Category Archives: Consumer Satisfaction

CUSTOM THERMOFORMING IN REVIEW

29 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by in Consumer Satisfaction, Info for Buyers, manufacturing, Marketing, Packaging Design, Product Development

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The consumer packaged goods (CPG) market averages 30,000 new product releases each year. To put that into perspective, a typical big box store like Walmart, is comprised of approximately 120,000 items. With so many choices, custom packaging has the ability to help you stand out from the crowd. You may choose the path of least resistance and select an existing stock clamshell in order to keep your initial investment low. This decision can lead to serious consequences in lost sales and inability to get advantageous product placement as well as shipping costs for packaging that does not properly fit your product

Cost
The main reason people choose stock packaging, is the cost associated with tool investment. Oftentimes, the upfront costs of a custom tool seem prohibitive. While there is a cost for a custom tool, it is minimal over the life of a product and a cost that can and should be planned into the overall cost of the project. There are many factors with stock packaging that can lead to overspending and quality issues. Knowing what these factors are can help to reduce any unforeseen issues as your product volume increases.

Volume
Volume is one of the main factors that helps to determine whether it would be advantageous to choose custom packaging over stock packaging. Larger parts will quickly justify the initial investment of custom packaging. The way to determine where your cost benefits are, is to discuss your options with a custom thermoformer, such as Mercury Plastics, who understands the market and can guide you through the costs associated with custom packaging.

Design and Appearance
Packaging design matters to the consumer. We have all bought products merely based upon unique packaging.  Custom packaging helps your package stand out allowing you to sell more product, which lowers costs and increases revenue. We understand that your product is special, the packaging should reflect the care and attention to detail and countless hours that you have put into development. There are many details that can be added to a custom thermoformed package in order to get the consumers attention. Adding unique features into a custom thermoformed package can be done with little to no additional cost to the piece price.  Take the time to talk to someone that can help you with your design options.

Custom packaging allows for a better fit, can use less plastic creating a lower price point, and can also yield a higher sales volume. Know your options and how custom thermoforming can benefit your product.

Like to know more about custom theromoforming and understand the costs for your product.  Contact Brian Pankratz at Mercury Plastics, Inc. to learn more, bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com.

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The 4 steps to every consumer purchase – Week 4

19 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by in Consumer Satisfaction, Marketing, Packaging Design, Product Development

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Week 4This week we are wrapping up our series with The 4 Steps To Every Consumer Purchase.  If you missed any of the previous weeks, you can find them here…Week 1 – Scanning, Week 2 – Price, Week 3 – Comparison.

Step 4: The Final Step
Making a purchase is an emotional process.  Manufacturers need to offer products that help the consumer confirm that they are making the right decision.  The last and final step is the Confirmation step.

The Confirmation Step
In this step the product is in the hands of the consumer.  They have reviewed the benefits, features, and price point.  We now have to win the emotional connection with the consumer.  Most consumers have had problems with products they purchased in the past and want to ensure this doesn’t happen again.  They are asking the following questions:

  • Will I have to return this product later?
  • Will this product be easy to use?
  • How long will the product last?
  • Most importantly…do I “feel good” about this purchase?

Feeling Good – Emotional Connection
Yes, it’s true.  Consumers need to feel good as they make the walk to the register with your product in hand. Have you ever purchased a product and shortly after leaving the store felt regret about your purchase?  This is called “buyer’s remorse” and it is a very real emotional response in the buying process.  If, through your packaging you have answered the price (value) and comparison questions, then the potential for a negative emotional response is reduced greatly.  Packaging has the ability to generate excitement about the purchase as well as an eager expectation when the product is removed from the packaging. When all of these steps are in line, you have a successful package. The way your product is packaged matters. Consumers respond when products are packaged with them in mind. They receive the needed confirmation that the product is exactly what they are looking for, this is successful packaging.

When the consumer confirms that you have the best product and they have a sense of security with their purchase, loyalty is built.  Can you think of any products that have a loyal following?  If so, care was put into the way that product was packaged.  Packaging does matter, and those who take the time to understand how to package their product to communicate all 4 steps will have a better chance of building their customer base.

For more information on creating packaging that captures all 4 steps and helps to build customer loyalty, contact Brian Pankratz, bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com.

Don’t miss a week! To get the next post in this series sent directly to your email, subscribe at, www.brianpankratz.com.

The 4 steps to every consumer purchase – Week 2

12 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Consumer Satisfaction, Marketing, Packaging Design

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Week 2Welcome to Week 2 of “The 4 steps to every consumer purchase”. If you missed week 1, you can find it here.

Recap
When consumers shop they follow four steps before they make their purchase. Understanding the pattern and focusing on how this relates to packaging can help to sell more product, while increasing profits. In week one we talked about the first step, scanning. Consumers start the purchasing cycle by letting their eyes scan the products until one specific product wins their attention.

Step 2:
The consumer has now found a product they like, what do they do next? They look at the price.  Seems pretty straight forward, right?  Well it is…but the important thing in this step is to understand what questions the consumer asks after they see the price.

The Questions:
After the consumer views the price of the product, they ask themselves the following questions:

  1. Is the price what I expected to pay for the product?
  2. Am I getting the best product for the money?

Before the consumer looks at the price, they have an idea of what the cost should be.  So, how does packaging play a role in this step?  Simple, more affordable packaging can reduce the overall cost of the product.  The cost of your packaging can help you to be more competitive and win more sales.

There are some simple ways to get cost of out your products packaging without sacrificing quality or overall design.  Reducing the product to package ratio and using alternative recycled materials are good places to start, but there are many other ways to reduce cost.  New designs that can attract more consumers should be considered as well.

The goal is to improve each step of the process.  Creating a new design that is more attractive along with reduced costs in packaging is a great combination that will help to win the sale.

Join us next week as we learn what happens when the consumer isn’t satisfied with the price point of your product.

Don’t miss a week! To get the next post in this series sent directly to your email, subscribe at, www.brianpankratz.com.

To learn more about creating packaging designs that save you money and increase profit, contact Brian Pankratz, bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com.

About the SuperBowl Commercials…

04 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Consumer Satisfaction, Cost Savings, Marketing, Packaging Design, Product Development, Sustainability

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SuperBowl 2013Do you know anyone who watches the Superbowl for the commercials?

Did you find yourself waiting to be amused when a new commercial came on?

Ask yourself this question…if companies can produce commercials during the Superbowl that draw our attention and get us laughing and talking for days , then why aren’t commercials like that all year-long?  Have we been programmed to just settle the rest of the year and only expect greatness in advertising while watching the Superbowl?

Now about packaging
Since we’re talking about packaging, I’ll ask another question…why do some companies settle when packaging their products?  If packaging helps to sell the product, then why would anyone want to settle for packaging that doesn’t “WOW” the consumer?

It’s your call
The fact is…new packaging designs take time and resources.  I completely understand that our schedules make it tough to fit in additional projects.  But, what if I told you that I can evaluate your current packaging and offer honest feedback at no costs?  Offering designs that could leap-frog your product ahead of your competitors?  Would you be interested?  What do new packaging designs offer?

Here are a few benefits that earlier redesigns have resulted in:

1. Reduced cost for packaging resulting in increased profit.
2. Packaging design awards.
3. The use of more sustainable materials.
4. Smaller carbon footprint in manufacture process.
5. Reduction in packaging components used.
6. Increased satisfaction among retailers and consumers.

So now what?
If you have products that you are responsible for and want to find out if there are better ways to packaging them, contact me and let’s talk.  Step one is to have a quick discussion to decide if there is a fit for us to work together.  If there is a fit…we continue, if there isn’t a fit…we don’t.  Pretty simple and shouldn’t take more than 15 minutes.

Don’t let your packaging turn into every other design.  Make it unique and “WOW” the consumer with every product you have!

For more information on creating new packaging designs, contact Brian Pankratz.  bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com.

5 Reasons You Must Shop Your Own Product

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Consumer Satisfaction, Marketing, Packaging Design, Product Development

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Store OverviewHave you ever been in a store and shopped the product you manufacture?  Not only shopped your product, but also shopped your competitor’s product?

If so, what did you learn?

Maybe a better question is…what can you learn by shopping your own product and why would you want to do this?

Here are five reasons why you should shop your own product…

1.  Know what the retailer is saying about your product:  Sales associates help consumers make decisions on what products they should buy.  They offer their opinion and in most cases, their opinion will sway consumers to purchase certain products.  Understand what the retailers are saying about your products.

2.  Understand what your competition is doing:  It is always a good idea to stand in the aisle where your product is offered to see how it compares to your competition.  For example: if your competition is packaging all of their product in clamshells and you have made the decision to use bags, your presentation may lose the sale.

3.  Shelf placement:  Does shelf placement matter on how you package your product?  The answer is…Yes.  This will help determine how you show your product in the packaging.  It’s not easy to always know where your product will be placed, but some items are commonly placed in certain areas.  Whether in a bulk bin, end cap, or stand alone in-aisle display matters.  Maximize your products visibility by using packaging that helps show your product better from all angles.

4.  Product presentation:  This one is easy…walk up to your product as if you were the consumer and determine if your packaging has something that grabs your attention. Features can be added in the packaging design that spark curiosity and draw the consumer in.  Also look for anything that takes away from your product, such as a glare on the plastic that makes it tough to see your product.  Make sure your packaging, “POPS”!

5.  Knowledge of your product:  This one may not be for everyone, however, if your product requires the sales associate to know certain features that will help them to sell your product better, make sure they are offered information with supplemental training to inform them.  This can be as easy as inserting an extra instruction sheet into your master carton with your product that is titled, “What you need to know,” or a customer care phone number to call and get more information.  At the least, put all major selling points in your graphics so the consumer can be made aware of your products benefits.

There is a lot to learn when going shopping, do not take this environment for granted.  When designing packaging, we personally use this practice to determine how to create packaging that makes an impact on the store shelf.  After going shopping, answer the most important question of all, “with the many choices of products similar to yours, would you buy your own product?”

If you would like to learn more on creating better packaging designs for your product, contact Brian Pankratz, bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com.

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“Buyers Guide to Packaging” – Week 6: Consumers Have Expectations.

22 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in Consumer Satisfaction, Info for Buyers, Marketing, Packaging Design

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Have you ever tricked someone by wrapping a small gift in a rather large box?  Many people have done this to try to disguise their gift and alter the expectation on what is lurking under the shiny wrapping paper.  We all have expectations as we go about our day; you expect your alarm to go off when you set it, you expect the sun to come up in the morning, you expect a light to come on when you flip the switch.

How About Packaging?
The same goes for packaging, when consumers pace the aisle looking for a particular product, they have an expectation on how that product should be packaged.  The question is…did you meet their expectation?

Some Examples:
Think in your mind how you would expect these products to be packaged:
–  Cereal
–  Golf Balls
–  Printer Cartridges
–  Cell Phone Accessories

Minimum Expectations:
It’s easy to picture how each product should be packaged to meet our minimum expectations.  If we take the example of cereal, we know that cereal usually comes in a bag inside a box.  What would be your reaction if you opened up the box and found the cereal was in the box without being in a bag?  Would this meet your expectations?

If you were buying golf balls and one brand was in a nice fancy shiny carton and the other brand was in an unlabeled clear plastic bag, which one would you consider to be the better golf ball?  Which one would you choose if they were the same price?

If a printer cartridge was just in a bag and not a carton, would you consider it to be a better value?  Probably not!

Reality Check:
The reality is…consumers have certain minimum expectations when they purchase products.  When products don’t meet these expectations, the consumer calculates a lower perceived value of the product and may decide to choose another due to lack of confidence with the product.

As a buyer, it is important to understand the expectations on how your product should be packaged.  When packaging exceeds the expectation of the consumer, a product is perceived as a premium and may allow for a higher price point.  Don’t give the consumer a reason to doubt your product.  Understand ways to package your product that add value and build confidence with the consumer.

For more information or for questions on way to create a premium package, please contact: Brian Pankratz.  bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com

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– Who Defines Quality For Your Product –

06 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by in Consumer Satisfaction, Marketing, Packaging Design, Product Development, Quality

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What does it mean to have good quality? 

The answer to this question will be different depending on who you ask, but whose opinion really matters anyways?  And why is it important to define quality for each individual part or product you manufacture?

Before I go further, I want to make it clear that the customer defines the word, “Quality.”

Know the Expectations:
The quality specifications should be clear in the initial quote phase and should carry through to production.  Knowing what the customer’s expectations are for their packaging is important.  Using a higher grade material when not needed can cost the customer significantly more money than expected.  Don’t assume!

Know Your Materials and Process:
Knowing the capabilities of your materials and process is key to understanding what specifications need to be defined with the customer.  Since there is a clarity difference between utility grade RPET and virgin PET, which one do they need?  What type of quality is being requested?  Is a spot color being expected for their company logo and you are running 4 color process in your printing operation?  Know what your materials and processes are capable of and define the variables that exist.

Agree on the Criteria:
Once the variables are identified, agreed upon standards need to be set.  For printing, it is important to get light/dark standards.  For thermoforming, it is important to agree upon how many imperfections are allowed in the plastic.  For contract packaging, you need to agree on the appearance of the finished product.

Unfortunately, many companies have scrapped acceptable parts and have also sent inferior product to the customer only to find out that their views of “Quality”, didn’t match.

For further information on creating quality packaging, contact Brian Pankratz at Mercury Plastics, Inc. (bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com)

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5 Features Your Product Packaging Must Have

15 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by in Consumer Satisfaction, Marketing, Packaging Design, Product Development

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As different products sit next to each other on the store shelf, what makes one product sell better than another?  The answer is: packaging.  When consumers go shopping, they are looking for a positive experience, from the time they enter the store, until the product is removed from the packaging.  Product packaging plays a key role in the consumer’s experience.  There are 5 features that your product packaging must have to create a positive experience with the consumer.

Creativity and Uniqueness:
Be creative and unique with your packaging.  I love Seth Godin’s analogy in his book, Purple Cow.  If you drive down the road and see a brown cow, and then another brown cow, and then more brown cows, you quit paying attention to the brown cows.  But then you see a purple cow and it captures your attention.  Don’t be afraid to be different.  If you are like everyone else, you may go unnoticed.  Be creative and unique!

Good Use of Imagery:
Good imagery is priceless in packaging.  People love to look at pictures that help relate themselves to the product.  When you buy exercise equipment you find people in the type of condition you wish you were in.  When you buy baby products, you will more than likely find pictures of cute babies on the packaging.  Selecting the right images to connect with the consumer is one of the most important elements in good product packaging.

Product Visibility:
When possible, it is always a good idea to reveal some of the product to the consumer.  Consumers feel more comfortable with their purchase if they can see at least some of the product.  Whenever possible, show the product.

Keep It Clean:
I cannot say enough about a clean and concise looking package.  Some products do not need ten bullet points to describe the product.  Using imagery over text is preferred for most packages.  Use colors that contrast against your competitors.  Adding more text on a package is not always better.  Try to use words that reach into the emotions of the consumer.  Unique fonts are a good way to enhance branding.  Ensure that the font is legible and easy to read.

Easy to Open:
As manufacturers, we need to find that definitive balancing point between secure packaging and easy-to-open packaging.  The consumer’s experience is not as pleasant if they cannot easily open the packaging.  There are new and innovative ways to have both security and easy opening features in the packaging.  Ensure that your product is easy to open.

Creating a positive customer experience should be the goal of every manufacturer.  Implement the 5 elements listed above to create a positive experience that the consumer will remember.

For questions or more information on how you can implement these 5 features into your packaging design, contact Brian Pankratz at Mercury Plastics, Inc. (bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com)

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What You Need To Know About That “Hard-To-Open” Packaging!

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Consumer Satisfaction, Marketing, Packaging Design

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Plastic packaging has attracted negative attention over the years for being hard to open?  Retailers want secure packaging for their product.  Manufacturers and packaging designers are in search of packaging that is secure and will not contribute to increased theft rates.

Over the years manufacturers have been blamed because packaging is too hard to open.  Claims of people getting hurt while opening the packaging has created a market where additional tools were created just to get inside the packaging.

As manufacturers, we understand that in some cases, packaging was created difficult to open for a reason.  High theft rates from poor packaging can result in product being pulled from the shelves.  Good packaging serves a purpose for deterring individuals from shop lifting. We are now faced with the challenge of creating a secure package that is also easy to open.

Going forward, there is hope that will change the negative perception of opening packages. New packaging has been developed that offers both security and easy open features.  Packaging that creates a positive experience with the consumer and will get them talking in a positive way about the new packaging design.  Can you imagine packaging that offers security but also “POPS” open?  Easy open features are getting the attention of many manufacturers and praises from many consumers in the market.

New packaging designs have been developed that leave the consumer praising the product because of the positive experience that was created from purchase to product use.  Make opening packages an experience the consumer will not forget.

For additional information or questions, contact Brian Pankratz (bpankratz@mercuryplasticsinc.com)