Imagine that you pass by a supermarket shelf and see several jars of honey. Nothing disturbs your carefree attention until you suddenly come across a honeycomb. Then you stop and out of curiosity you approach and take it, open it and discover inside a jar full of honey.

You analyze it and admire the creativity of the packaging, thinks that it has been a long time since you applied honey to your toast for breakfast. You immediately deposit the honey in your shopping cart.

This is how decisive packaging is. Whether it is food packaging or mailing boxes, its importance is not only a function of the marketing of the product but also in the logistical processes of storage and distribution. It depends on this element that the product can be displayed safely.

Packaging is the process of including and protecting a certain product in a certain container for its distribution, storage and sale, as well as being the main element of communication between the buyer and the product.

Types Of Packaging

Primary packaging. It is the packaging that has contact with the product. This is decisive especially in the products that are sold by unit and must have, in the case of food, specific health/ingredient details.
Secondary packaging. It is what surrounds the primary packaging, for example, to group a set of sales or distribution units.
Tertiary packaging. It is what groups a set of secondary boxes for mass handling, storage and transport by land, sea or air. The most common form of this type of packaging is palletization or containerization.

How To Make Good Packaging?
The basic thing in the design of packaging is to contemplate two key aspects: the design and the structural.

Who will be the customer? It is essential to design based on the target of the product: who is going to buy it, where is it going to be sold, what type of packaging the competition is using.
The company. It is important that the packaging has linearity with the corporate image of the company, the colour palette, the logo, etc.
Packaging that excites. Always look for your packaging to awaken some kind of feeling in the buyer. Make a focus group and analyze if the people are motivated by your packaging.
The information to include. The container must reflect a large amount of information about its content, such as ingredients, origin, usefulness, instructions for use, etc.
The product. What is the nature of it? What it is made of, its size, shape, weight, density, brittleness, strength, behaviour in various temperatures or atmospheric pressure need to be considered. Also, its presentation form: liquid, powder, tablet, etc.
The distribution. Type of storage, warehouse management, destination points, transportation, etc.
Risks. It is necessary to assess the risks that the product will face throughout the distribution process. They can be of a different nature:

Falls - The resistance of the packaging must be evaluated at different heights and different uses of force on it, both vertical and parallel.

Compression - Strength is important because it is necessary for stacking in warehouses and throughout the logistics chain.

Drilling - What happens if the packaging is punctured? What damage does the product suffer? What are the health implications?

High temperature - What happens if the product is stored at an inappropriate temperature? How resistant is the packaging to heat?

Low temperature - Transport in refrigerated trucks. Storage in freezers.

Low pressure - For example, in air transport.

Humidity - How does packaging respond in humid environments?

Dust - What happens if the packaging is subjected to prolonged times in the open air?

Biological - What is the resistance against fungi or bacteria? Contamination of adjacent substances or materials or those found in the environment?
Ergonomics. It is important to analyze how easy the packaging is to hold. Take into account the weight of it and try to analyze it versus the time for which it could be in the hands of the buyer.
Opening and closing. How easy is it to open? What security measures do you have in case the product requires it?

Designing adequate and decisive packaging takes some careful thought and experimentation. Get it right and it could be one of your best marketing tactics!

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