Menu
513.561.1441
To ring in the new year, we are addressing one of our most commonly asked questions: What are the latest and greatest packaging trends for the CPG industry?
Here at Haney, we have a hand in designing and prototyping new and innovative packaing formats early on in their development. This involvement in the development process is likely why we are often seen as a trend guru by our clients, partners, and peers. Now as 2018 is upon us, we thought we would share our opinion on the top 5 trends for the new year.
This list is based on the challenges our partners and clients face, and how many times we have seen these conversations increasingly come up as 2017 progressed. This is what we predict will be the focus for CPGs in 2018, if it is not already.
With the kind of R&D and prototyping work that we do here at Haney, historically, there has been a lot of focus on “How do we stand out on shelf?” That focus has begun to shift, and we predict that movement will continue in a new direction. Anymore, it is less about what stands out on shelf and more about the consumer experience, or, more appropriately worded, Consumer Delight. No longer is packaging only about how the consumer will use it, but now whether or not it will provide the consumer with a small moment of joy, and, therefore create stronger memories, and better loyalty.
Additionally, there are word-of-mouth and social media benefits associated with Consumer Delight. It is no longer acceptable to just create a good product and to be noticed. It must now bring enrichment and enjoyment into the consumers’ lives.
This is true whether it’s on shelf or ecommerce. Here at Haney, we have begun exploring ideas of how to optimize the Consumer Delight whether it be through personalization with the benefits of digital printing, unique visual solutions using technology such as HP SmartStream Mosaic, creating one-of-a-kind unboxing experiences, or something as simple as adding a tactile feel for a haptic response from the consumer.
We just finished a holiday season that saw record numbers of online shopping. While much of the final numbers are still out for analysis, according to Adobe Digital Insights, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday brought in a total of $14.49 billion dollars in online sales, with Thanksgiving Day up 18.3% from last year and Cyber Monday up 16.8%. Focusing on ecommerce isn’t a new idea – this trend has been growing for years. But here at Haney, we have begun to see a much needed shift in the way packaging effects this trend. As much as we all know that more and more consumers are getting products shipped to their door, there are studies that have shown that a large number of those consumers and their purchases are influenced by what they see in store, where it can be easier to compare brands. Therefore, CPG companies will focus more on an omnichannel approach in the coming year, and more holistic solutions will be developed.
Our VIA Alliance™ Partners keep us up to date on their newest technologies, and many of them have shared their Augmented Reality technologies with us. (You can read about some of these technologies in our previous blog post: Positioning Your Package for Online Routing, Tracking and Data Assessments: The mechanism behind the “Internet of things.”This is a feature we hear talked about a lot, but rarely implemented. However, with more and more success stories hitting the market, we foresee this growing in 2018.
Take the 19 Crimes example. 19 Crimes is an Australian wine company that implemented Augmented Reality into their label. The labels become “talking labels” with the British prisoners that were banished to Australia finally able to tell the story from their point of view. If you haven’t seen or heard about it, you can read about it here.
Forbes reported that the 19 Crimes brand grew 60% in volume sales in the last year, partly because of this campaign. And although the numbers are not revealed yet, the social media marketing on this has to have had an impact – we can speak from our own Facebook feeds and the number of friends that have posted about it. Just typing 19 Crimes into You Tube gives you dozens of recent posts in the past 5 months, all centered around the augmented reality. With the social acceptence and advancing technologies of this integrated feature, we foresee
more examples coming within 2018.
Here at Haney, the design team often refers to the VIA Alliance™ Library as an extended toolbox. And we’ve seen an increasing number of designers and brand owners taking advantage of this approach. There’s more to design with than color, shape and typography. Keeping materials, effect, and finishes in mind during the entire design process allows for more exclusive and high-end, brand relevant, results. The key is knowing what all is out there. As minimalistic designs in packaging continue to trend upward, designers are looking for new ways to stand out and create a unique experience.
Many of the packages we have seen come through Haney recently showcase premium effects and finishes to give minimalistic packaging maximum impact. Cast and Cure by Breit Technologies (also known as C2) is one example of an easily implemented effect that has a strong impact. The recently released Crest 3D White Whitening Therepy packages use this and have, reportedly, been doing great on shelf.
To learn more about working with Haney and our VIA Alliance™ program contact Haney at: hello@haneypkg.com.
