Printing packaging and boxes in 2020: 4 trends and tips

Figures from research firm GfK even show that online spending by Dutch consumers has increased by 56 percent since the outbreak of the pandemic compared to the same weeks last year. Packaging material is needed to send all those online purchases. So let’s take a look at the packaging trends and tips this year.

That the packaging of your company matters, is evident from the wildly popular unboxing videos, in which people film how they unpack a package. In these videos, unpacking a package equals a true experience. The packaging in which your organization sends its products is your company’s unique selling point. With a strong packaging strategy, the shipping box becomes a real marketing tool. A striking and unique packaging increases your distinctiveness and strengthens your brand. But how do you approach this “brand packaging”? These trends and basic packaging tips are a great start:

1. Personal

Consumers find it increasingly important that a product, and also its packaging, matches their lifestyle and beliefs. If you know how to personalize the packaging in the right way, or if you give the consumer the opportunity to do so, this contributes positively to the customer experience. Who didn’t look for his name on a bottle of Coca-Cola when the brand launched the “Share a Coke” campaign? Another good example is Tony’s Chocolonely Super Store where you can put together your own chocolate bar and personalize the packaging.

Personalized boxes, for example mailing boxes with photo printing, or boxes with a logo are of course much more fun to receive than an unprinted cardboard box. It is noticeable that in 2020 there will be a lot of experimentation with the use of the color of the product as the design feature of the shipping box. Black packaging boxes and transparent packaging have also become increasingly popular in the past year. But of course shipping boxes are not only about beautiful boxes, the ultimate packaging is, in our opinion, the perfect combination of a display and a transport box. In other words: beautiful and functional.

2. Durable

The packaging industry has been working on making packaging more sustainable for years. So perhaps we can no longer call it a “trend”, but this sustainable movement is more relevant than ever before. Partly because consumers increasingly value sustainability. The increasing demand is forcing the industry to innovate faster. In recent years, the emphasis has been on circularity, the reduction of plastic and the reduction of material consumption and filling material.

Major steps have already been taken in the field of sustainability in recent years. For example, our corrugated board consists of eighty percent recycled paper and is now one hundred percent renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. Another good example is the FashionPack, an initiative of PostNL. With this low-air shipping packaging, clothes fit more easily through the letterbox. Such a compact letterbox box can ultimately significantly reduce the number of delivery vans on the road.

3. Smart

Smart packaging is perhaps the biggest development within retail packaging at the moment. Think of adding chips, sensors, or interactive elements. Intelligent packaging can inform the user about where the product is located in real time, but also, for example, when the maximum temperature is exceeded or the expiry date has been reached.

Another concept that falls under intelligent packaging is “connected packaging”. This is a way for a brand to make direct contact with the end user via technology, such as QR codes or augmented reality. A striking example is the Albert Heijn. You can scan some products in this supermarket with your phone, after which you will receive additional product information, such as the origin, nutritional values ​​and allergens.

4. Food-grade

Packaging food is a profession in its own right, as the packaging of the product is of great importance to be able to guarantee its quality. In order to provide consumers with a high-quality customer experience with food packaging, more and more luxury packaging is being chosen, for example with a pearlescent finish or soft-touch coatings. That is why we now also offer the option of having cardboard fruit and vegetable packaging printed as desired.

Within the food industry there are also some interesting innovations in the field of sustainability, such as edible plastic film for fruit and compostable wine bottles. There are also packaging based on potatoes and paper based on grass or residual waste from, for example, red beets or tomatoes.