Mac Posey is the owner-operator of Back Bay Packaging in Newport Beach, California. In the following article, Mac Posey of Back Bay Packaging discusses industry trends, changes, and how issues with supply chain has affected the industry.
The packing industry underwent a small revolution during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shipping has become more important than ever for private citizens and businesses alike.
While the pandemic has paved the way for these changes in efforts to keep the packaging industry functioning at its full potential, trends are still emerging and consolidating their place in the industry.
Below, Mac Posey of Back Bay Packaging discusses four industry trends worth noting.
Smart Packaging
This term refers to a broad umbrella of technologically advanced packaging solutions offering great connectivity and security benefits. These solutions became useful during the lockdowns imposed because of the COVID pandemic and are used more than ever today explains Mac Posey.
- Connected packaging, which is exclusively designed for logistics and customer purposes, improves the chances of the client interacting with the brand via scannable codes. This allowed brands to reach customers more effectively and improve engagement.
- Intelligent packaging is designed to provide greater accuracy in communicating a product’s quality and safety. It reassures customers that their order has been taken care of properly, reducing the chance of parcels being sent back.
- Active packaging, like intelligent packaging, is quite common in the food industry. This method uses different packing materials to reflect the contents of the parcel. This improves its durability during storage.
Supply Chain Issues Affecting Companies' Pricing
Since most countries worldwide have started easing or reversing their COVID lockdowns, some trends are clearly here to stay. One of these is the increased dependence on online shopping and, thus, shipping, meaning that packing companies are in high demand reports Mac Posey.
This trend has made it difficult for many businesses to offer fast and efficient shipping, considering limited cargo space and rising shipping expenses. This has forced these businesses to increase the price of their products since they are sealed to high shipping contracts and expenses.
While packing is one small part of the rising cost of living in many countries, every challenge businesses face contributes to rising prices. It remains to be seen how packing companies and retailers will work through this problem explains Mac Posey of Back Bay Packaging.
Vintage Packaging
The vintage aesthetic is increasingly popular, and the packaging industry hasn't been left behind. With more companies wishing to offer bespoke, vintage packing solutions for their products, designers and manufacturers have risen to the challenge.
Below, Mac Posey lists several reasons why vintage packaging has been so successful:
- Old-fashioned designs show a timeless aesthetic that maintains its essence through the years and decades and harks back to the golden age of product marketing.
- Vintage designs invoke memories of passion and traditions that belong to a time “before” the chaos people perceive in the modern world. Nostalgic, meaningful narratives seem at a premium to many people – vintage packaging may be a surprise winner due to this.
- People are increasingly invested in quality, durable products over flat-pack and single-use alternatives. Mac Posey of Back Bay Packaging says that vintage packaging is an item in itself – it's not something you throw away once you receive your product. People enjoy that the packaging is worth holding onto and can be used as a personal statement.
Sustainability Initiatives
This has become one of this year's most important packing trends, considering that the packaging industry has experienced a significant shift as customers’ environmental awareness has increased. Of course, this is the
same reality that is taking place in many vital industries. Many successful businesses prioritize adapting to social and political norms.
Mac Posey states that the industry is affected by sustainability initiatives just as much as any other business. The industry needs to meet customer concerns about single-use plastics, unsustainable materials, and oversized packaging that creates significant waste compared to the size of the item being shipped.
Businesses have found it challenging to meet these objectives while balancing the books. Establishing a balance between economic interests and sustainability isn't unique to the packing industry but takes a heavy toll in a sector that works on ultra-thin margins.
As regulations become more ambitious, companies must find increasingly innovative ways to protect a solid public image and meet their environmental credentials. Increasing environmental awareness has pushed companies to incorporate sustainability into their main strategies reports Mac Posey of Back Bay Packaging.
For many businesses, this is a matter of “evolve or die.” Developers are working on sustainable solutions – the question is where they can arrive fast enough for packing services worldwide.
Final Thoughts
These trends show that the packaging industry is still experiencing considerable change in the wake of the pandemic and other influences. Industry leaders must keep abreast of trends, devise bold solutions, and develop ideas that delight customers but don't break the bank.
