Food Marketing & Technology - India July 2019 | Page 46

Packaging
HOW VISUAL APPEAL IS
SHAPING FOOD PACKAGING?
BY: MANMITA KAMLAPURKAR *
A
s the saying goes - we first
eat with our eyes. This
saying has various origins,
but it doesn’t matter who said it first.
That’s because modern trends and
marketing strategies prove it to be
true. Digital satiation is a thing, with
trending hash tags like food porn and
gastro porn, attesting to this mania. A
number of studies validate the modern
consumers’ emphasis on visual appeal
of the food to be consumed.
Living in a world saturated with
social media, smart devices, and
exposure to global media, consumers
demand variety, uniqueness and
aesthetic appeal in the food or food
products presented to them. This
aggravates the push towards quality
and
visually-enticing-packaging.
The importance of choosing the
right material for packaging food
products by manufacturers cannot be
underestimated.
A study by Transparency Market
Research mentions how the food
and beverage industry will prove
to be the largest application area of
the thermoform packaging industry.
Thermoform packaging is not a novel
concept, but is gaining prominence
due to some trends in the food and
beverage industry. What are these
trends that are turning tides in this
market?
Grab-and-Go Lifestyle
Hectic schedules and busy lifestyles
mean more choice and less time.
We are becoming habituated to simply
walk-in stores and pick what we
want. In such cases, isn’t our decision
influenced by how visually-appealing
the food product is? Our decision to
grab a food product relies heavily on
how fresh, superior, or alluring the
product looks. Visual clarity thus
plays an important role in motivating
people to buy or order food and
groceries. For instance, a dairy brand
in Brazil opted for transparent PET
bottles from Amcor for their products.
Letti, the dairy brand feels that use of
such bottles resonates with consumer
demand for freshness. Catering to the
region’s preferences, Amcor offers
screw caps instead of the foil seal
barrier they typically provide with
HDPE bottles. Letti feels transparent
packaging has opened up the company
to new opportunities.
Clear visuals allow consumers to decide
what they want quickly, and they are
likely to stay loyal to such offerings.
Using technology like thermoforming
packaging allows retention of the food
products’ freshness and aroma. TMR’s
report expects Brazil to emerge as a
high potential country in the arena
of thermoforming packaging due to
increased spending on retail products.
Retail as Therapy and
Premiumisation
Premiumisation, while more of a
marketing strategy, is largely used
in the food and beverage industry to
attract affluent consumers. Premium
products are touted to be of high
quality-and this distinction is made
by the aesthetic appeal of the food
product. What you see is what you get
in the food industry-and consumers
are eating up this trend. Using the right
material that looks and feels exclusive,
vendors of high quality food products
Clear visuals allow
consumers to decide what
they want quickly, and they
are likely to stay loyal to such
offerings. Using technology
like thermoforming
packaging allows retention of
the food products’ freshness
and aroma
Food Marketing & Technology
46
July 2019