How can we predict the future of packaging design? Tea leaves? Magic? If you consider science to be magic, then yes. By analyzing emerging technology, global packaging trends, and market projections, we can get a pretty good glimpse into what the packaging industry will potentially look like in 10 years.
Over the next decade, unique personalized products are going to take over their outdated mass-produced rivals. Future consumers will be able to enjoy an all-inclusive, personalized shopping experience.
“Instead of, for example, a few branded hair & beauty items, it will be customary to offer full-spectrum personal care experiences that go beyond the brand and appeal to customers mentally, emotionally, and sensually,” says marketing strategist Jana Iverson of PakFactory. “With new technological advances, there will be a shift away from mass production and more towards innovative and specialized brand packaging to serve specified products and services.”
At-home hair color brand eSalon has been leading the bandwagon since 2010. The dye color is made-to-order, and when the product arrives at the customer’s home, their name is printed all over the packaging- on the box, the instructions, and even the bottle labels themselves, as you can see in the above image. As I wrote in a previous blog, emotion is what drives consumers, and seeing or hearing your own name releases dopamine and serotonin into the brain.
Tapping into those feel-good hormones can be quite profitable for brands. Jones Soda Co. has long been inviting customers to send in their photographs for their labels, and now they offer fully-customized labels for events. Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign saw great success with this approach. Even Heinz encouraged its customers to purchase a can of soup for a sick friend or loved one and personalize a get well soon message on the label. Check out these examples and more here.
With new technological advances, there will be a shift away from mass production and towards innovative, specialized brand packaging. If you’re reading this and thinking, “Shoot… I have no idea how I can do that with my brand,” then I highly recommend you give us a call! ForeFront is a team of creatives and idea-makers that customize packaging solutions for food brands, including packaging design. We have a web-based artwork collaboration platform tailored for the food packaging industry that would be perfect for brainstorming in real-time.
Reach me at crystal@fpcpackaging.com or by calling 708-836-1105. We can’t wait to hear from you!
