When a customer receives an order, the first thing they notice is its packaging. How your product is wrapped says a lot about your company, significantly influencing your branding and recall to customers. While the aesthetics of your packaging design can make or break prospects from choosing your business, there are many other factors to consider.
Read this article to know about the packaging trends that will emerge in 2022 and beyond!
Packaging Trends that will Emerge 2022 and Beyond
Aesthetic product design
Your product design affects how people view and feel about your product. The aesthetic is crucial not only to make a first impression but also to strengthen customer loyalty. Among the most popular design trends are 60’s Psychedelia, text-centric designs, 3D decorations, maximal designs, and color layering.
Sustainable packaging
More and more buyers are urging companies to adopt sustainable packaging methods that create less carbon footprint. Inculcating environmental objectives to your business can increase your profitability by 78%. From banning disposable plastics to producing paper straws, you can choose from many alternative eco-friendly packaging on the market, such as plant-based bioplastics.
Traceable packaging
The RFID transponder is integrated into a package so that you and your customers can track items at any time. Not only does this help you prevent theft, but it also improves the efficiency of your supply chain management, transportation, inventory, and logistics.
Ecommerce packaging
With the advent of direct-to-consumer business models, more and more companies are selling online. Product packaging design should then take into account the rise of ecommerce, where customers can’t just grab a package and hold it in their hands. Simplify your package with large fonts, monochrome colors, and direct, straightforward marketing.
Quality packaging
Certain types of packages can extend the shelf life of a product, while others help identify counterfeits. In addition, some indicators built into a box can change color when exposed to certain environmental conditions like temperature. All these methods guarantee access to genuine and consistent product quality.
Safe packaging
By coating the interior of food packaging with chemical compounds such as antibacterial agents and antioxidants, you can fight post-processing contamination and extend the shelf-life of food. Similarly, shelf life can be improved by Modified Atmosphere Packaging, which helps keep oxygen content low, minimizing the growth of harmful bacteria.
Interactive packaging
Today, brands leverage digital printing packages to personalize their products and connect to social media channels. This leads to a remarkable customer experience and enhances a brand’s reputation. Additionally, scanning smart labels such as QR codes provide customers with the information they need regarding the product.
Sensory packaging
When opening a package, sensory packaging creates an immersive experience for your customers. Thermochromic inks, which change color with temperature, are widely used in the beverage industry to indicate when the drink is chilled to perfection.
Similarly, packaging using augmented reality visualizes images on smartphones or tablets. Even virtual tours, competitions, themed worlds, or operating instructions that appear on a package when photographed or filmed have already been made possible.
Transparent packaging
As more consumers aim to make eco-friendly purchases, your business can be held accountable by your customers for your environmental impact. Being transparent about where your product materials are sourced can significantly influence their purchase decision.
Smart packaging
Adding intelligent features to your packaging requires integrating various manufacturing components that connect, capture, analyze, and deliver information about your consumers’ preferences.
By connecting a package to cloud services, you can monitor your users’ behavior, track your supply chain, and encourage interaction. NFC tags are beneficial in this area, allowing your business to assess product interactions in real-time and gain insights into a campaign’s performance.
Making Sense of These Trends
It’s that time of the year again where new trends are rising. This is especially relevant in the packaging industry, with consumers having a greater preference for aesthetic, practical, sustainable, engaging, and smart packaging. Thus, it is crucial for your business to accommodate these trends because they will significantly influence customer satisfaction.
