With packaging playing such a large role in consumers’ buying decisions, brands must make unboxing a positive and memorable first experience. Research from Dotcom Distribution found that over 51% of consumers say they are likely to repeat purchases if their order came with personalized primary or secondary packaging or freebies.
As packaging is the first physical connection consumers make with a brand, the reward for finding innovative packaging which better connects with consumers is immense.
Packaging Success Stories at the Digital Print for Packaging Conference 2019
The rewards of customized packaging were highlighted at the Digital Print for Packaging Conference event in early June. At the conference, which was hosted by Smithers-PIRA in Florida, Colgate-Palmolive and Savco Worldwide presented on their successes with digital printing.
Colgate-Palmolive experienced a 50% increase in sales in Mexico and Brazil when they printed different Barbie images on their toothpaste tubes. These 54 Barbie image variations included designs with different skin tones, hair colors, and even different professions such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, and models.
Similarly, Savco Worldwide increased their sales by 100% over a 2-year period when they replaced their plain brown kraft pallet wraps for watermelons with colorful high-quality farm images.
The successes of Colgate-Palmolive and Savco Worldwide indicate the ungrasped potential there is for digital printing in the packaging industry. Digital printing currently only accounts for 3% of the total printed packaging volume. Therefore, the opportunity to stand out from competitors using digital print technology is monumental.
With consumer preferences for packaging evolving, and digital printing capabilities offering the ability to better establish relationships with consumers, the Digital Print for Packaging Conference was a much-needed discussion on how the industry can adjust to produce profitable packaging.
Memjet Technology at the Digital Print for Packaging Conference
At this conference, Memjet presented alongside our partners MGI and Rigoli. The goal of this presentation was to show how brands can capitalize on the customization trend and maximize the impact of a brand’s packaging.
The MGI presentation, led by Jack Noonan, MGI Marketing Manager, focused on the value of carton decoration for brands. This discussion highlighted how foils and differentiated gloss has a strong impact on the perceived value of a product and a consumer’s interests.
The presentation also introduced the AlphaJet by MGI, which is powered by Memjet DuraLink inkjet technology. The AlphaJet print factory, which will soon be available for commercialization, specializes in high-quality decorations and embellishments on corrugated and cardboard media.
During the Rigoli presentation, led by Zsolt Tarjanyi, Rigoli General Manager, the MVZ industrial printing family was introduced. These printers, which are powered by modified Memjet VersaPass wide format inkjet engines, are designed to print on paper and film-based flexible packaging, and then feed directly into a bag making machine.
This groundbreaking technology rethinks the packaging process and is designed to be used in-line with vertical form fill and seal or other types of finishing equipment. Full-color digital printing allows for customization of the packaging and, together with the in-line finishing, creates a fast and affordable packaging solution. By combining these two processes, late-stage customization is made more accessible to brands.
The opportunity for growth in the digitally printed packaging market is immense. Consumers’ demands for packaging are transforming and they are requiring stronger personal connections with brands.
The successes of Colgate-Palmolive and Savco Worldwide indicate how digital printing allows brands to create packaging which establishes a connection with consumers through customization, localization, variation, and seasonal opportunities. The technology for digitally printed packaging is accessible, affordable, and produces high print quality images at quick print speeds. So, how will you adapt to this changing packaging market to stand out from your competitors?
Learn more about consumers’ changing demands for packaging by visiting: https://www.memjet.com/blog/addressing-growing-environmental-concerns-with-sustainable-packaging/
For additional information about packaging trends, watch out for our next blog post on packaging trends for consumers across different generations.
