The need to deter theft while attractively displaying smaller items in brick and mortar stores has resulted in packaging which is both difficult to open and environmentally unfriendly. Products which are shipped directly to consumer’s homes do not face these issues, yet most manufacturer’s simply use the same packaging for both channels. The large online retailer, Amazon has recently announced an initiative to end this difference. Manufacturers are now being encouraged to provide packaging that is both easier to open and more environmentally friendly. The full story is in the New York Times.
Archive for the ‘Shared Articles’ Category
Different Channels Different Packages
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010Give Me More Flavor
Monday, May 31st, 2010Consumers who have had their tastes expanded by celebrity chef’s who continually push the boundaries, the Food Network and growing availability of more ethnic foods. Thanks to this, they are demanding more intensity and variety in everything from potato chips to chewing gum to beverages and more. Food marketers need to stay up with this important trend. You can learn more in an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal titled “A Taste for Hotter, Mintier, Fruitier” .
It’s What’s Inside
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010Congratulations to our client Noble Juices for placing third in a recent taste test beating out several of the biggest brands. The quality of their juice was the reason, but we’d like to think that our package design didn’t hurt!
An Ice Cream Legend Passes Away
Sunday, May 16th, 2010Richard LaMotta, a true entrepreneur and inventor of the Chipwich sandwich passed away last Tuesday. Over the year we have designed many variations of the iconic Chipwich package . You read details of his life in the New York Times obituary.
Cost Consciousness Here to Stay
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010Consumers have now settled into a new level of practicality when it comes to food shopping. While they still may prefer branded products, they are no longer willing to just walk the aisles without regard to prices. They are now looking for deals and special offers. Even Whole Foods has started to discount in an effort to reclaim lost customers and change their image away from being known as “Whole Paycheck”. This creates a challenge for brands who have to be cautious with how and how often they discount to prevent erosion of their brand image. The front cover of USA Today had an in depth article about this phenomenon.
Reading the Labels
Sunday, April 18th, 2010We all know that more and more consumers are reading the nutritional labels of packaged food contents for calories, sugar, salt and fat. Now more and more of them are also reading the ingredients. And the media is telling them what to look for as in this article from Healthy Living. What are you doing to eliminate ingredients that consumers perceive as unhealthy? The time to act is now.
The Coupon Arises
Saturday, April 17th, 2010For years we have watched as the use of coupons has declined except for a temporary rise during tough economic times. The internet started to turn this around and turned the tables on manufacturers as heavy coupon users figured out how to game the system in ways the manufacturer never intended. They figured out to combine offers and obtain coupons that weren’t meant for them, much to the consternation of manufacturer’s. Now things are changing as manufacturer’s have figured out how to take advantage of this trend. The use of online coupons is rising which is saving consumers a lot of money. The big change is now how manufacturers have figured out how to best use the medium of online coupons which is very different than old school FSI’s. Online coupons now allow manufacturer’s to gather a tremendous amount of information about each coupons user that can be used for research and for future sales growth by even better targeting and offer customization. Read the whole story in the New York Times
America Leads in Pre-packaged Foods
Monday, April 5th, 2010There is an interesting graph in the NY Times that shows how the US leads all other nations in pre-packaged foods. This graph shows me three things. First there is a tremendous opportunity for US based food producers to become global and export the convenience of pre-packaged foods to the rest of the world. As the economic picture for citizens of many foreign countries continues to improve, just like the demand for cars is rising, so can the demand for pre-packaged food. The second observation is that we should plan on seeing more foreign food producers entering the US market due to its size. And the third observation is I think we will see continuing pressure from many areas, including the government, to improve the nutritional value of pre-packaged foods as the article also points out how many of these foods are loaded with salt, fat and sugar. Read more here
Consumers Looking for Creative Recipes from Brands
Thursday, March 18th, 2010Consumers food tastes have changed and they are looking for more up to date recipes from manufacturer’s. Many manufacturer’s list old standby recipes on their labels and even more on their websites. Today’s consumers are bored with yesterday’s recipes and are now looking to the Food Network, magazines and websites like epicurious.com. Companies like Campbell Soup, Nestle, Kraft and General Mills are leading the way with this trend. Read the article from the WSJ to learn more.