COVID-19 Impact

The pandemic will be over eventually. What matters the most is how you deal with its impact on your industry. More specifically, how will you cope with the shift in marketing trends associated with product packaging?

It has become a well-known notion that COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of life, including how we work, shop, and socialize.

The reason packaging has to evolve and stick to the new trends is that the pandemic has resulted in consumer behaviors and attitudes. These changes have also created unprecedented opportunities for packaging experts to develop safe and sustainable packaging solutions.

In this article, we will discuss four pandemic-related developments that will have a significant impact on product packaging in the future.

Prevalence of e-commerce

Consumers had to develop online shopping habits due to a desire to avoid brick-and-mortar stores and the closure of most of the retail shops. According to several surveys, the number of online shoppers rose to the highest mark in the last six months.

With consumers sticking to their habits of buying online, companies now need to pay attention to developing product packaging that can stay put during shipping. The term “e-commerce packaging” refers to the product packaging technique that not only ensures product safety but also improves customer experience. Furthermore, packages now should be easy to open, particularly for people with disabilities.

Popularity of touchless

The impact of COVID-19 is quickly evident from the way foods are packaged. You may have seen a lot of displays for prepackaged foods.

Consumers who used to walk into grocery stores to purchase ready foods now take strollers to buy raw food items. A rising trend of grocery deliveries and increased awareness of the handling of fruits and vegetables are creating demands for prepackaged foods.

Since consumers cannot touch the food products directly in these circumstances, manufacturers have to ensure an enhanced consumer experience through attractive food packaging. Instead, the aesthetically pleasing packaging they use should offer hygiene-related peace of mind to consumers.

These circumstances allow food companies to look through several packaging options to enhance their branding efforts.

Evolution of restaurants

Although cooking at home has been the most preferred option during the pandemic, many people want to alleviate cooking fatigue. Dining at a restaurant may be out of option, but the option of takeout is always available.

A shift from in-person dining to food takeout brings a lot of opportunities and challenges for restaurant owners. They have to assure their customers about food safety throughout the process of cooking, packaging, and delivery.

In simple words, the packaging industry can now ensure food delivery while also providing safety and hygiene without affecting consumer experience.

Sustainability

While sustainability took a back seat in the recent months of the pandemic, it has started to become a hot topic once more. Since sustainability is the only way to ensure reduced harm to the environment, there is no way this trend will fade away in the future. That is why food packaging companies need to make sure that they are using environmentally friendly materials to pack their products.