New Trends in Food Packaging in the Digital Era (1)

Update time : 2022-06-05 22:11:44

With the rapid advancement of technology, food packaging has been endowed with unique value propositions and specific marketing functions in addition to protecting the food from damage in transit and extending the taste period of the food.
The continuous innovation of packaging provides opportunities for its market growth. Affected by factors such as the new crown epidemic, the global food packaging market will show a huge growth of 6.3% in 2020, reaching a scale of 323.81 billion yuan. The global food packaging market is expected to increase to USD 478.18 billion by 2028, with a CAGR of 5.1% from 21 to 28. my country's packaging equipment market demand will reach 16.85 billion yuan in 2021, with a compound annual growth rate of 10.15%.
Food packaging can directly link effective marketing content to the brand, which has a great impact on customer buying behavior. Good packaging can make a product stand out from the competition and better connect with market goals.

The process of green packaging is accelerating, and the "recycling cycle" has attracted much attention.
Due to the consideration of environmental protection, consumers' demand for green packaging is increasing. Green packaging, also known as sustainable packaging, usually includes two types: recyclable and biodegradable. It aims to minimise the environmental damage of packaging by being reused in the same value chain or degrading naturally without toxins, thereby helping brands reduce the associated negative impacts. The huge demand has driven the growth of the green packaging market. The global green packaging market is expected to reach USD 441.41 billion by 2028 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2020 to 2028.
Recyclable packaging is usually marked with a "Widely Recycled" logo or a plastic resin id to remind consumers if it can be reused, such as glass, metal, etc. Biodegradable packaging is a packaging material that decomposes quickly and can be decomposed into environmentally friendly materials such as recycled cardboard and paper through composting.
For example, vegetable/soy inks are used to print food packaging, and their raw materials are usually derived from organic compounds such as corn or soybeans. Compared with ordinary offset printing ink, this vegetable-based ink is easier to deink, and the deinked vegetable ink residue is easier to degrade in the natural environment, and the pollution to water resources is also small. Ritual, a vitamin product manufacturer in the United States, announced that starting in April 2021, their product delivery will be entirely made of environmentally friendly paper and recycled fiber as raw materials, and even the printing of the packaging bag fonts will use plant-based ink.

Intelligently embrace food packaging and bring a new consumption experience.
With the continuous expansion and development of e-commerce, intelligent packaging attached to various products has gradually entered the public eye. In the application of food packaging, in addition to the routine functions of tracing the source of food production and checking food safety, packaging intelligence has also derived some unexpected usage scenarios to meet consumers' needs for user-friendliness, interaction and interconnection. According to FMI, the global smart packaging market is estimated to reach $19.7 billion by 2021, growing at a CAGR of 9% during the forecast period 2021-2031, and is expected to exceed $46.7 billion in 2031.
1. "One item, one code" to build new content of food packaging
Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, many offline marketing activities have been forced to shift to online positions. Brands are in urgent need of an efficient and convenient technology to support marketing activities. At this time, QR code technology has come into play. As an important link between virtual and reality, QR code on food packaging plays an indispensable role in achieving brand transparency and improving customer retention. The penetration of QR code technology has opened up a lot of opportunities for the food and beverage industry. development opportunities. According to Stackla's survey, authenticity is one of the most important factors for 90% of consumers to choose their favorite brands. The QR code that can share the detailed information of food can not only help trace the source of the product and understand the details of the food information, but also enhance the consumer's participation experience and enhance the consumer's purchasing confidence, thereby enabling brand marketing and improving customer retention rate.
Hawaiian agricultural product brand Sensei Farms uses QR code food labels on its packaging. After scanning the QR code, shoppers will be redirected to the farm's official website. While helping to understand the detailed nutritional content and sources of food, the brand also provides relevant information. making recipes. Consumers will watch the recipe repeatedly while cooking, which further enhances the stickiness with the brand subconsciously.

2. "AR technology" creates a new way of food marketing
With the development of science and technology, packaging is no longer a waste food carrier, but serves products in a clever high-tech way, bringing more creative opportunities for marketing. With AR technology, brands can add a variety of digital marketing content, from simple text and graphics, to complex videos, animations, interactive games... omnipotent, AR technology gives products lifelike vitality.
When the customer scans the QR code on the food packaging, the rich additional information will be displayed through animation and other means, accompanied by intelligent sound effects, which will instantly stimulate the customer's interest in the product. Research by customerthink shows that over 80% of customers believe that brand innovation is one of the important reasons for their purchase of products. 51% of customers said that when they didn’t fully understand the product, if they felt that the product was “cool”, they would promote their desire to buy and even pay a high premium for it.
During the 2018 FIFA World Cup, McDonald's used AR technology on its french fries packaging, turning the french fries meal into a small football field, allowing customers to enjoy the delicious food while having the fun of kicking the ball. This feature is mainly aimed at the children's market, and the children were so surprised that the simple cardboard became a virtual basketball court, and the participation rate soared.

3. "Social Sharing" Expands New Fields of Food Interaction
The desire to "share interesting things" is a social attribute of human beings, and food packaging that captures this characteristic will inevitably arouse people's desire to consume. Today, young consumers already have strong purchasing power, which is enough to attract young groups to become a must for brands to compete in the market. If you want to sell products to young people, you have to place ads on their favorite and most frequently used "smartphones". According to wordstream statistics, 89% of young people believe more in the recommendations of their family and friends to grow grass. Regular self-recommendation advertisements are no longer effective for them. At this time, brands should attract them through more interesting means to promote sales.
For example, let customers access your social media accounts through QR codes on food packaging, ask them to help tag the brand, review products, direct them to interact with the brand’s hot posts, or invite them to participate in the brand’s curated social media game , so that consumers' favorability and recognition of the brand are improved, and they voluntarily become product promotion ambassadors. This kind of "word-of-mouth" marketing can often lead to higher sales and repurchase rates than traditional paid advertising.

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