These unprecedented times already caused a lot of changes in how we live and do business. For business owners, they have been trying to keep up with consumer demands. Shelter in place orders drove the demand for more packaged products. This is since more people are ordering takeout and are doing their shopping online. As consumer demands shift, entrepreneurs are packaging their products in response to the new normal.
Now, more than ever, your packaging design matters. There is a need to redesign your packaging, reevaluate your vendors and check if you could use the services of other businesses like a new adhesive supplier. But why bother changing your packaging in the first place?
Health and Safety Concerns
The pandemic continues to be an anxiety and stress trigger to most people. People are sheltering in place and try to limit their interaction with others. But the fear of packages getting contaminated always intimidates consumers.
Fear of contamination made consumers take drastic measures to reduce the risk of contamination. Now, many are disinfecting packages before touching or opening them. Others would quarantine their packages before bringing them indoors.
This only means there is a need to reevaluate how you pack your products. Reinvent your packaging while keeping your customer’s health and safety concerns in mind. You want to convince your clients you are taking steps to care for their welfare while still valuing their unboxing experience.
Newfound Demand for Single-use Plastic
Many businesses already turned to sustainable practices to serve eco-conscious consumers. They want products in eco-friendlier packaging. As much as possible, they demand businesses to adopt sustainable processes.
But then, the health crisis made people rethink their priorities. Consumers now want as few people as possible to handle their packages. Due to this, many are starting to appreciate single-use plastic once more.
This puts businesses in a tricky situation where there is a battle between sustainability and demand for sanitation. Some started to use single-use plastic once more. You need to be creative wherein you can balance the demand of both of your eco-conscious and health anxious pandemic customers.
Demand for Products with Longer Shelf Lives
Since many consumers are shopping online, businesses followed suit. Brick-and-mortar businesses are now making online deliveries. But since some are in the food industry, they need to find ways to make their perishable products last longer.
Some food products can only last for a few weeks. The last thing you want is for soon-to-be-expired products to reach your customers. This means you have to be creative and think of ways to increase the useful life of your goods.
To do this, businesses can turn to modified atmosphere packaging technologies. Such innovation helps lower the ambient oxygen amount inside a package. With the decreased oxidation rate, the packaged content will have an extended shelf life.
Surge in Demand for eCommerce
More people are buying their essentials online. They want to be able to do their shopping anytime, while they shelter in place. This further accelerated the need for businesses to start boosting their online marketing efforts.
But as the demand for eCommerce increases, consumers also call for faster and safer deliveries. They are not just concerned about their boxes getting contaminated and arriving on time. They also want their packages to remain intact despite the delivery process and long journey.
With the increase in the number of packages delivered each day, you want to make sure your products will stay unscathed. This only means there is a need for stronger packaging. You want your packages to remain in great condition despite the long process and delivery.
Shortage of Qualified Workers
Some businesses lack qualified workers to pack their products. Even before the pandemic, there is already a shortage of qualified workers in the manufacturing and packaging industry. With the Covid-19 crisis, there is an even bigger deficiency of workers qualified enough to tackle packaging roles.
Some businesses find it hard to convince their staff to work mid-pandemic. Others now lack workers after some employees got sick. As a result, many businesses are unable to build enough manpower to fill positions required in their packaging department.
As a result, some businesses turned to packaging automation. This made packaging products easier, faster, and more efficient. This helps reduce human errors, eradicate the need for workers to stay in a cramped area, and improve the health and safety of the workplace.
There are many other reasons to update your packaging design. But this list enumerates the most crucial facts you need to consider. We are now living in the new normal. One should learn how to adapt to the latest consumer needs. That includes changing and updating how you package your goods.
