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Technology Altering The Food Packaging Industry

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StrategyDriven Tactical Execution Article |Food Packaging Industry|Technology Altering The Food Packaging IndustryWe have come a long way from packaging our food in leaves and skins, but in many ways, we have created more problems than solutions. The packaging industry is responsible for a great deal of pollution and waste. Many of the technologies listed in this article have been developed in order to directly challenge this status quo. Here are some of the most important recent developments in food packaging technology.

On-Site Nitrogen Generation

Nitrogen is an essential component in the packaging of perishable foods. Oxygen is an extremely reactive element, and many chemicals react readily to it. This makes the presence of oxygen in food packaging incredibly damaging. Food quickly spoils in oxygen-rich environments. Nitrogen, on the other hand, is colorless, tasteless, odorless, and almost entirely inert. For many years now, food packaging has involved the displacement of oxygen with nitrogen in order to preserve freshness. In the past, nitrogen was shipped into facilities in tankers. This nitrogen was in liquid form, which was then converted into a gas for use. The conversion process was an expensive and labor-intensive one.

On-site nitrogen generators, introduced recently, have proven to be far more efficient for companies working in the packaging industry; a nitrogen generator does not actually produce the gas from scratch. Instead, they purify nitrogen that is present in the air – stripping it of other gasses. Nitrogen accounts for around 78 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere.


Edible Packaging

Food packaging accounts for a great deal of the world’s waste, so the development of a safe edible packaging is an idea that could do the environment a big favor. Although things like rice paper have been available for a long time, truly tasty and protective materials are only just being developed. Professor David Edwards and his team at Harvard University have recently developed a membrane inspired by the skin surrounding the flesh of apples and oranges. Their invention – wikicells – is a kind of packaging made up of statically charged edible membranes. According to these scientists, the future of packaging is edible.

Smart Packaging

Smart packaging is perhaps the most ‘Tomorrow’s World’ of all the innovations on this list. The idea behind smart packaging is simple: the packaging warns consumers if a product has spoilt. Sensors embedded in the packaging will detect the telltale signs of spoilage and let a consumer know if they should eat the food contained within. This could lead to the end of sell-by dates – which are seen by many as being completely unrepresentative of the actual shelf life of food items. Items could last longer on average if people know exactly when the food has gone off.

Water Soluble Packaging

What if you could simply make packaging waste disappear? Several companies have developed packaging that dissolves in water. This could reduce household waste by a huge quantity, although the packaging will need to be made very affordable to food manufacturers in order to truly take off. No material ever truly disappears, which could mean that water in which packaging is dissolved is still relatively damaging to the environment.

The Impact of Packaging on Your eCommerce Sales

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article | The Impact of Packaging on Your eCommerce SalesPackaging is one of the most crucial elements of an eCommerce store and it can determine the level of success your business experiences. The way you package your product goes a long way to attracting potential customers, appealing to your target audience and differentiating your brand from the competition.

With an eCommerce business, you don’t have the benefit of customers being able to pick your products up or to talk to them face to face about your offerings, so you’re reliant on first impressions. That’s where packaging comes in to win new customers, retain existing ones and boost sales.

A rising demand for sustainable packaging

Sustainability has become an increasingly prominent issue for customers in recent years, and consumers want the products they buy to be packaged in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly way. eCommerce businesses need to be sure they’re not overpacking their products which will contribute towards excess and unnecessary waste. They also need to ensure that the materials they use are recyclable or compostable to ease the burden placed on our planet.

Sustainable packaging comes in various forms and there are many packaging strategies for eCommerce businesses to try, from shipping in smaller packages to using biodegradable alternatives and plant-based solutions. These options improve your brand’s reputation, lower shipping costs for your business and increase sales.

Increased scrutiny from consumers

With the rise in online purchasing, businesses need to do all they can to connect with consumers on a personal level. In eCommerce, a customer’s perceptions of a brand are primarily based on their initial unboxing experience, so they’ll be checking for packaging damage, whether the item arrives in good condition and how the delivery experience was for them. Damage and faulty goods can negatively affect your reputation and lead to customers going to a different supplier, so the way in which you package your items makes all the difference.

This is even more important with food products. Customers have much higher standards when it comes to consumables, so you need to think about the item you’re selling and how best to package it to preserve the integrity of the product. For example, serving up one of the nation’s most popular drinks, tea bags are sensitive to light and moisture. As such, businesses in this niche need to choose packaging that provides a barrier to these elements to ensure the customer receives the product in the same condition as when you packaged it. Likewise, a company selling bath products needs to be sure the contents of a customer’s orders will remain intact and won’t absorb moisture.

The importance of visual appeal

While it’s true that packaging serves a practical function, there’s also a fantastic opportunity for eCommerce businesses to play with the design of their product and shipping packaging to elevate their brand presence and entice customers to buy. On average, customers form an opinion about a product in just 3 seconds, so you don’t have long to get their attention and keep it. Visuals are essential for representing your brand in the right way and could be the difference between a customer choosing to buy from your online business versus another.

You can use packaging design to convey your unique brand identity and messaging in a clear and concise way, so customers are immediately aware of what your business is about. Make sure your colours and fonts are cohesive with your brand and that you’re clearly displaying your business name, logo and trademarks so consumers instantly know that it’s your brand they’re purchasing from and will recognise your products from their aesthetically appealing designs.

Greater customer loyalty

Great packaging could spell the difference between a customer using your business again or switching to someone else, so it pays to take this into consideration. Consider if someone is purchasing a gift for a friend or relative. The packaging of your product could have a significant impact on whether they’re likely to consider your brand or someone else’s, and whether they’re likely to consider you again in the future.

Customer loyalty is an argument for considering custom packaging for your eCommerce goods, setting your products apart from the rest of the industry and making the design unique to your brand. Custom packaging is an underused marketing tactic that would put you a step ahead of your competition, but it also gives you the opportunity to really hone in on what your customers are looking for and provide it to them. Getting creative with the design, from the size, shape and functionality to colours and finishes, will delight your customers and encourage them to think of your business when they need to make a purchase.

Key takeaways

eCommerce businesses have to take packaging into account for a number of reasons, particularly if they want another effective method of boosting their online sales. Packaging plays an important role in protecting the interior items, providing a great service to customers and improving brand reputation and loyalty. There are so many opportunities to make packaging a focal point of a product, from playing with different designs to make your items stand out on the digital shelves to choosing sustainable materials that will give you eco points with consumers.

The main goal when it comes to increasing sales through packaging is to ensure that the style of packaging you choose is suitable for the products you’re sending out to customers and that the appearance matches up with the impression you want to give your customers.