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How is the product
to be packaged?
Ugg the caveman probably used
packaging of some sort, perhaps a soft dinosaur skin, to wrap
his stone wheels in what the purpose of it was simply to
protect this product against the trials and tribulations it
would experience along the rough road between the place of
manufacture and the ultimate consumer. Things have changed a
little since those days.
Product packaging is coming under severe criticism these days
because more and more it is used to help to sell a product,
rather than protect it from physical damage or despoilation by
liquids or contact with the air. Only too often we buy a half
dozen screws from the hardware shop and take it home only to
have to use something akin to blowtorch to extract them from
the hard plastic packaging and in these days when disposing of
rubbish is such an emotive subject, with no room left in
landfill sites, and public opposition to the incineration of
plastics owing to the toxic fumes that can be created it is
little surprise that there is a public backlash against
manufacturers who use packaging products with inbuilt
environmental hazards.
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This is a factor that has to be borne in mind by all marketing
departments and there is a growing concern that any materials
used should be at least biodegradable but it is difficult to
reconcile this with many of the sales aspects of a good
packaging policy. For instance, it can be a very good
characteristic of the product can actually be seen within its
package; and to increase impulse purchases it is very useful
to have a product which can be easily displayed on a stand or
rack and it has to be accepted that clear plastic meets most
of the requirements here. Leaving aside the materials of
manufacture, it is also advisable that the product should
stand out from the rest particularly if it is an impulse
purchase an item; far fewer will be sold if it merges into the
background amongst all the competitors' products. A negative
aspect of packaging is that it can very often be quite
expensive; if the product is again a half dozen screws in a
thick, transparent plastic container that container could cost
far more than the screws themselves and so a careful
evaluation of the market should be taken before decisions are
made for products like these.
One of the most important aspects of packaging is that it
should be convenient for, and acceptable to, wholesalers and
retailers. Many distribution systems these days are automated
and so it is important that products fit smoothly into packing
cases of, often, arbitrary sizes and a retailer will want to
know that the product can be displayed on the shelves racks in
the shop or store in a safe manner which will not take up too
much display space. Finally consumer expectations must be met;
no young lady would expect to buy a bottle of perfume or a
stick of lipstick which was wrapped up in a paper bag, and a
wise choice of packaging materials and design can enhance a
product substantially in the mind of the consumer, which could
lead to greatly increased sales.
Copyright zdintelligence.com 2007
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