If You Lick it, You Buy It Sounds crazy, except perhaps in the bulk candy section, but soon this could be a sentiment that follows shoppers throughout the grocery aisles, as more and more edible options are made available to packaging designers.  Instead of the materials that pile up in landfills – plastic, Styrofoam, and certain forms of cardboard – we will soon see store shelves lined with food packaging products that are just as edible (and perhaps just as tasty) as the goods within.

Welcome to Your Interactive Grocery Store We may not be quite ready for wide scale grocery shopping online, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t be bringing the Web with us while we shop.  In fact, we have already touched on this with grocery store apps, coupon services, and other such services.  However, we believe this will go much further as flexible packaging is used to transport information to smart devices, so the consumer that can learn all about the various products on the store shelves, receive special coupons, or keep a running tally as products are added to the cart.

These are just two of the amazing things that could happen, in large part because of the role of specialized packaging products that may soon be available.  Can you image the day that you are able to walk down streamlined aisles, without a cart, scanning the items that you want with your smart device, and then walking to the front where your total has already been calculated and your bags have already been packed?

It is easy to imagine how our world would be impacted on a global level if, suddenly, the majority of packaging was edible (or, at very least, easily dissolved into a earth-friendly liquid).

This is exactly what researchers are working toward, and it is very possible that we will see new food pouches and other food product packaging made entirely of edible materials in the near future.  In fact, right now, two large scale experiments are underway using unexpected materials as packaging – mushrooms and milk.

Not milk exactly, but a milk protein called casein.  This is an entirely biodegradable and, yes, edible material, which could soon be used to package cheeses and other dairy products.  Not only can this material be used to protect the food within, say researchers, but it could also add a nutritional boost, because it is a natural protein.  The combination of water, casein, glycol, and citrus pectin produces a thin, malleable material that would rival the plastics currently used in the mass market.

In yet another lab, there are a couple of young scientists and entrepreneurs who are developing an entirely different type of packaging material, which undoubtedly excites every packaging company.  One of the challenges of trying to abide by eco-friendly practices is the fact that there is no strong alternative to Styrofoam inserts, which are often help to keep products in place, and safe when transported and shelved.  However, these young forward thinkers have come up with a way of using mushrooms as the base for a new type of Styrofoam that will biodegrade.  You can read more about their efforts at Business Insider.

With such innovation, it is easy to picture the day that we no longer have to worry about the waste created by throwing away plastic pouches and other such materials.

There are many benefits to selecting food bags, instead of boxes or molded plastic packaging.

Convenience We’ve said it more than once, and we’ll continue to do so – food pouches are extremely convenient.  Not just for the consumer, and for the store in which they are sold, but also for you.  Your product deserves a great package.  There are so many options with flexible materials – stand up pouches, resealable bags, pour spouts, and baby-friendly food pouches.  You can really take your packaging designs to the next level with flexible materials.

Sticking to the Budget It’s not just the long list of options that come with flexible package printing, but also the amount that you stand to save.  These bags and pouches generally cost much less per unit than boxes and molded plastic.  According to several reports, a food manufacturer can stand to save up to forty percent when making the switch to flexible food packaging bags.

Longer Shelf Life You don’t have to be in such a rush to get your product to the store shelves, when you know it has a longer shelf life.  Food bags are often better at preserving the food within than boxes are.  Furthermore, resealable options will continue to preserve the food even after the consumer opens the bag.

As many of us do, he couldn’t let go of the fact that the bottle had stood out, so he considered what made it different than the many other options on the shelves of that same store.  He then brought those ideas to work with him.

The difference between this and other water bottles, he said, was the fact that it featured anthropomorphic components.  That’s not entirely true.  This wasn’t a Mrs. Butterworth.  The bottle wasn’t fashioned to look like a woman or man.  However, it was given a name that would be shared by a portion of the population – Fred.

When we consider the raging success of the Coca-Cola #ShareaCoke campaign, we see just how powerful a simple name imprinted on a bottle can be.  Hurley makes the argument that this water bottling company has done something worthy of commendation – they have given this simple water bottle a personality, which is something that any packaging company should strive to do with food bags, flexible packaging, boxes, and bottles.

These products are generic when they exist on a shelf full of similarly shaped products, but the name Fred is one that is familiar to many people.  They, then, associate this product with someone they know, or have known, of the same name.  It is a simple, common name for, what the manufacturers say is a simple, straightforward product – water.  But, it isn’t just a simple name; it is a memory for millions.  It is the memory of something that some guy named Fred did, said, or wore.  It is a mental, emotion connection that makes it significantly more likely that the consumer will choose this over one of the competing products on the shelf.

#1. Engage the Consumer

#2. Highlight the Organic Nature of Their Products

#3. Show a Support for Made in the USA

They managed to do all three with one simple strategy – call attention to the farmers that make it possible for them to fill their boxes, food bags, and other flexible packaging with organic, natural foods.

The pictures of these farmers are inviting, and tell a story in their own right.  The photos make the product more approachable, more human, and that is something that make consumers take notice.  In a day and age where so much human contact is removed by technology, there does seem to be an interest in forming real connections.  Beneath the picture is the story of the farmer, and the farm, from which the foods used in the product were harvested.  Story telling on product packaging has been highly successful in the past, and we believe it will be even more so in this instance, because it is a story of organic, all-natural, healthy ingredients – exactly what consumers want to find in convenient pouch packaging and boxes today. Furthermore, it concretes the fact that this company is supporting the ‘home grown’.  They are buying their raw ingredients from the USA.

It’s not just the picture and the story on the back of the box that will appeal to consumers, it is also the new, simplified design on the front that will catch the eye.  Packaging designers are no longer working to fill every inch of the boxes and bags with design.  Instead, they are trying to appeal to the consumers’ love of minimalism.  Kashi has done that brilliantly with a simple color scheme, and only the most essential design components.

Food bags and other flexible packaging is being stripped down to the most basic designs, which utilize very few colors, and in some cases, are printed fully in black and white.  That, for many startups, is excellent news, as they attempt package printing on a very tight budget.  The fewer colors, the less detail in the graphics, the less cost to print, in most cases.

Not only do you save money up front, but done correctly, the minimalist design movement can really sell consumers.  This is exactly why even the biggest brands are rethinking their usual packaging products.  They are paring down their usual graphics, creating a look that might almost be considered a ‘throw back’ to simpler times.  That, right there, is the feeling that many consumers are seeking.  Walking into the busy grocery streets, using the limited amount of free time they have between work responsibilities and the demands of home, buyers are looking for something that is simpler.  The pared down designs on stand up pouches are reminiscent of a quieter time, and far less overwhelming in the overcrowded stores.

Some are taking the minimalist design principle even further, including very little printing, and instead, opting for transparent, flexible packaging that allows the product to speak for itself.

Here are a few tips for you, if you are shooting for a simplistic design on your pouch packaging:

• Make the font engaging, but clearly readable. Allow it to stand in high contrast with the rest of the packaging.  Make it clean, clear and large enough to see at a distance
• Avoid unnecessary graphics
• Have a product that looks pretty on its own? Let it show through.
• Make function a top priority – simplifying the packaging should not extend to functional elements. Customers are busy today, in need of quick, easy to use, simple to access solutions.  Never sacrifice functional design

Digital Illustration: While many designs from package printing have embraced the simplicity movement, that isn’t seen as often in the baby section.  Instead, there have been many efforts to put design to good use.  Digital illustrations aren’t used only to catch the eye, but also to give instruction or to offer an explanation of benefits.

Contents Display While in some cases, this is taken quite literally, and the product within is seen through the transparent, flexible packaging, in other instances, the designers use photos of the contents to dress-up the packaging.  So, the food pouch may feature high quality photos of spinach, plums, blueberries, or apples, depending on the ingredients in that particular pouch.  This is a technique that speaks well to a very rushed, pressed-for-time market

Bright Colors, High Contrast Again, simplicity rules elsewhere, but not in this market.  The idea is to catch the eye, and we have seen that, for many manufacturers of baby goods, that means brightly colored food bags, and high contrast boxes.  That being said, it is also important to consider what the biggest competitors are doing.  Some of the most successful upstarts are those that are able to literally stand out against the competition.  Sometimes that means using all-white pouch packaging, for instance.

Cartoon Characters This isn’t a new trend, but it isn’t one that is likely to go away.  Licensed characters are a big hit with little kids, and parents will often buy something to appease their little ones.

Transport Friendly Parents are on the go these days, and that generally means that their kids are too, which means that anything that is travel-friendly is seen as a benefit. Hence the huge success of food pouches that stand up right, can be resealed, aren’t breakable, and don’t require a spoon for feeding.

The Problem: According to the reports, associated with this innovative package printing, there was a big problem that was negatively impacting the consumer and the manufacturer of the product – counterfeiting.  Unfortunately, with each sophisticated step the company made, copycats were able to make the same.  The counterfeit products looked so convincingly like those designed by the packaging company, that consumers were mistakenly buying the wrong thing and were less than pleased with the product within.  The manufacturers, of course, saw a major hit to their bottom line as a result of business stolen by the copycats.

The Solution: The obvious answer was to create something that couldn’t be as easily replicated.  However, that require some real ingenuity.  They managed it though.  The new packaging techniques are much harder to mimic, because they feature glow in the dark ink, which glows under ultra-violet lights.

The Added Benefit: Obviously, the biggest concern was creating a look that couldn’t be easily replicated.  But, there are certainly other advantages that come with this fabulous new design.  For one thing, they can now set up fun and funky store displays that capture the audience’s attention.

The Lesson Learned:  The best packaging – the best food bags and pouch packaging – should be attractive, but should also resolve problems for the consumer and for the manufacturer.  That means developing a design that is both fun and functional.

Form First Before you even consider the design, consider the function.  The look is important, but consumers really appreciate products that are accommodating to their lifestyles.  Food bags, for instance, take up less space, keep food fresher, and easier to transport for families on the go, than cardboard boxes.  The good news is that flexible packaging is more readily accessible, so you should be able to find packaging designers who can make them work within your budget.

Think Monochromatic The great news for start-ups, these days, is that consumers are falling for simplicity.  That means that you can keep your product packaging design quite straightforward without driving away consumers.  Fewer colors means less printing expense and that means a lot of savings on your packaging printing.  Some of our food pouches in recent years have been almost entirely black and white (featuring beautiful graphics), with pops of vibrant color that catch the eye.

Make it Grocery Store Friendly Stores are trying to pack a lot of product into their limited space, which means that they appreciate display options.  Hangers on your plastic pouches might just mean that are featured, in a sense, because the grocery stores can take advantage of hooks, instead of relying entirely on shelving.

Work Closely With Designers Don’t turn away from professional design help.  You might believe it is more expensive, but, as a general rule, the investment in professional design assistance will mean a more attractive product and more sales.  Furthermore, these talented people are used to working within budget constraints, so they can help you get the most out of your investment.

To help you ensure that your product packaging is more attractive than that of the competitors, let’s take a look at what consumers want to see today.

A Concise Message Forget the descriptors and trigger-words.  They are a waste according to the educated consumers today.  Food pouches should only include the most relevant, necessary information to tell the buyer exactly what can be expected from the food within.  Make ingredient labels easy to read, include pictures of the actual food within. These sorts of tactics are useful, honest, and transparent, which is exactly what the buyer wants from food product packaging today.

Make it Personal Coca Cola hit the nail on the head with the #ShareACoke campaign.  People love to see a product that speaks directly to them.  A bottle of soda that has their name on it takes that concept to a very literal level.  You don’t have to go so far, but you can make sure that your food bags are relatable.  Consider specialized packaging during holiday seasons, or consider offering personalized labels for special events with an interactive design studio on your website.  There are many ways to make your packages more approachable.

Mobile Friendly People are on the go more than ever before.  That means that they are often enjoying drinks and food while on the road, or very quickly between various commitments.  If your food packaging bags can accommodate that fast-paced lifestyle, then you have offered a very desirable advantage to the consumer.