6 Ways a Packaging Consultation Can Make Your Business More Successful

Whether you see packaging as an obstacle standing between you and bringing your product to market or as a fun opportunity to show off your branding, chances are you have some questions about how best to package your products. Packaging is a crucial aspect of your product’s success, so it’s worth taking the time to get all your questions answered.

If you’re wondering when to talk to a packaging consultant, this post is for you. We’re going to look at six different ways a packaging consultation can help your business. If any of these scenarios apply to you, then you should prioritize meeting with a package consultant so you can begin to unwrap some serious benefits to your business.

Packaging Consultation Benefits

1. A Consultation Can Help You With Product Launches

Whether you’re a new company or a seasoned pro, you are likely always working on coming up with new product ideas. When you’ve gone through the time and dedicated work it takes to successfully develop a new product to add to your product line, you want to make sure it shines on retail shelves so it grabs consumers’ attention. Even if you sell your product online, packaging can affect the way consumers feel about your product. Since most product launches are unsuccessful, you want to do everything you can to give your new product a great start.

Especially if you already have a robust or firmly-established product line, you may not think too much about packaging for your new product. The easy way forward is simply to copy the packaging you’re already using for other products, adapting it only slightly to fit the new product. Or, you may focus on coming up with a great graphic design for your package but not think much about the packaging itself.

When you’re ready to launch a new product, you should reach out to a packaging consultant. Don’t assume you already know the best way to package your new product. Talking with a packaging expert may help you uncover better ways to package your new product. For instance, a package consultant could help you find a way to keep your new toy with more delicate pieces safe from damage or help a frozen food product cook more effectively in the microwave.

If you’re launching a whole new product line, a consultant can help you come up with ways to distinguish it from your existing products. You may want to package it using different materials or even innovative shapes to emphasize the uniqueness of these new products. If you talk to a printing business consultant, they can also discuss various color or black and white options for your new packaging. You bring the vision, and your consultant can help you make it a reality, all while factoring in all the aspects of what makes effective packaging.

2. A Consultation Can Help You With Product Redesigns

No matter how careful you are to work with the best engineers and consultants when you first design your product, the reality is that businesses aren’t likely to get everything perfect the first time.

For example, once your product is on the market, you may find that you misjudged who the end user is and did not design the product as well as you could for them. You may find that consumers want to use your product for an application you didn’t consider when designing the product. In the most unfortunate circumstances, you may find that your product has some serious design flaws that must be remedied. These are just a few examples.

Whatever the reason, some businesses may need to redesign their products and then put the new-and-improved product back out on the market. In all the buzz of a product redesign, don’t forget that redesigning your product also likely means you’ll need to redesign your packaging. Perhaps you redesigned your product to work better for the end user, and now you need packaging that appeals to that target audience. Maybe you redesigned the product to work well for that unforeseen application or you fixed design flaws, and now the exact dimensions of your product have changed.

No matter how your product has changed, you need to make sure you update your packaging to fit the newly redesigned product. A packaging consultation with an expert can help you determine the best ways to package your new product. The visual aspect of the design will be up to your graphic design team, but a packaging consultant can help guide you to create a packaging that fully embraces and even enhances your new product design.

3. A Consultation Can Help You Address Packaging Emergencies

If you’ve ever dealt with a packaging emergency, you know how stressful they can be. What do we mean by a packaging emergency? This is the scenario where you discover your packaging is hurting instead of helping your business. In other words, consumers are getting damaged or contaminated products because the packaging failed to protect the product. In the case of food products, it could also be that products are failing to stay fresh for their intended shelf life.

Whether you’re getting complaints from consumers or from a retailer who kept your compromised product off of their shelves, you have a pressing problem on your hands. Packaging is certainly an important aspect of marketing, but even the most eye-catching packaging isn’t helping your business if it’s not also doing its fundamental job of protecting your product. When a packaging emergency like this occurs, it can be tempting to rush forward and quickly turn out a new packaging design in hopes that it will fix the problem.

While it’s understandable that you want to remedy the packaging issue right away, this shouldn’t mean you attempt it on your own. A package consultant can look at your current packaging, discuss the problems you’re having now and work with you to determine how to improve your packaging quality, so future products that hit the shelves successfully make it through all stages of the supply chain and into consumers’ homes in perfect condition. This may involve adding padding to your package, resizing it, altering the shape or changing the materials.

Since you don’t want to take any more time than necessary to resolve a packaging emergency, you’ll want to meet with a qualified packaging consultant who is committed to helping you solve the issue promptly.

4. A Consultation Can Help You Cut Costs

Having a successful business comes down to a critical balancing act. You need to spend enough to put out a quality product consumers love while keeping your costs low enough to turn a good profit. In other words, you want to cut costs without cutting corners.

There are some areas where cutting costs may not be a good idea. For instance, you shouldn’t switch to lower-quality materials in your product if it could compromise the reputation for quality you’ve worked hard to achieve. There are other areas, though, where you may be wasting money. One of these areas could be your packaging. As with the quality of your product itself, the quality of your packaging is also important. However, there may be ways to maintain effective packaging without spending as much.

Consider how much of your landed cost per product is devoted to packaging. Manufacturers typically spend anywhere from 7 to 10 cents of every dollar they put into a product on its packaging. Are you confident your packaging cost is as low as it can be without sacrificing the level of quality you need? If not, you shouldn’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with a packaging expert. Taking advantage of a packaging consultancy service can help you learn how to improve your packaging process to cut unnecessary costs.

Here are a few ways you may be able to save on packaging:

• Print information directly on the package rather than on a label
• Remove unnecessary inner cartons
• Use lighter materials that cost less to ship
• Go with a different packaging company that offers a better price

Even if you find you can save just a few cents on every package, this savings can add up to making a real difference in your bottom line.

5. A Consultation Can Help You Become Greener

Another way you may be able to improve your product packaging is by making it more eco-friendly. Studies show that consumers increasingly care about how sustainable a brand is when choosing whether to buy a product. A 2017 survey of 1,000 Americans across a variety of demographics showed that 92% were more likely to trust a company that supports environmental or social issues.

One of the simplest and most public ways to go greener is through your packaging. Meeting with a packaging consultant can help you determine the best ways you can make your packaging greener while staying within your budgetary constraint. Make sure you discuss a few different ways to make your packaging greener. We’ll look at three here:

• Use greener materials: Using more sustainable materials could look like getting rid of any non-recyclable materials you’re currently using, or at least minimizing them, and sticking to materials that consumers can recycle or even trying biodegradable materials. In some cases, these more sustainable materials may cost more than the materials you’re currently using, but they could also make your brand more popular with consumers.
• Minimize materials: If you’re concerned about the cost of changing materials, you can also focus on minimizing the total amount of materials in your packaging. Bulky packaging may be necessary in some cases, but a packaging consultant may determine that you can package your product using less material overall. Minimizing the materials you use for packaging means doing your part to minimize waste.
• Promote recycling: Perhaps the simplest way to make your packaging greener is by encouraging end users to recycle your product’s packaging. Some consumers may not know whether your package is recyclable or may not think to do anything other than tossing the empty package into the garbage can. By including a large recycling symbol and a phrase like “Please Recycle” on your package or by specifying which parts of the package are recyclable, you can help empower consumers to recycle your packaging.

6. A Consultation Can Help You Increase Sales With Innovative Package Designs

Packaging a product certainly has an essential practical purpose, but great packaging can do more than just protect your products. It can grab people’s attention at the store and can add to the overall feel of a product. Think of the difference between buying a pair of pants at a store that tosses them into a plastic bag and one that carefully folds them, wraps them in paper and places them in a gift-style bag. The second example is more likely to make you feel you’re getting a high-quality product.

The same concept applies to the way consumers interact with your products. Great packaging isn’t just about that luxurious, well-curated feel. Whatever you want to emphasize about your products, the right packaging can help you do it. For instance, you may want your packaging to reflect a modern edge with a matte, monotone finish and metallic details. When your packaging speaks to consumers, it can help drive more sales and even turn first-time customers into repeat ones.

Whatever your dream product packaging looks like, it’s wise to meet with a consultant to discuss how to package your product for retail. Since packaging experts stay on top of the latest packaging technology and trends, they can help realize your vision in ways you may not have known were possible. Some examples of printing and packaging technologies you could take advantage of are embossing, foil stamping and innovative shapes.

While your own graphic designers should come up with the right artwork and design for your packaging, your company may be unaware of what’s possible. The good news is that your packaging consultant knows and can help you uncover all the possibilities to help take your packaging to the next level and inspire more people to purchase your product. They may even love your packaging just about as much as your product.

Find the Packaging Solutions You Need From Phase 1 Prototypes

If you want to improve your product packaging or come up with a completely new package design, talk to the experts at Phase 1 Prototypes. For over a decade, we’ve helped companies find the best packaging solutions. We can help you create the perfect packaging for your product, complete with innovative shapes, materials, textures and more.

We can produce packaging prototypes so you can test your new and improved packaging to make sure it meets your and your customers’ expectations. This way, you can be confident when you make the official switch to this new packaging. Phase 1 Prototypes wants to help you succeed. We don’t require you to order a minimum number of prototypes, so it’s economical for you to work with us. We are also known for our commitment to getting your packaging finished in a timely manner.

Contact us today to learn more about how you can take your packaging to the next level. If you already have a clear idea of your needs, you are welcome to request a quote from us online. We’ll get back with you within just 24 hours. With Phase 1 Prototypes, it’s your vision, realized.

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