Magazine: Packaging communicates better and better

Retailers often underestimate the significance of packaging – this was one of the conclusions drawn at the Interpack trade fair, held in Düsseldorf this May.

Sebastian Pflügge, press director of the event told that these days it is not enough if a box or a bottle looks good and catches the glance of customers. Ideal packaging communicates a message about the quality of the product inside in the blink of an eye. A new characteristic of latest packaging trends is that packaging serves the improvement of one’s quality of life. European Retail Institute (EHI) is the professional patron of Interpack and the head of their packaging research division, Hilka Bergmann stated the following in an interview: – Those who wish to reach consumers have to present their products perfectly at the point of sale. There is fierce competition going on in-store. In super- and hypermarkets shoppers have little product information available to them. In such situations packaging can help them decide what to buy. Manufacturers are spending more and more on in-store advertisements. EHI’s expert informed that five dimensions – emotions, health, aesthetics, simplicity and identity – of life quality are in the focus when we talk about the multi-faceted communication of packaging. These five dimensions directly influence shopper behaviour and their consumption patterns. At a press conference it was announced that the cardboard packaging market was rapidly growing in Eastern Europe and Asia. Another trend is that market players are trying to use packaging materials economically and they are increasingly conscious about environmental aspects. O-I Európa – they have a production facility in Orosháza too – developed a technology with which they can manufacture black glass quickly, at an affordable price. At Interpack’s Metal Packaging Plaza section several new solutions were presented, for instance self-heating and self-cooling boxes. With promotional campaigns and product launches metal is used more and more frequently, for instance perfume or chocolate packaged in metal suggest high value, plus it preserves the excellent quality of products.