5 hot summer hits of packaging trends and tech

Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor

August 10, 2017

6 Min Read
Packaging Digest logo in a gray background | Packaging Digest

Popular mid-summer packaging topics involve analysis of Amazon’s latest move in ecommerce, a new package from Quaker Oats, trends in smart packaging, new technology for beverage bottles and a list of careers in packaging to consider.

Come revisit the five articles the global packaging community found most compelling on PackagingDigest.com in July 2017:

#5. New tech reshapes aluminum beverage bottles

#4. Quaker Overnight Oats packages simplicity

#3. 4 areas where smart packaging excels

#2. 10 hottest careers in the consumer packaging industry

#1. What Amazon buying Whole Foods might do for ecommerce packaging

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#5. New tech reshapes aluminum beverage bottles

Did you know that shaped aluminum beverage bottles don’t have to be symmetrical anymore? Brands can stand out in a package that breaks away from the rest of the round-bottle crowd with proprietary and patented uShape technology from Montebello Packaging.

The recyclable aluminum bottles can be:

• shaped with flutes, embossing, debossing and various fine details.

• printed with the customer’s artwork in up to nine colors using a high-quality dry-offset printing. A variety of visually striking print effects are available, including matte and gloss finishes, metallic and specialty inks, and an assortment of base coating options.

• capped using a roll-on pilfer-proof (ROPP) closure.

The product is currently available in one base diameter, with hot-fill or ambient-fill volumes of 250mL/8 fl oz to 355mL/12 fl oz depending on the shape and other requirements.

NEXT: Quaker Overnight Oats package design critique

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This fall, boost your packaging expertise and discover more solutions by attending MinnPack 2017 (Nov. 8-9; Minneapolis), the largest Advanced Design & Manufacturing Event in the Midwest. Register today!

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#4. Quaker Overnight Oats packages simplicity

Three food packaging connoisseurs analyze the new Quaker Overnight Oats breakfast cup from various perspectives: sustainability, functionality, convenience and design. The product is cold-brewed, that is it requires no heat for cooking.

Some pros and cons:

The clear plastic cup (No.7 resin identification code) lets consumers see the product before buying—something they expect and appreciate. But from a recycling perspective, it’s a fail.

On the sustainability front, the energy savings is a plus.

And the product has a clean label with minimal ingredients that are recognizable to consumers.

You don’t have to be an analyst to weigh in—what do you think of this product/package?

NEXT: 4 areas where smart packaging excels

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This fall, boost your packaging expertise and discover more solutions by attending MinnPack 2017 (Nov. 8-9; Minneapolis), the largest Advanced Design & Manufacturing Event in the Midwest. Register today!

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#3. 4 areas where smart packaging excels

“By reinventing packaging as a fully interactive customer engagement tool, packaging could be elevated from a simple functional relationship to providing a useful and valued service,” says author Ian Lifshitz, vp of sustainability and stakeholder relations for the Americas for Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP).

Here’s how:

Content—give consumer access to additional information and or valuable coupons through quick-response (QR) codes or near-field communication technology.

Replenishment—tell consumers when they are running low so they can reorder before all the product is gone, gone, gone.

Expiration—food safety and food waste converge here with smart packages that can prompt consumers to use up food before it reaches its end of life.

Authentication—is this product the real thing? Reassure your customers that it is and that it hasn’t been tampered with.

NEXT: 10 hottest careers in the consumer packaging industry

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This fall, boost your packaging expertise and discover more solutions by attending MinnPack 2017 (Nov. 8-9; Minneapolis), the largest Advanced Design & Manufacturing Event in the Midwest. Register today!

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#2. 10 hottest careers in the consumer packaging industry

You’ve already got a job in the packaging industry but maybe it’s not the best fit for you. What else can you do? A packaging “insider”—Hotmelt.com marketing manager Casey Heigl—shares her top 10 list:

1. Packaging Engineer

2. Package Designer

3. Consumer Behavior Analyst

4. Packaging Specialist

5. Packaging Operator

6. Product Tester

7. Food Scientist

8. Assembly Line Worker 

9. Compliance Manager

10. Packaging Buyer

Read the article to learn more about each of these positions.

NEXT: What Amazon buying Whole Foods might do for ecommerce packaging

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This fall, boost your packaging expertise and discover more solutions by attending MinnPack 2017 (Nov. 8-9; Minneapolis), the largest Advanced Design & Manufacturing Event in the Midwest. Register today!

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#1. What Amazon buying Whole Foods might do for ecommerce packaging

A trio of analysts told Packaging Digest how ecommerce packaging might change—especially for fresh foods—because of Amazon’s game-changing acquisition of Whole Foods.

First, they explore the business strategy:

Dan Wilkinson, chief commercial officer of 1WorldSync, a multi-enterprise, global product information network, says, “With Whole Foods’ brick-and-mortar stores and Amazon’s powerful ecommerce technology, the company has effectively solved the last-mile fulfillment barrier that has prevented widespread consumer and retailer adoption of omni-channel grocery.”

Scott Deutsch, president of Ehrhardt + Partner, North America, a global provider of warehouse management systems (WMS)/warehouse control systems (WCS)/voice solutions, looks at the competitive landscape: “In Whole Foods, Amazon obtains a high-end grocery chain with actually a limited market footprint, but room probably for greater operating efficiencies and thus the potential for lower and more competitive market pricing.”

Stephen Kaufman, chief product officer of BLUE Software, a label and artwork management solutions provider, sees new experiences on the horizon that blend online and in-store: “Whole Foods’ supply chains only span a few counties for some products based on ‘buy local’ sentiments. Amazon will find a way to bind these micro-chains to online fresh shopping, while simultaneously leveraging the in-store experience with the same consumer.”

Then the experts consider the packaging implications:

Kaufman: “Inexpensive environment monitors can be added to shipping crates so that Amazon can have data from “store to door” regarding in-transit humidity, temperature, direct sunlight, barometric pressure, and even radiation and exposure to noxious chemicals. These technologies will help ensure that delivered fresh food is safe and has been reliably transported.”

Wilkinson: “Amazon will likely benefit from Whole Foods’ focus on environmentally friendly initiatives—such as reusable shopping bags and eco-friendly products—in regards to delivery methods and packaging.”

Deutsch: “I would not be surprised to see Amazon and Walmart challenge the status quo by providing sturdier bag packaging for same day shipping. I expect this would be possible because the shipping vehicle would likely be staged differently than how they ship product today.”

Read the full article to hear all their analysis.

In general, ecommerce is a hot topic with packaging professionals responsible for various functions. Packaging Digest recently polled webinar attendees on two areas to determine what, if any, best practices for ecommerce packaging are emerging. See what we found here.

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This fall, boost your packaging expertise and discover more solutions by attending MinnPack 2017 (Nov. 8-9; Minneapolis), the largest Advanced Design & Manufacturing Event in the Midwest. Register today!

About the Author

Lisa McTigue Pierce

Executive Editor, Packaging Digest

Lisa McTigue Pierce is Executive Editor of Packaging Digest. She’s been a packaging media journalist since 1982 and tracks emerging trends, new technologies, and best practices across a spectrum of markets for the publication’s global community. Reach her at [email protected] or 630-272-1774.

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