Food packaging: what it is, how to choose it and why it is important.

When we hear about food packaging , the first thing that comes to mind is a food container, designed to wrap and protect food from the moment it is packaged until it arrives on our tables. It must take into account the dimensions of the product, its consistency and any interactions between the food and the materials of the container, preventing the alteration or damage of the food inside.

However, food packaging is not just packaging that allows you to keep the properties of the fresh product intact. It is also, and above all, a physical medium, an extraordinary channel of direct communication between our brand and the customer . In other words, food packaging speaks of us, of our brand. For this reason it is essential to understand its importance, both from the point of view of its fundamental requirements and from the point of view of marketing. In this article we will explain what food packaging is, how to choose it and why it plays such an important role in the success of a food product.

The definition of food packaging includes all packaging capable of containing food , respecting and preserving its characteristics and preventing it from being damaged during transport. For this reason, the choice of the most suitable food packaging involves a careful analysis of the materials , which must absolutely be non-toxic, capable of minimizing the deterioration of the product even in the event of adverse environmental conditions and not releasing any harmful substances. We can therefore say that the fundamental and primary requirements of packaging are to contain, preserve and allow the transport of the products.

But food packaging also performs another very important function: to be an effective marketing tool . The type of packaging that we are going to choose, in fact, will condition the customer's purchasing experience which will inevitably be influenced in his judgment by the way in which the product appears on the outside, and not only by its content. Thinking of developing the packaging taking into consideration only the logistical or functional needs and underestimating the customer's point of view is a mistake not to be made if we intend to convey a positive image of the brand. In fact, when we choose the type of food packaging to use, we should always keep in mind that it will speak of our company and our values long before the actual quality of the product inside can be evaluated by the buyer.

How to choose the right food packaging?

This means that, depending on the food packaging chosen, we will communicate something to our customers, influencing their future purchases. Being aware of it is the first step in ensuring that the conveyed message offers a positive image of the brand and the product. In this regard, there are some best practices in choosing food packaging to take into consideration and try to translate into your business.

Low plastic content food packaging

The first and most current is certainly to try to reduce the use of plastic in packaging as much as possible. Those who buy food online, for example, tend to be very aware customers, who have evaluated various aspects and taken into consideration a series of advantages and disadvantages before making their purchase choice. Often these are customers who are particularly sensitive to environmental issues and attentive to aspects of life with a high social impact. If we want to attract this type of clientele (and make a green choice!), reducing the use of plastic in packaging will communicate our position in relation to the social responsibility that the company wants to assume.

Easy to open packaging

A second factor that affects the positive customer experience of packaging is certainly the ease of opening . An example of success in this sense is represented by Amazon which, for several years now, has been implementing an internal policy called frustration free packaging : packaging that frees from frustrations. From this policy was born the packaging, usually used for books, which allows the customer to easily open the packaging using a serrated tab and inside which contains nothing other than the product, making the opening and disposal of the box simple and fast. For food products it is obviously much more complicated to use such packaging, above all due to the need to safeguard the integrity and freshness of the food. But this should not preclude the possibility of finding alternative and simple methods of opening the packaging, using, for example, snap-on lids and freshness seals.

Information packaging

The third factor to take into consideration is the information material that the packaging must contain. Whether it is an e-commerce of supermarket food products, with nothing to explain, or very special products with an important storytelling , the moment the package is opened represents the first physical contact between the company and the customer and, therefore , the opportunity to be able to communicate and tell something about us. Informative material can be included in the packaging that tells the story of the brand, the creation of the products and corporate values, but also instructions for correctly disposing of the packaging. Or, again, we can choose to use different material based on the type of customer, whether regular or first purchase, through automatic systems that interface with the company's warehouse.

Branded Food Packaging

Last but not least, a fundamental aspect to take into consideration is the graphic customization of the packaging with the brand logo. Many e-commerce companies make the mistake of starting with anonymous packaging, not externally branded, to lower costs. In doing so, however, the powerful unconscious marketing that characterizes the phase in which the customer physically receives the package is underestimated. In fact, the very first seconds are the ones that most influence the buyer's experience and knowing how to make this moment pleasant means having already reached an excellent goal. To do this, all you need is a customized box, perhaps coloured, that shows the brand and conveys the brand's values. And if the logistic model does not allow it, because perhaps the box risks getting very dirty during the journey, an excellent alternative is to personalize the inside of the packaging; there are, for example, new digital printing technologies on cardboard which allow very high graphic variability at very low costs.

Why food packaging matters

Depending on how it is used, food packaging can be a valuable ally or our worst enemy. The way our product appears on the outside is essential for the success of a sale, especially when it comes to food. In fact, the design of the package represents the first quality experience of what we are selling and is able to strengthen the bond between the brand and customers , as well as influencing the future purchasing behavior of the latter.

Food packaging helps to draw the consumer's attention to a particular product; a fundamental factor if we consider an increasingly crowded food market in which what we sell risks getting lost and confused among the thousands of alternative proposals. But the right packaging can also significantly increase the recurrence of purchases if, for example, we decide to provide customers with an improved solution (more intuitive or more sustainable) compared to the current one. Or, again, it can entice the consumer to buy again , perhaps by exploiting the possibility of returning the box upon delivery of the next order, making it a real leverage for repurchasing.

As we have seen, the possibilities for customizing food packaging are truly endless. Some solutions are very cheap, others require extra investments to be taken into consideration, still others require precise planning to be implemented. However, what we must never underestimate is the important role that packaging plays in conveying the image of our brand and in communicating what the company values are. In fact, food packaging represents the first and main physical touchpoint between the company and the customer and, for this reason, it must be included as a fundamental tool within the marketing process of any company that wants to be successful.