PACKAGING DESIGN TRENDS TO WATCH IN 2022
The Importance of Packaging Design
Packaging design has continued to be an essential piece of the e-commerce puzzle to success. A well-designed package indicates to your customers what you’re all about, while also keeping your product safe and sound inside. Just like anything that is subject to change with the times, packaging designs go in and out of style, so it can be difficult to know exactly what kind of design will benefit your business. Let’s break down the packaging design trends for 2022 and the benefits they can bring to your business.
How Does My Packaging Help Generate Brand Recognition?
When it comes to designing a package for your precious products, it’s important to bear in mind that packaging is a reflection of your brand as a whole. When someone sees your package on a shelf or sitting at their doorstep, you want them to instantly recognize who you are and what you sell. There are certain trends that are starting to spark up that will place your brand above the rest when it comes to recognizability and are worth considering with the coming year.
Simple, But Bold
First off, simplistic designs are starting to crop up in every industry, so it only makes sense that they’ve made their way to packaging and e-commerce. A good simplistic design is able to showcase exactly what your customers need to know about your product without being too over the top. If done right, these simple designs should be easy on the eyes, and should represent your brand as a whole in the most minimalistic yet eye-catching way possible. However, you need to be wary of keeping it too simple. Creating a simple design is key but making it too simple runs you the risk of being confused for another brand with a similarly simple design. Keep it simple, but original, or don’t. Despite the trend heading toward simple designs, complex designs function just as well and make you stand out in a different way. What’s really important is making something unique to you and your brand.
Textured Packaging
Next, there’s textured packaging. Textured packaging can refer to a number of things, but most often if your packaging is textured it means that you have an embossed or an etched design. This is a unique trend as it allows you to play with packaging design in a more abstract way. It can give your brand the edge over another product that is similar to your own as not every company would be bold enough to texture their packaging. It also taps into another sense aside from sight, touch. Now that we’ve covered the creative designs that are looking to be hits in the coming year, we can look at the more physical packaging trends that look to be cropping up in the industry.
Efficiency
Packaging innovators are always looking for ways to make the process more efficient. This can come in a number of forms, whether that’s changing the physical shape of the package itself or making the switch to automated packaging units, which will all increase the efficiency of the packaging process for companies involved in e-commerce or otherwise. Switching over to automated packaging equipment in particular has been on the rise for a number of years now, and as time progresses, the equipment only becomes more and more efficient. An increase in labor concerns has led to many companies outsourcing their packaging processes. This also comes in many forms, from developing a kit with a company, to completely offloading the packaging process to another location, to fulfillment. For companies with issues managing the packaging and shipping portions of their operations, increasing efficiency by investing in automation or offloading pick-and-pack responsibilities may be something to consider.
Sustainable Options
Sustainability has been on the minds of many of our customers for years now, but it has only recently become a serious topic of discussion relating specifically to packaging. Many companies have made significant investments in sustainability by developing ways to reduce waste through the use of automated machinery and material consolidation. Consumers are starting to prefer to see companies avoid needless waste and are more willing to give their money to companies who are actively trying to increase their sustainability efforts and ultimately decrease their environmental footprint. Sustainability initiatives strongly influence buying decisions at the consumer level. When looking to cut down on costs and gain a better public-facing image, there is no better way than to eliminate needless packaging and to reduce the number of materials that are required to create one packaging unit, ship, and fulfill it.
Cube Dimensions
Another trend that is gaining steam in the packaging industry is the reduction of the space being taken by any given case cube. A case cube is a measurement that is obtained by figuring out how much space a case of a product will take up in a warehouse while in storage. Finding ways to minimize these cases of products is a great way to save space in your operation for more finished product, and it will allow you to keep a better eye on your inventory as a whole. More space typically results in more clarity on the floor and maintaining a clean and efficient workspace will ensure that productivity will go up. This will also help third party shippers handle your product more efficiently, which could result in your products shipping sooner to your customers.
DIM Weight Reduction
DIM weight is the calculated amount of space that a package takes up compared to its weight. It is no surprise that a recent trend has been attempting to reduce the amount of DIM weight per package, in much the same way that they have been attempting to reduce cubic dimensions. There are a number of reasons why reducing DIM weight is beneficial for our customers. The first reason is that shipping companies charge freight costs based on the DIM weight of your products, so reducing the dimensions of the box itself can reduce the price of shipping. It’s also more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly to use less materials when packaging. Ultimately, reducing the DIM weight of your own packaging may have a significant impact on your bottom line.
Protective Packaging
Finally, the last thing to touch on regarding trends for this coming year in the packaging world is the revamping of protective packaging. Though it should be obvious that the primary job of packaging is to house your product for storage and shipment, that idea seems to have slipped to the wayside in the last few years for a few companies. It’s always good to have fancy packaging that gets your customer’s attention, but if that product is unable to be shipped safely and transported, then it’s likely that not only the package itself will be damaged, but the product inside could be too. Damages reflect negatively on your brand image. Protective packaging can very easily be designed to look aesthetically pleasing as well, which would serve to protect your product, and give the customer the unboxing experience that will keep them coming back for more. Whether it’s trending or not, protective packaging should always be something that you take seriously.
The Takeaway
The packaging industry is much more multifaceted than it seems. Creating packaging that protects your product while reflecting your brand in a positive light is more relevant – and important – than ever. With so many different ways to express your company’s brand message, it is important to use packaging trends to carve a specific image for your product that makes it stand out from the rest. Outside of the actual packaging itself, many companies are pushing to become more automated in the coming year, which will ultimately create more efficient work environments and drive profitability. There are a thousand ways to make packaging easier and more effective for your company, which is where our team at Morrisette comes in! We can help you adopt some of these trends, while putting your own unique flair on them. All it takes is a little creativity, help from packaging industry experts like ourselves, and innovation.