Roses appear nicer and smell
fresher than cabbages, however, they do not make good stews. This is a strong
analogical statement which could serve as validation for many who might argue the
importance placed on packaging when a package usually does not reflect the quality
of a product.
One may ask, why is so much
premium placed on the packaging of products when after product usage, such
packages are dumped into the dustbin? The reason is simple; packaging plays an
important role in the cycle of a product.
At the beginning of the 20th
century, most food was sold loose; it was weighed, measured out and then placed
in bags or directly into the shopper’s bags. With the emergence of a divergent
market, where different companies supply similar products, packaging has proven
to be an important tool in contributing to the capture of greater market share.
Now what’s packaging? It is a
science, an art and a technology of enclosing or protecting products for
distribution, storage, sale and consumption.
The main motive for creating a
brand is to sell products and surpass competitors by acquiring extensive market
share in order to make great profits, thus, one of the components needed to
achieve this is packaging.
Packaging of a product is as
important to commercial success as the formulae for what goes inside that
package. A well designed package sustains the integrity of a product, keeps
contents from deteriorating and finally markets the product.
When a consumer enters a shop in
search of a product but with no specific choice in mind, a well-designed
package would attract the consumer to consider the product for purchase. Most
consumers consider the packaging of a product as a contributing factor to the
total worth of a product, thus, if the packaging matches the price of the
product, the consumer appreciates the product as worth it and considers it for
purchase.
Let’s now take some major
importances of packaging;
ü Protection from organisms – Organisms
usually attack products, however, a good packaging sustains its contents.
ü Identify product – A well designed and
unique package distinguishes one product from another.
ü Protection of product – Most products
are transported from the production warehouses to the distribution points and
good packages keep contents throughout entire transport cycle. Also, good
packaging keeps contents in their original, desired and acceptable state
preventing spillage and external factors that could change the nature of
product.
In the past, the covering of most
bottle water was just the lid however, these bottles now come with a plastic
seal covering the lid. By this consumers are given the assurance that so long
as the seal remains, the product they are purchasing has not been tampered with.
Have you also noticed that most beverage producers in Ghana have given new
looks to the bottles containing the beverages? Most recently is the Malta
Guinness bottle. What do you think is the reason for this change?
Let us take time to analyze this
analogy in stressing on the importance of packaging;
ü A
consumer walks into a shop to purchase a choice product only to find it out of
stock. He rather finds two unknown but same priced products deemed to produce
similar effect as their choice product. What will inform their decision to pick
one over the other?
You cannot enter a shop and open a tin of
sardine to taste first and then change your mind about its purchase. You will
either have to gamble by casting lots on two unknown products or make a choice
based on an informed decision. In the event where the two products are worth
the same price, packaging will be key in figuring out the total worth of the
product in the perspective of the consumer. This is because at this stage, there
is no advertisement or family endorsement but only the package. The only way to rid packaging of any
relevance as an essential component to product sales will be to create products
that can voice their efficacies to consumers by themselves and this is
impossible.
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