How to Choose Packaging

In the busy world we live in, first impressions are everything. Customers are increasingly choosing products based on their packaging – low quality, cheap looking packaging that has no eye-catching detail whatsoever often puts them off. A high number of purchase decisions are being made at the point of purchase, making it vital that a product’s packaging is able to cut through the clutter and stand out on the shelf.

In Australia, product packaging is a big industry valued at over $10 billion – with the food and beverage sector using 65-70% of all Australian-produced packaging. Choosing the right packaging is crucial to the success of your product – to ensure that not only does it arrive safely on shelves, but also that it gets picked up off the shelf to make it into your customers’ homes.

Here are 5 key questions you need to ask to ensure you choose the right packaging for your products:

1Is your product wet or dry?

Whether you have consumables like coffee, tea, pasta or nuts, or day-to-day products like supplements, fresh flowers or spices, or even household items for cleaning – it is important to ensure that the packaging you choose houses your product correctly and keeps it fresh for longer.

2What is your industry?

The packaging for food and petcare products are not just different from each other, but are also vastly different from those used for home and personal care products. Industrial products need to have strong and durable packaging, whereas medical and pharmaceutical products may require a specific design style that is suited to only certain forms of packaging.

3How do you pack your product?

If you pack your product by hand or by machine, you are going to require a specific packaging type that works around that.

4What type of machine do you use?

The type of machine you use can affect the material, design and quality of your packaging – are you going to need a form fill, flow, pouch presenter or tray sealer compatible design?

5Do you have your own design and artwork?

Having your own design and artwork that brings out the right information about your product is crucial (read more about the importance of packaging design here). If you do not have your own design or need help with creating your artwork, good packaging partners will be able to assist with creating these.

At FPS, we can help you each step of the way. Use our “Choose your packaging” generator, or talk to one of our friendly sales staff today to ensure you get the perfect packaging for your products.

Ask Our Packaging Consultant Anything