Packaging is now a part of product innovation

Looking at the trends in packaging in the last five years, I feel packaging has grown much beyond containing and promoting a product. Rather, it ensures safety, authenticity, accessibility and much more.

 

Unlike earlier, where a package was designed to cater to the basic functionality, packaging now adds a lot of functions which a product does not intrinsically possess. Though the requirements in food, pharmaceuticals and FMCG sectors look similar, the Indian industry and consumers have unique localised demands. And the packaging industry has lived up to expectations. Though packaging helps every segment to grow their businesses at large, we can attribute its significant contributions to two aspects.

 

First, the great shelf presentation, without which the product may be difficult to sell. The other aspect is for certain products, like processed foods. Here, without advanced packaging, the products themselves become irrelevant in market. The trend of packaging cannot be isolated from a product innovation. For example, for a new formulation in pharmaceuticals, during the research and development stage itself, the packaging material needs to be assessed for product requirements.

 

Hence, I believe packaging has become an integral part of any product innovation. When it comes to innovation, Ecobliss has bagged awards of excellence in packaging and have won the World Star awards for four years in a row. At the IndiaStar Awards this year, one of the awards we bagged was for the ‘Valeo auto bulb blister pack’. Auto (Halogen) bulbs are generally packed in small folding cartons and kept on shelf in lots. These products are usually these are bought by end users (two/four wheeler owners) and they find it difficult in identifying the required items and sometimes even end up not buying. So, the innovative packaging helps.  

 

 

Top Job: IndiaStar Award Winner
Valeo auto bulb blister pack
The Valeo auto bulb blister pack provides an excellent visibility opportunity and groups of items can be placed on stands for swift identification or differ- entiation. Along with attractive graphics on the pack not only appeal to buyer but make his task simpler as they provide an opportunity for instant identification.