Why Luxury’s Shift is Good News for Agile Converters
In her article, “Beyond the Price Tag: How Marketers Can Boost Consumers’ Love for Luxury This Golden Quarter,” published on Packaging Impressions magazine’s sister publication Total Retail, author Anne Piérard-Marcombe writes, “In the U.S. price fatigue is real. Consumers are increasingly questioning the value of luxury purchases, especially when prices continue to rise without a corresponding increase in perceived value.”
This shift in perception means printed packaging and labels must support brands’ need to move, as Piérard-Marcombe notes, “beyond prestige and exclusivity to embrace emotional connection and self-expression.” For converters, this can be an opportunity to open conversations as how printed packaging and embellishment can be used to reflect group identity, cultural values, or shared experiences among luxury consumers. Tactile finishes, layered textures, and interactive elements — such as QR codes and digital twins — can help bridge the gap between intention and realization in consumer connection.
This is especially so for packaged products for the entry-level luxury market, which often require shorter production runs to support influencer collaboration, seasonal campaigns, or other limited-edition releases. These runs often involve a higher number of SKUs, each with distinct design elements, finishes, or messages that must be reproduced precisely. The converters that will win this business are the label and packaging manufacturers that invest time, energy, and yes, dollars, in agile production workflows that enable fast changeovers, reduced waste, and cost-effective customization.
To read the full article by Piérard-Marcombe, visit Packaging Impressions’ sister publication Total Retail.
Bonus Learning Opportunity
Want to learn more about the trends that are driving printed packaging and label sales? Apply for the Digital Packaging Summit, where Total Retail Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan for a fireside chat with Packaging Impressions editor-in-chief will share their shared insights on demand drivers from brands and their customers’ the retailers. More information about the annual event, which is free for qualified attendees — including airfare, can be found at www.digitalpackagingsummit.com
As editor-in-chief of Packaging Impressions — the leading publication and online content provider for the printed packaging markets — Linda Casey leverages her experience in the packaging, branding, marketing, and printing industries to deliver content that label and package printers can use to improve their businesses and operations.
Prior to her role at Packaging Impressions, Casey was editor-in-chief of BXP: Brand Experience magazine, which celebrated brand design as a strategic business competence. Her body of work includes deep explorations into a range of branding, business, packaging, and printing topics.
Casey’s other passion, communications, has landed her on the staffs of a multitude of print publications, including Package Design, Converting, Packaging Digest, Instant & Small Commercial Printer, High Volume Printing, BXP: Brand Experience magazine, and more. Casey started her career more than three decades ago as news director for WJAM, a youth-oriented music-and-news counterpart to WGCI and part of the Chicago-based station’s AM band presence.
