Products packaging is more imperative in determining consumer decisions than you might think. It is an important marketing tool for the business as it determines whether the product will be a failure or a success. Packaging aims to ensure the product’s safety and prevent it from being damage during transit from a retailer to a manufacturer until the product sits on the retail shelves. A product’s packaging communicates what values your product can deliver to the customers and creates brand recognition. Packaging is of two types: flexible packaging and rigid packaging.
Flexible Packaging:
Flexible packaging involves the easy yielding material that is not stiff, which, when enclose or fill, may readily acquire a pliable shape. The construction can include plastic film, paper, bags, foil, envelopes, sachet, pouches, and other lithe wraps.
Rigid Packaging:
Rigid packaging involves the use of material that is stiff and not easily bent to change its shape. It includes materials like cups, bottles, cans, pots, and closures. It can also use in other packaging-related applications.
Primary Differences Between Flexible And Rigid Packaging:
With the changing era, how everyday consumers view and interrelate with the packaging of products is also changing. There is a growing demand for convenience and sustainability. Therefore traditional packaging is rapidly replacing with innovative and flexible options to meet consumer needs. There is a wide range of differences between rigid and flexible packaging, but five basic differences can be explained in the following points.
Light-Weighting Packaging
Flexible packaging is very lightweight to use as compared to rigid packaging. It can be explained using an example of the bottle water sector. It is the prime example in which the material used got lighter and lighter with time. Now the manufacturers have ended on a point that PET bottles have reduced the waste to a great extent and can be further light-weight only if replaced by flexible pouches. If manufacturers continue using rigid packaging like glass bottles, aluminum containers, tins, or cans, they can never connote the benefits of light-weighting material.
Ease Of Decorating
The labels used in rigid packaging are included in the total cost. They are applied as part of the filling process, whereas flexible packaging like pouches involves full printing features and lamination if required. Printing only costs marginally as it does not affect the filling process. Moreover, endless printing options for flexible packaging can undergo instantaneous changes. Another decorating feature is the printing of brand identity graphics. Advanced pigment additives can be used that appear under specific lighting and disappear and appear again under varying environmental conditions. Such technologies are simply impossible with rigid packaging alternatives.
Varied Barrier Properties
One of the main significance of flexible packaging over rigid one is the ability to “dial-in” the suitable barrier for the required product. Products like milk, juices, and wine demand an appropriate oxygen barrier. Rigid packaging materials like glass or PET bottles and multi-layered paperboard provide a barrier for all products despite whether they are needed or not. Flexible packaging is accompanied by barrier properties, ranging from aroma to moisture protection.
Larger Size Packaging
With the advancements in technology, the market size of flexible packaging has improved, and able to produce efficient packaging of large sizes. As a result, large-sized retail flexible packages had become the norm. For example, traditional rigid paperboard unprinted cartons used for dry cereals are rapidly replaced by flexible pouches with reclosing features, typically larger. In addition, different custom packaging suppliers have also opted for the techniques of flexible packaging to ensure better packaging of their large-sized products.
Increased Durability and More Compact
Rigid boxes exhibits more chances of becoming damaged during its transit, storage, or display. Flexible packaging is far more resilient when it comes to sudden impacts like falling or crushing. It results in less damage to external artwork, the content inside, and the packaging itself. Laminated plastics are widely used in flexible packaging, which improves the strength of packaging and augments its barrier attributes. Additionally, flexible packaging is more compact as it occupies less space than rigid packaging during the shipping phase.
Owning these differences in the properties of flexible, rigid, and flexible packaging tends to prove more advantageous. Dramatic changes in packaging needs with various technological advancements have inspired organizations to move from rigid to flexible packaging and explore more innovative ways. It is estimated that the flexible packaging market will have $351 billion by the end of 2018, which means it is swiftly grasping market share from other traditional rigid packaging sectors.
