Before a consumer interacts with a product, its packaging will establish brand emotions, creating experiences at every touch point within the buying process.
WestRock found that 72% of consumers stated that packaging design influences their purchasing behaviour.
Packaging has evolved beyond the protection of a product – its design, colour, material, and feel can help a product stand out, portray quality, drive sales, and build brand loyalty in an often-crowded marketplace.
Harrison Packaging Managing Director Craig Turnbull comments: “An innovatively crafted package can convey exclusivity and sophistication, essential for luxury brands. It is about going beyond expectations to create an immersive brand experience.”
Durability remains a necessity for product protection
Beyond aesthetics and the brand, the durability of luxury packaging remains critical. Luxury packaging must withstand handling, transit, and other factors while maintaining its appearance and safeguarding the product.
“Luxury packaging should be as functional as it is beautiful. Working with carton board suppliers, manufacturers select materials for a premium finish that offers maximum protection,” continues Turnbull.
Social media and the unboxing experience
Today, we cannot scroll through social platforms without seeing reels featuring influencers unboxing luxury branded products with as much emphasis on the packaging as there is on the product! This trend is imitated by consumers sharing their unboxing moments.
Whether social media, brand marketing, or online influencers, it shapes perception and expectation, particularly among the younger generation, who see luxury as a symbol of success. Luxury packaging will only become increasingly essential for elevating brand influence and loyalty.
Technological advancements in print
Technology is helping to change packaging into an art form incorporating special coatings and varnishes, Pantone spot colours, embossing and debossing, advanced cutting, die cutting, perforating, foiling and lamination.
A world of options is available with the evolving print technologies. Turnbull explains: “At Harrison’s, a Koenig & Bauer Rapida 106 X is enabling us to handle up to eight colours and offer a range of finishes in a single pass and at an impressive 20,000 sheets per hour, and we have incorporated a camera system to monitor the printed sheets against the required standard.”
Luxury and sustainability
To meet the current demands for luxury packaging, we cannot ignore the importance of sustainability.
Trivium Packaging, a supplier of metal packaging, found that 74% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable packaging.
In the past, luxury packaging often implied no thought for environmental impact – today, brands and packaging manufacturers are integrating sustainable practices to meet the needs of eco-conscious consumers and net zero objectives – without comprising creativity and quality.
Turnbull explains: “Investing in print technologies combines innovative design with efficiency savings and focusing on the supply chain ensures end-to-end like-minded sustainable practices. For example, in the luxury market, we utilise carton boards as they can be recycled up to seven times and combine recycled and virgin fibres.
“Conventional inks are being chosen over UV inks due to the energy required in the UV ink curing process compared to Conventional inks set with air/oxidation.
“Add to this the range of internal net zero initiatives, and we are seeing significant positive environmental impacts in the packaging industry.”
The role of people
While technological advancements are helping to drive luxury packaging design, we cannot overlook the people involved in the process.
Turnbull continues, “Innovative packaging is not just about machinery; it is also about the people who think outside the box to create unique packaging designs. They get underneath the brand, working with clients to develop packaging solutions that engage with consumers, protect the product, and build brand loyalty.”
What does the future hold?
The luxury packaging industry must deliver sustainable, innovative, and memorable solutions that resonate with environmentally conscious consumers and the up-and-coming generation, our future consumers, who may grow up to be the future buyers of packaging solutions!
To learn more about Harrison Packaging, contact us at 01642 754600 or email sales@harrisonpack.com.