Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2024-12-31 Origin: Site
This detailed guide highlights the importance of custom food packaging, its benefits for your business, and design tips for developing unique packaging.
In today's competitive food industry, standing out on crowded shelves or in an online marketplace is more challenging than ever. Custom food packaging offers businesses a unique opportunity to showcase their brand's identity, values, and creativity.
In this article, we'll explore the basics of custom food packaging, highlight its many advantages, and share tips on packaging design for your business.
Customized food packaging refers to the design and production of packaging material that reflects your brand identity and aesthetic. It's an excellent alternative to generic packaging and helps your brand stand out from the competition.
There are various levels of customization in the food packaging industry. The simplest approach is to add your brand logo to standard quick-service containers or bags.
For the ultimate brand recognition, your food packaging should be unique, with colors and shapes that enhance the product's presentation.
Food packaging is a broad term that covers all sealed or unsealed food enclosures. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on two types.
Retail food packaging is used for store-shelf products such as condiment jars, bags of chips, boxes of cereal, etc.
Service food packaging is used for take outs and restaurant leftovers. It includes disposable food containers, coffee cups, food boxes, etc.
Custom packaging is primarily used in the food service industry, where it allows businesses to customize existing packaging designs with minimal effort.
Custom food packaging can be very effective in promoting your business. Here are eight big benefits of using customized food packaging for your brand.
The biggest benefit of customized packaging is undoubtedly enhanced brand recognition. When done right, the colors and design of your packaging will become synonymous with your brand.
For example, if you see bright red cardboard packaging for fries, you will associate it with McDonald's, despite the fact that many other fast food chains use custom red food packaging for their fries. That's because McDonald's has been using that red fry packaging for nearly half a century.
Before 1970, McDonald's served fries in simple white paper bags with a logo. However, it immediately became synonymous with the brand once they switched to the classic red box.
While custom food packaging doesn't increase the quality of the products, it does increase the perception of value. Years of learned human behaviour dictate that people will perceive the value of a product based on the quality of the packaging.
Investing in good packaging gives the impression that your food products are high-quality. Customers feel like they are getting a better deal if the brand uses premium-feeling packaging while charging the same price.
Customized packaging also improves protection. Generic packaging is easy to tamper with and replace. In our modern food delivery economy, ensuring that your products reach the customer safely and unaltered is critical.
A great way to ensure food safety is to put a custom sticker on the lip of the food container. An undisturbed sticker will mean the product is untampered and safe.
Generic food packaging is made of unrecyclable plastic to cut costs. Such packaging creates unnecessary waste that destroys plant and sea life.
As consumers have become more sensitized to the damage caused by single-use plastics, the food industry has shifted to eco-friendly options such as biodegradable food containers. Custom food packaging enables businesses to use paper or other biodegradable materials for containers.
Social media is a free advertisement platform for brands, provided they are savvy enough to take full advantage of it.
Millions of people post pictures of their food on platforms like Instagram before they even take a bite. Most of these photos contain a branded box, cup, or napkin from a restaurant. Social media posts are a great medium for newer brands to gain momentum in the competitive food industry.
Another big benefit of custom food packaging is the ability to modify existing designs for seasonal campaigns. Big brands like Starbucks change their standard cups to traditional red and green ones during the winter holidays. While a small change helps establish a brand's reputation as trustworthy.
Custom packaging can be designed to be more user-friendly. Standard food containers are very thin and buckle under the weight of heavy foods. With custom packaging, brands can fine-tune the thickness of the containers to improve product safety and the custom experience.
While custom food packaging doesn't directly contribute to increased sales, it does affect your brand reach. Using eco-friendly packaging will help you gain the trust of environmentally conscious customers. Resulting in repeat visits to your shop. Similarly, reliable packaging that doesn't leak or break will incentivize take-out customers to visit your shop over the competition.
Customizing your food packaging is easy. Most packaging manufacturers offer comprehensive customization options to help you get started. However, before you place your order, there are a few preparatory steps you need to take.
Your food packaging should reflect a certain vibe that resonates with the target audience. First, identify your target audience, then consider which factors you want to emphasize through your packaging. Is your brand focused on sustainability, convenience, luxury, or all of the above? For example, if your products are aimed at a younger demographic, you should focus on bright colors and easy-to-open packaging.
Evaluate your products' specific requirements. Perishable food items require airtight containers that prevent spoilage, and liquids will need a watertight cup with an optional lid.
Similarly, heavy products will need stronger packaging that also costs more.
Now, you want to harmonize your product needs with your design goals. Look for unique designs that differentiate your brand from the competition. Try fun color combinations, dynamic shapes, or sustainable materials.
Material choice is one of the most impactful elements of custom packaging. It directly affects the cost of the packaging and indirectly affects your brand image. Going for low-cost materials will save you money in the short term, but it might also lose you customer trust.
Paper is generally a good choice for dry, lightweight goods.
Plastic is the overall cheapest material but terrible for the environment.
Aluminum foil is sturdy and reliable but very expensive and difficult to customize.
Bagasse is sturdy, biodegradable, and relatively cost-efficient.
Always order packaging samples from vendors and test prototypes before committing to a larger order. Your custom food packaging should meet all your requirements without compromising durability or quality.
After thoroughly testing your prototypes, optimize the design and material choices to minimize your packaging costs. Reduce packaging thickness if necessary or change your material choice to meet certain price thresholds.
Bulk orders will also help reduce the cost of packaging per item.
Finally, you should consider some limited-time packaging designs. Using themed product packaging to commemorate important days or events is a great marketing opportunity.
You can customize your food packages to celebrate the 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas, etc.
Designing your first custom food packaging is always challenging. Here are five short tips to help you get started.
If you are going to create your own custom food packaging, ensure adequate representation of your brand themes, especially color. You have three main options for food packaging.
Bright colors that represent your brand identity and logo.
Green or khaki tones to represent eco-friendly packaging.
Black or white shades to showcase luxury items.
Biodegradable materials are always a safe choice. Paper is a good choice for most items, but avoid using paper straws, as they degrade halfway through a drink and leave a poor impression on the customer.
Use resealable bags and containers for snacks and insulated packaging for frozen or hot foods. Buyer should note that higher thickness packaging is more reliable and has a premium feel but it can also cost twice as much.
Some materials are also easier to print on than others. Plastic is unsuitable for printing logos and colors, so plastic packaging must be covered with a sticker.
While unique designs are encouraged, they shouldn't compromise on functionality. Ensure your custom food packaging is functional and reliable. Prioritize easy-open lids and sealable bags whenever possible. Your packaging should be easy to carry regardless of weight.
Additionally, ensure the packaging firmly holds the products and protects them during transit.
Use the surface of the packaging to add additional helpful information. You can add nutritional facts about your product, list ingredients, or share helpful storage instructions. A popular practice is to add reheating instructions for take outs or recipes.
You can also add information about your brand, its origins, and QR codes that link to the brand website or social media.
Over time, microplastics from food packaging leech into the food. While the amount is negligible, constant exposure to microplastics does result in long-term health issues. Biodegradable packaging isn't just a trend. It's a healthier alternative to plastic.
Avoid or limit the use of plastic in your food packaging, or at the very least, try to incorporate recycled plastic in your packaging design.
Custom food packaging is a way for brands to showcase their products in the best light and develop customer trust. Generic food packaging is designed to be cost-efficient, meaning it sacrifices quality and aesthetics for lower prices.
While such simple packaging is a necessity for a fledgling business, it doesn't leave a good impression on the customers. Impactful designs with bold colors help build brand recognition, and quality packaging establishes reliability.
Quality custom packaging can help turn one-time shoppers into repeat customers.
Sumkoka is a well known manufacturer of high-quality biodegradable tableware. We specialize in eco-friendly food packaging that exceeds the quality of paper and plastic alternatives. Our more than 12 years of experience and a skilled workforce has enabled us to expand our presence around the globe.
Take advantage of our incredible customization solutions. We offer free product samples so you can verify the quality before purchasing.
Check out our website for more information and get a Free Quote!
