5 Things To Consider When Choosing Product Packaging For Your Food Business

Product packaging for your food business is as important as your food products. It undeniably reflects the quality of your merchandise and a brand’s reputation for consumers. It’s simply what consumers use when making buying decisions, and it’s responsible for keeping your food products safe during transportation and storage before getting consumed. This is why you need to invest plenty of time and effort when choosing product packaging for your food business.  

The right product packaging can make your food business successful even in a competitive market. Design it as a tool for preserving and protecting your product against external factors while adding value through the product’s functionality. When done properly, product packaging can also work as a marketing tool that introduces your product in an appealing way to impress consumers.  

Here are five things to consider when choosing product packaging for your food business:

• Functional Packaging Material

Don’t be overwhelmed by the availability of several materials you can choose for packaging your food products. Since the products are edibles, your priority should be the material that can keep your product fresh for as long as possible. You can simplify this by analyzing your food under the perishable or non-perishable categories and their processing. That’ll help you to choose a functional material that can sustain and preserve the condition of the food item. 

Consider the material mostly acceptable in the food market. Your chosen packaging material must easily complement the food content, stand out on display sites while fitting well among other products. 

For instance, choosing a durable material such as Bopp woven bags will be functional for a variety of food consumption, transport, and storage purposes. With such a versatile material, you’ve met the expectation of your retailers, consumers, and distributors as well.

Even though there are limitations to the type of material you can use to preserve food products, it doesn’t stop you from becoming creative by using a material that stands out against the conventional materials your competitors are using. A unique packaging typically attracts customer’s curiosity. 

• Details of Brand and Product Identity

The details of your brand and product identity are another factor you must consider for your food product packaging. Your food business is a brand on its own. Hence, you’ve to use your product packaging as a key influencer for what your business stands for. 

Your product packaging must be well detailed in a way that connects your food products with your target consumers. Let it reflect the benefits and core value your brand lives up to, and be consistent with this message. It makes consumers understand the need to trade with you among other manufacturers in the market. That’ll go a long way in building customer loyalty, especially if you’re new in the food business. 

Don’t underestimate the power of packaging when it comes to promoting your product identity to your target consumers. Every detail ranging from logo, texts, to images passes across a message to potential consumers. However, avoid overwhelming your audience with too many details.

• Packaging Design and Structure Versatility

When designing the packaging for your food business, besides paying attention to the material quality and product details, the aesthetic detail is also vital. This is where you take advantage of graphic designers that can implement colors, layout, patterns, images, graphics, and text, among others, to reflect your product to the target audience. Invest in quality packaging design that’s not complex to understand. Keeping it simple and catchy does it better. 

Ensure the design structure is versatile enough to adapt to changes in market demands. People involved in the food business usually produce it in various sizes. A versatile design will ensure consistency for all your product packaging by fitting suitably regardless of differences in the size of products.

The appearance of your overall packaging must be appealing enough to attract customer’s attention wherever it’s displayed. It places your food products in the heart of those who have seen them in a memorable way. There are situations where shoppers buy products they’re not familiar with simply because the packaging appearance is convincing enough for them to try out the product.

• Cost of Product Packaging

Plan your product packaging around a budget in your food business. This is vital as the expenses incurred from the packaging will be part of the cost of your product. Remember, the food business industry is typically competitive. Make smart packaging decisions to be able to sell at a reasonable price, which can also boost your sales and increase the profit generated on the product.

Your budget will determine the materials and designs you can invest in for your product packaging. Don’t go beyond your budget all in the name of investing in expensive materials, as this isn’t really worth it at the end of the day. Consumers can simply perceive the value of your product from the packaging design.

In making smart decisions, you should invest in inexpensive materials that’ll deliver justice to the product packaging. This may sound challenging, but most of the attractive packaging you see doesn’t incur much from the business owners. They’re simply creative and innovative while reducing their overall costs of production.

• Transportation and Distribution Channel

Ensure your product packaging is designed with consideration towards the transportation of your food products from one channel to another. The quality of your packaging material is crucial when it comes to protecting your product. An attractive product packaging that can’t protect your product against external factors is simply worthless. 

Consider the different channels your product goes through before getting to the final consumer. Invest in a durable packaging material that can withstand any means of transporting condition and handling. 

Food manufacturers make use of different packaging sizes to make their products moveable across all channels of distribution.  This will ensure that your product gets to its final destination without having any alterations that differentiate it from the condition it’s being produced. This is part of the satisfaction your consumer expects from you.

Conclusion

Apparently, product packaging does more than being a container or cover for your food products. To get the most out of it, consider all the factors listed above, ranging from investing in a functional packaging material as well as transportation and distribution channels when choosing a product packaging for your food business. In the right hands, it can add value to your products and brand as a whole which is necessary for making your food products one of the most sought after in the market.

Author: Shawn James is a business support assistant. He has been in the industry for over 6 years. He shares his knowledge by writing blogs for business owners. He enjoys reading, golf, and swimming in his free time.