28 FEBRUARY 2018 PICK A PACK Packaging will play a pivotal role in reducing global food and product waste in 2018, and brands who adopt clear and succinct package messaging will be rewarded with consumer loyalty. Global company Mintel says contemporary packaging will see the centre-of-store take centre stage, online brands will reinvigorate their packaging to enhance the e-commerce experience, and brands will be encouraged to keep marine conservation at the forefront of packaging development… anchoring the circular economy for future generations, Mintel’s David Luttenberger says. PACKAGED PLANET Consumers have long considered packaging as unnecessary at times, and waste to be disposed of, but that misconception is now changing. A focus on package innovations that extend food freshness, preserve ingredient fortification, and ensure safe delivery is increasingly benefiting consumers. Brands will need to act fast by exploiting on-pack communication tools to educate consumers to the benefits packaging can bring. REPACKAGE Online shopping is becoming increasingly widespread around the globe and is near ubiquitous in some markets. However, while online shopping’s key advantage is convenience, consumers expect more from their favoured brands. When designing packaging to be viewed online, and transit packaging to be opened upon delivery in the home, the experience of e-commerce packaging must reflect consumer expectations from shopping with that brand in-store. CLEAN LABEL 2.0 Today’s consumers are more informed than ever; however, brands are in real danger of being rejected if consumers feel overloaded with information, leading to the questioning of provenance, authenticity and transparency. Brands must bring the next generation of clean label to packaging design to provide a moment of calm and clarity for shoppers in an increasingly hectic retail environment. SEA CHANGE Concerns over safe packaging disposal will increasingly colour consumers’ perceptions of different packaging types, and impact shopper purchase decisions. Only by communicating that a brand is working towards a solution will this growing barrier to purchase be overcome. While collecting waste plastic from the sea to recycle into new packaging can raise consumer awareness, it won’t solve the problem. In order to keep plastic out of the sea, a renewed effort towards the circular economy is needed to keep packaging material in use. RENAVIGATE Young shoppers are increasingly ‘shopping the periphery’, visiting the fresh and chilled aisles around the store perimeter and turning their backs on processed, ambient and frozen offerings in the centre of the store. The use of transparent materials, contemporary design, recyclability or unique shapes can help draw in younger consumers to the store centre, making it as appealing as the burgeoning perimeter to younger consumers. “Our packaging trends for 2018 reflect the most current and forward-looking consumer attitudes, actions, and purchasing behaviours in both global and local markets. Such trends as those we see emerging in e-commerce packaging have stories that are just now being written. Others, such as the attack on plastics, are well into their third or even fourth chapters, but with no clear ending in sight,” Luttenberger says. PA C K A G I N G PACKAGING TRENDS Global research company Mintel takes a look at packaging in 2018
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