PACKAGING – THE MOST SIGNIFICANT MARKETING STRATEGY OF THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

The Food and Beverage industry is one of the most leading industries in the world. Processed foods are prefered widely by people because of the convenience that they offer. The changing life style of people have further accelerated the demand for processed foods, which means that the Food and beverage industry is still expected to expand many folds in the near-future. It is therefore essential for this industry to know the effective food marketing stragegies. One of the most significant factor in the marketing of food and beverage products is their packaging. This article discusses this aspect in detail.

Convenience – The packaging of the food and beverage products that facilitate convenient usage are much prefered by consumers as well as retailers. Consumers love packaging easy-to-store, easy-to-open, easy-to-close, resealable, easy-to-pour, easy-to- serve, etc. There are many other conveniences too that influence the consumers’ buying decision. It would be wise to conduct a survey on these aspects before adapting the light kind of packaging. As for the retailers, they would prefer packagings that are compatible for storing in their racks.

Protection – Protection of the contents is another important aspect of packaging. The right kind of packaging should preserve the contents in their prefered form till the expiry date menioned on the packaging. Packagings the preserve the freshness of the food and beverage products stored in them should therefore be used. Different kinds of packaging material should be used for storing different kinds of foods, as per their compatability. Standard guideliness should be followed as the contents packed belongs to the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) catergory.

Apperance- The food packaging designing should be appealing to the end-user. Numerous packaging elements including packaging material, color, designs, etc are available to derive a packaging that is appealing. The tactic is to allign the design, color, etc with the overall theme of the brand. It would be more attractive if the asetheic appeal is combined creatively with the functional aspects of the food or beverage product.

Food Branding – Branding is the process of establishing a name for the product in the minds of the consumer. There are contributing factors to branding of a food or beverage product. One of them is the packaging. Logos that are eye-catching, and relate to the product concerned help in food branding by establsihing the brand image in the consumers’ minds. This in turn enables the development of a strong consumer- brand bonding.

Information- Packaging info plays another major influencing factor in the buying decision of the end-consumer. Labelling of the product with the nutritional content after product analysation will prove worthy. Other information that can be put up includes the cultivation of the raw materials incorporated, the high-end technology used for processing, the hygienic superiority of the product, the environmental value, etc. One can get innovative in this area to attract the attention of potential buyers.