2020 saw a huge proportion of consumers move their shopping habits online. Now bricks and mortar stores have reopened, but many people have realised they value the ease and convenience of shopping via e-commerce.  For many people, this shift in consumer behaviour is here to stay.

Consequently, many businesses have found they’re suddenly in need of extra protective packaging to ensure their products survive supply chain journeys to arrive at customers’ homes intact.

 

At PPI, advanced custom protective packaging is our specialty. No matter the unusual shape of your product or what material it’s made from, our designers and engineers can create a supportive, protective, custom packaging solution.

2. Multi-use packaging

In 2020, many of us found ourselves ordering a lot more products direct to our doors than we had before, resulting in a chronically full recycling bin from all of those oversized boxes.

Forward thinking brands are counteracting this problem by building a second use into their product packaging. When executed well, multi-use packaging can build a sense of fun and excitement around your brand and make your product extra memorable for consumers.

Samsung recently released TV packaging that can be easily upcycled into magazine racks and fancy cat houses, while Pizza Hut got creative with a box that turns your smartphone into a movie projector.

Chat with us at PPI about your wildest multi-use packaging ideas and our expert team will work with you to make them a reality.

3. Completely recyclable materials

Consumers are conscious that the pandemic has been a setback in the global fight against single-use plastic and landfill waste. 2020 saw re-usable coffee cups abandoned in favour of their single-use counterparts, not to mention the countless disposable surgical masks that have been produced and discarded in the past year. 

Having seen these backslides in sustainability, consumers are keen to feel like they’re doing something to help. Enter your brand’s fully recyclable packaging! Customers are searching for a purchase they can feel good about and choosing your brand over your non-recyclable competitor will be an appealing option.

With plastic and polystyrene free protective packaging from PPI, going recyclable is easy.

4. Socially conscious messaging

Does your current packaging really show the world what your business stands for? In the current climate of social movements, consumers are increasingly expecting brands to wear their hearts on their sleeves, or on their boxes.

A simple update to your packaging printing allows your business to broadcast your values to your target market, with potential to tap into a whole new customer base who share your ideals.

At PPI, our in-house team of packaging designers and engineers will work with you to understand your packaging needs. We offer cutting edge solutions that are economical, protective and environmentally friendly.

Connect with us or call us now on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation in Melbourne. We’ll work to ensure your packaging requirements are met, if not exceeded

 

How custom ‘smart packaging’ can enhance your brand

 

Smart packaging is a huge trend sweeping the industry, linking the physical world with the virtual world and adding value and efficiency for customers at the same time.

Things like sensors and RFID chips fall under the smart packaging umbrella, but the most cost-effective way to gain the benefits of this trend is to simply utilise codes on your packaging that link to relevant content.

At Production Packaging Innovations, we design, engineer, manufacture and print your packaging from scratch, exactly how you want it. Read on to find out why you should ask us to include a ‘smart’ element in your next custom packaging design.

1. Everyone’s getting smart with enhanced consumer engagement

Smart packaging is a growing trend around the world, which means it will soon become the new normal. Studies project that the global market for smart packaging will reach a massive $26.77 billion valuation by 2024.

QR codes are becoming increasingly ingrained in our day-to-day lives as part of contact tracing measures and a QR reader has even been recently added as a default part of the camera app on iPhones, leading to an increase in awareness and engagement with QR codes across the population. People are looking for these codes everywhere, including on packaging.

Fortunately, QR codes are also the simplest and easiest way to add smart functionality to your packaging by linking to content that will enrich the customer experience and branding for your product.

The rise of smart packaging and QR codes is changing consumer expectations. Customers are expecting more than just a cardboard box from the packaging they encounter, they’re craving an interactive experience that enriches their journey with the product.

 

2. ​​Rewards, competitions and exclusive content

Using a QR code to link customers to exclusive content is a fun way to embrace smart packaging and add value to your product.

Possibilities abound! Expand your customer database by referring more people to your rewards program via a code. Build brand loyalty by offering insider access to a competition not advertised anywhere else.

Australian wine brand 19 Crimes is a great example of how to get creative with this kind of content. Their bottles feature portraits of convicts which spring to life through the lens of a smartphone and begin to tell stories of the crimes that saw them transported to penal colonies.

3. Instructions and virtual assistants

Does your product require instructions for use? Smart packaging can provide guidance to customers without the need for bulky paper instructions. Food brands are starting to provide detailed cooking instructions via smart packaging, allowing them space for more information than would fit on a box as text. You can even add delicious recipe ideas to keep customers coming back for more.

Some brands are taking things one step further (or should we say back?) and using smart packaging to link to a virtual assistant to provide potential buyers with additional information while the product is still on the shelf.

For example, Foster Farms’ packaging features DORI, a virtual assistant who provides easy to digest advice about buying chicken such as guides to poultry labelling terms.

Looking at the big picture, it’s clear to see that smart packaging offers a plethora of possibilities for almost every business. Luckily, adding a QR code to your custom engineered packaging is easy with PPI.

At PPI, our in-house team of packaging designers and engineers will work with you to understand your packaging needs. We offer cutting edge solutions that are economical, protective and environmentally friendly.

Connect with us or call us now on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation in Melbourne. We’ll work to ensure your packaging requirements are met, if not exceeded.

 

Shipping Books? A Guide to Good Book Packaging

 

Protection, presentation and efficiency are vital when it comes to mail packaging for books. Although they might seem like sturdy items to post, there’s still the risk they’ll get knocked about during transit.

To make sure you’re optimising your book packaging in every way to avoid damage and appeal to customers, take a look at the following guide:

1. Protective & Secure

Whether the books you’re sending are soft or hard back, they need to be properly packaged so they reach the end customer in perfect condition. If books aren’t packaged up securely, they are susceptible to damage or getting torn. Corrugated cardboard is one of the most popular choices for mail packaging and for a good reason! Its two barrier design is extremely secure, keeping any fragile items protected during long periods of shipping and handling.

2. Sustainable

 

More people are switching to greener choices every day, so when it comes to your mail packaging, you might want to think again before opting for plastic alternatives. Choosing recyclable materials that won’t end up in landfill is a sure way to appeal to customers while broadening your market by considering those who are more environmentally conscious.

3. Appearance

While secure, protective packaging should be your top priority, it’s also worthwhile to make your mailer packs stand out by focusing on the design. In a world that’s growing evermore competitively across all industries, good first impressions with customers are a must. This can be done by aligning your packaging with your brand colours and logo or creating an ‘unboxing’ experience!

4. Easy-to-Open

 

All mailer packaging should be secure but not so much that customers struggle to open its contents. If you add too many layers of protective packaging, making it difficult to undo, customers are at risk of damaging the book inside. Your packaging should be streamlined and easy to tear at the seams to reduce this risk.

5. Cost Effective

The more packaging you use, the heavier your items will become which can really amp up postal costs when sending them out to customers. Instead of piling more packaging on to protect your books, ensure that the packaging is tightly compact. This will not only prevent the books from moving around and protect them from internal damage but also keeps postal costs at a minimal fee. 

6. Custom Made

Whether you’re posting textbooks, paperbacks or even comic books, customising your packaging guarantees you’ll receive the best solution for your particular products’ needs. Custom made packaging takes into account size, shape and weight of your products to keep costs low and also considers printing and design options to communicate your brand as soundly as possible. Your mailer design can also cater for the need to ship differing sizes and quantities of books on the one multi mailer pack.

As your packaging and manufacturing partner, at PPI our in-house designers and packaging engineers can help refresh your current packaging or design a completely new solution. Connect with us or call us on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation.

 

 

Why now is the perfect time to upgrade your packaging for online orders

COVID-19 restrictions are causing an unprecedented boom in Australians shopping online.

Even before ‘seclusion shopping’ became the new norm, online sales have been skyrocketing for years. Now, millions of Australians transitioning to a work from home lifestyle has translated into an even bigger trend towards eCommerce.

The latest statistics show that eCommerce was up 80% year-on-year in the eight weeks after the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic, according to a new report from Australia Post.

The report says 200,000 new households started shopping online in April 2020, making Easter 2020 the busiest period in Australian online shopping history.

Choosing the right packaging for your business has never been more crucial, as more customers receive products straight to their door than ever before.

Right now is the perfect time to step up your product packaging to make the most of the COVID-19 eCommerce boom.

1. Consumer behaviour is changing fast

Millions of consumers are changing their shopping habits at the same time and their needs are changing just as quickly. New shopping behaviours mean that now is the time for businesses to ensure their packaging is up to scratch.

Customers see your business through the lens of their delivery experience, so having the right packaging is key to removing friction from their experience of shopping with you.

A sea of shopping is flooding through cities and towns across the country in millions of unmarked boxes. In this new landscape, upgrading your packaging is key to standing out and staying on brand amongst every other cardboard box.

2. Custom solutions avoid damaged product

 In the era of online reviews, custom engineered protective packaging is crucial to ensure your product survives shipping without significant damage to your product or the user unboxing experience.

Production Packaging Innovations has an in-house design team who can engineer the perfect solution to ensure your online orders arrive undamaged and on brand.

3. The eCommerce boom is here to stay

Although COVID-19 is kicking the ecommerce boom into overdrive, the popularity of online shopping is much more than a passing trend.

Businesses are rethinking how central their traditional bricks and mortar presence is to their business model, because the experts are saying this trend is here to stay.

4. The second boom is coming

Businesses who take their ecommerce packaging seriously will find themselves well equipped to flourish the post-COVID landscape.

Professional services firm KPMG has compared the COVID-19 eCommerce boom to a similar shift that happened during the Global Financial Crisis in 2008.

The GFC triggered a four-year eCommerce boom, according to a KPMG report. The firm predicts a second wave of eCommerce growth will happen as consumer confidence begins to recover post COVID-19, just as it did with the GFC.

Step one to making the most of the opportunity within the COVID-19 crisis is to make sure your packaging represents your brand and has the guts to get your products to their destination undamaged.

At PPI, our in-house team of packaging designers and engineers will work with you to understand your packaging needs. We offer custom solutions that are economical, protective and environmentally friendly.

Connect with us or call us now on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation in Melbourne. We’ll work to ensure your packaging requirements are met, if not exceeded.

 

How to get personal with your packaging

Personalised marketing is one of the biggest business trends in the world right now. Whether it’s a suggested playlist based on your most listened to songs or a reminder that you’ve forgotten an item at the checkout - brands can now deliver highly targeted content to their consumers, using algorithms, cookies and data collection.

While the primary purpose of packaging is to protect and transport products, it can also play a similar role in connecting, engaging and even entertaining consumers (have you heard of unboxing?!) Personalising your packaging will help you stand out from the competition and shows your customers that you’re paying attention and care about them!

What is Personalised Packaging? Personalised packaging features a number of specific and tailored design and manufacturing elements that have been influenced by business and consumer insights or data. These additional elements are deliberately employed to generate a specific feeling or experience from the receiver or customer.

Here are five ways to get personal with your packaging:

1. Put the customer first - Include a personalised letter or note card, your customer’s first name and a personal message with your package as a reminder of how well you know them. This this level of personalisation is ideal for repeat-customers or subscription-based products as it helps maintain long-term relationships and builds brand loyalty. Personalising the actual packaging for individual customers could be as simple as having distinct ‘his’ and ‘hers’ or ‘it’s your birthday!’ versions available.

2. Showcase the brand - Whether your product is luxurious, sleek and modern or bright, young and spontaneous - making sure your packaging accurately reflects the brand values and vision of your business can help build brand identity and reputation. Your brand and packaging might therefore be bold and in-your-face, or subtle and nuanced. Consistency is key when it comes to establishing and growing a business, so make sure everything you do, right down to your packaging, links back to your vision and goals.

3. Showcase the product – Standard packaging isn’t always going to be the right physical fit and may not offer adequate protection for some more fragile or oddly shaped items. Create packaging to fit or having tailored compartments within a box for individual items will help to showcase or emphasise that product’s distinct features. Custom boxes like wine mailers for example, are often created for practical purposes but packaging can also be used to create drama, excitement and intrigue. Imagine if your latest pair of shoes came in a shoe shaped box?! Check out the customer design solution we created for Sussex Taps for a great example of how to blend practicality with finesse.

4. Create an experience - Add interesting layers or a number of steps to your packaging and take your customer on a journey as they unpack their latest purchase! The ‘unboxing’ trend has resulted in a number of companies creating elaborate, babushka-style packaging - particularly for the younger market. Whether you have boxes inside boxes, levers that open secret compartments or include puzzles to solve along the way - packaging can become an extension of your brand story. Just make sure you use environmentally friendly materials where-ever you can!

5. Create a work of art – packaging can more than just functional. It can also be a thing of beauty, something to be admired, kept and even collected. Whether you create your own or commission an exclusive illustration, painting or photograph to be printed or used on your packaging - creating something that is aesthetically pleasing can help elevate and communicate your brand’s unique personality and beliefs. Creating uniquely shaped or sculptural-style cartons is another creative way to turn the humble box into art…

Personalising your packaging will make your customers feel special and valued, and also allows them to engage and identify with your brand and products on a whole new level. Our in-house team of experience and creative packaging designers and engineers love any opportunity to get creative and will take the time to understand your brand, product and customer experience needs, in order to produce a packaging solution that is fully personalised and right your business.

Connect with us or call 1800 258 000 to book your FREE initial consultation in Melbourne.

5 Protective Packaging Tips for Your Products

In a world where leaving a product review is only a few clicks away from a smartphone, it’s vital for your products to arrive on your consumers’ doorsteps in mint condition. Delivering damaged goods can result in negative backlash regarding the quality of your products and affect your reputation as a company.
To help prevent users from taking to social media to leave your business a critical review, make sure your products are safe from harm with suitable protective packaging. Below are some key tips for providing greater protection with your packaging:

 

1. Customise Your Packaging

Customising your packaging takes all of your particular product’s needs into consideration including size, shape, weight and levels of protection. It helps you identify and understand any potential hazards for your products when they are shipped to customers. Quality, customised packaging can help you avoid delivering damaged goods which can lead to potentially bad product and service reviews. It can also save you the time and money involved with issuing replacements and refunds.

 

2. Use Protective Inserts

Protective inserts can be customised to suit large, small, misshaped and hazardous items.Protective inserts are extremely useful when it comes to protecting regular items, multiple small items bundled into one package as well as odd shaped items.
Not only to do they add an external layer of protection to the item but they prevent items from moving around, making them less likely to damage during freight. Cardboard protective inserts are also 100% recyclable and can be conveniently stored flat to save on warehouse space.

3. Consider the Size

In the world of packaging, size definitely matters! Having extra space within a package can be hazardous for your products unless they have protective inserts or padding. Creating as little space as possible will also help lower your shipping costs and save warehouse space. One of the extra benefits of using corrugated cardboard is the material is highly pliable – it can be shaped and reshaped easily so you can accommodate a range of products which require different packaging sizes.

4. Avoid Over-Packing

While it might seem like a good idea to condense items into one package to save on wasting packaging and costs, most cartons are designed to take a certain amount of load and weight. Specific individual item packaging can offer much greater protection for your goods, especially if they are high value or fragile. This way each item can benefit from its own individual, protective packaging and is at less risk of damaging surrounding products or causing the seal on the package to break.

5. Test Your Packaging

Before you make any bulk purchases or final decisions with your packaging, make sure you have tested and trialled different packaging options to find the most suitable protection for your products. Performing tests helps to ensure that your packaging needs are met based on your product and the modes of transportation you will be using to distribute your product.

Our dedicated team of designers at PPI Create will customise a packaging or display solution to meet the specifications of your product. Industry knowledge and experience, combined with our commitment and care for your business ensures an optimal packaging solution to transport or display your products.
Connect with us or call us on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation.

4 Ways To Manage Heavy Duty Packaging

There is much to consider when storing and shipping heavy duty items, especially when it comes to the packaging! There are many risks associated with shipping heavy duty items including product damage, workplace injuries and customer complaints. Heavier shipments are more likely to be moved with forklifts rather than manually and might switch delivery vehicles or planes several times on the way to further destinations.

Here are some key tips to remember when it comes to packaging heavy duty items:

1. Packaging Needs to be Durable

Packaging for heavy duty items needs to be notably stronger and more protective than it would be for regular items. You need to ensure that the packaging can withstand multiple environmental factors such as:

• Getting dropped (accidently)!
• Vibrations and bumps from conveyor belts, trucks or planes
• Compression when pressed against other items
• High or low temperature and humidity or moisture

Corrugated cardboard is great for heavy duty items as the material is incredibly versatile, customisable and recyclable as well as extremely strong and durable. Corrugated cardboard is manufactured with three and sometimes 5 layers of paper which includes an inside liner, an outside liner and fluting with a ruffled shape. The layers make the material lightweight with a high strength-to-weight-ratio and added protection.

2. Pack Items Correctly

Packing heavy duty items correctly can save you a lot of hassle in the long run, especially for odd shaped items. To avoid items getting damaged during transit, you can use protective inserts.

Protective inserts can be customised to suit large and small items as well as hazardous items. Cardboard protective inserts are 100% recyclable and can be stored flat to save on warehouse space.

3. Avoid Making Boxes too Heavy

One of the biggest mistakes people make is over-packing items into one package. Overly heavy boxes are more likely to break during transit. Consider breaking up the items into separate boxes and wrapping individual items with protective inserts.

To test whether the item has been packaged correctly, give it a gentle shake and make sure the items inside the box do not easily move around. Anything that can move has the potential to crush other items.

4. ​Customise your Packaging

Properly packaging heavy-duty items means they are more likely to withstand the challenges of multiple transits. For a large, heavy or irregularly shaped product it is best to customise your packaging to make sure it is individually protected, safe and can manage the weight.

Custom packaging can also help you save on storage space. Unlike standardised ‘one-size-fits-all’ packaging, custom heavy-duty packaging specifically matches the measurements of the contents and reduces overall waste by eliminating unnecessary materials.

At PPI our team of in-house designers and engineers will work with you to understand your packaging needs. We offer custom solutions that are economical, protective and environmentally friendly. Connect with us or call us now on 1800 25 8000 to book your FREE initial packaging consultation in Melbourne, where we will ensure your packaging requirements are met, and exceeded.