A recent survey of packaging trends reveals more than half of shoppers prefer to see the product they are considering purchasing. The reasons vary, but it seems that while many simply prefer to see the product, others do not trust images and descriptions on packaging.
In the food products industry, this is particularly important. Consumers have a better sense of a product’s freshness and an increased sense of trust in marketing claims if they can see it through a package window or in a transparent bag. The challenge for marketing is how to label the container so that it stands out competitively on the shelf and yet adequately displays the actual product.
One interesting trend in packaging is called Banding. Rather than printing directly on the package material (as in a stand-up pouch bag) or applying an adhesive label to a plastic container, a pre-printed band is wrapped around the outside of the container. The label material can be paper, polypropylene, polyethylene or bioplastic. Labels can be printed using up to eight colours and some machines use cold welding to ensure safety for heat sensitive foods (like chocolate or fresh fruit).
It might be tempting to make the band as small as possible to show more product, but labelling standards still need to be considered. When considering the size of the band used, designers need to be careful to measure the Available Display Surface to ensure that the correct Nutrition Facts Table is used.
There are various banding machines available in Canada. Some are larger and perhaps better suited for packaging suppliers, but some are smaller and designed for in-house packing. Two primary equipment manufacturers are ATS Tanner (Oakville, ON) and Banding Systems (Richmond Hill, ON).
Sources:
https://www.packworld.com/machinery/secondary-end-of-line/article/13359449/banded-bundles-replace-shrink-film-wraps
http://bandingsystems.com/applications/damage-free-bundling/
https://www.canadianpackaging.com/automation/come-join-band-136345/
