Usually, when a manufacturer makes a product, their primary target is making profits. Another plausible reason is to deliver in terms of product quality. They will go to great lengths to ensure that it’s of the same or even better quality.
They’ll see to it that the state in which the product left the factory is the same condition it will be in when the customer buys it.
The manufacturer may have no control over how retailers will handle the product, but they can definitely safeguard the product by ensuring quality packaging. The following are a few other reasons why product packaging is essential and cannot be overlooked.
1. Protection
This is the most important function of product packaging. A company knows just how sensitive the product is.
So deciding on how to package it for release to the market is a decision not to be taken lightly. It is a known fact that the product goes through a lot of handling. Before it begins its journey from the factory, to the market, and then to the consumer, it has to be efficiently packed.
The protection function could be divided into some classes:
- Natural deterioration
- Physical protection
- Safety
- Waste reduction
2. Distinction
Packaging a product also entails branding and marking the package with details associated with the company.
The logic behind this is that numerous other companies offer a similar product, and it is an effort to make it stand out.
Companies often try to outshine each other’s product; thus, they can take advantage of the product packaging to get ahead of their competitors. They do their best to ensure that the packaging of their product is the most appealing.
3. The Attraction Of Potential Buyers
Another critical role of packaging is to attract the buyer to the product. In the present era, many similar products flood the market, each struggling to get noticed. Every manufacturer is continuously looking for new ways to package their products freshly and uniquely.
Companies spend tidy sums on research to determine what draws a product to the buyer, to make them favour the product instead of countless others.
Shoppers have admitted that they ‘cheated on’ their preferred product with another. They stated a reason for this attraction is the impressive packaging of the other brand.
4. Relays Information
Another critical function of product packaging is that it provides useful information about the product. The name of the product, why it is superior to other products similar to it and why you should buy it, are important pieces of information.
Others are the ingredients in it, the expiry date, directions for use, where it was made, among others. Ideally, a customer would seek information from the clerk at the store. But in instances where the clerk is not available, the customer will find all the information he needs from the packaging.
5. Conserves the Environment
Depending on the type of packaging, this is possible. Most companies have realized that their customers appreciate efforts towards conserving the environment. This initiative resonates very well with them, and they try hard to impress them.
Research has shown that buyers are most likely to buy items with reusable and biodegradable packaging. These are more favourable to the environment because they are easily broken down.
Bottom Line
Gone are the days when manufacturers thought little of the packages that their products came in. Today, product packaging plays a huge role in determining sales, even how well it is received in the market. Investing in attractive, high-quality brand packaging is massive marketing in itself. It is a relatively new concept, but the results are worth every penny in the long run.