What product have you purchased lately that you really loved the packaging?

One that you have not complained that it's over packaged but felt like the package really worked in conjunction with the product inside.

There have been lots of great new packaging innovations that have made our lives easier. There are also so many packaged products that we simply take for granted never understanding that the packaging make it possible. These are everyday items that we never consider how they got to us.

Would we have potato chips without a package? No way.

What about eggs? Did you know that every year there are dozens of egg drop competitions around the country creating new and unique product packaging for eggs? Have you popped any popcorn in the microwave lately? It’s the packaging that makes microwave popcorn possible. How about toothpaste? Are you making your own or are you like the majority of people that buy it prepackaged?

The list of packaging innovations that influence our daily lives is astounding.

I worked on a project a couple of years ago to list the most important packaging innovations in the last 50 years. There were so many choices that it was hard to select the top ten. Terms like microwaveable, juice box, shelf stable, home meal replacement are direct results of product packaging innovation.

Now we can’t all come up with packaging innovations that revolutionize a product category. But how can you integrate innovation concepts into YOUR product packaging?

Let me give you a few examples to start you thinking:
Domino Foods took sugar out of a paper bag and put it into a resalable plastic canister.

Sargento Cheese put a reclosable zipper on its shredded cheese packaging.

Heinz Catsup not only created an upside down dispenser but shaped the bottle to fit inside the refrigerator door.

Wishbone Salad Dressing developed a spritzable salad dressing instead of pourable.

Clorox bleach pen that allows a bleaching application to be applied directly to the stain.

All of these packaging concepts had the consumer in mind when they developed alternative packaging methods. In some cases, they fulfilled an unmet consumer need -- in other cases they made our lives easier. So what can your product packaging do? How will it answer a consumer desire, want or need? If the package is integral to your product then you better start thinking of how you will answer that question. Here is a start to get those creative juices flowing.

• What can your package do that isn’t being done currently?

• Can you make it easier to use?

• Can you dispense the product in a different manner?

• Can you extend the life expectancy of a particular product?

• Can you offer it in different sizes or shapes than the current market?

• Can you use less packaging materials or environmentally responsible ones?

• Can you make it easier to store or handle?

• Can you make it easier to read or understand what is inside?

Even more revolutionary, can your product tell the consumer when the product is spoiled, bad or has been tampered with? Yes, that technology is out there. Look for it to be the coming wave of new package innovation.

Any package innovation that provides product security, integrity and ensures the product is uncontaminated is a winner. It is imperative that it fulfill a consumer need for product trust.

All of these above are consumer wants, desires, issues or needs. How can you provide them the product packaging that works in satisfying these (in many cases) unmet needs?

Need packaging help? Why not contact me the Packaging Diva one of the top consumer product packaging experts via email at joann@packagingdiva.com or by phone at  1-678-594-6872 . I can help you package your product to sell just like I have helped hundreds
of happy clients.