Packaging Impressions Parlor: Communication’s Vital Role in Creating Competitive Packaging

Throughout NAPCO Research’s exploration of brand owners’ packaging priorities, the importance of communication and transparency from printers has been a common theme. Communication can refer to several different aspects of the brand and printer relationship. But when looking at brand owners’ top packaging challenges, it’s clear that they need the most help managing packaging trends, maintaining their speed-to-market efficiency, and engaging their consumers. Effective packaging plays an important role in all of this, but transparent communication and proactive education are paramount to ensure that customers get the most out of their packaging experience.
Assessing Brands’ Top Challenges
For many brand owners, particularly smaller entrepreneurial brands, their contacts at their packaging supplier are the few packaging experts they interact with. While larger brands are likely to have packaging designers and engineers on staff, smaller brands often delegate packaging tasks to their marketing or supply chain teams, who, on top of their many other roles, manage the brand’s packaging and work with printers and converters. These staff members are often knowledgeable about packaging but are not experts, so they rely on input and expertise from their packaging partners to create the best labels and packaging for their products.
In NAPCO Research’s latest packaging report, Digital Packaging: The Pursuit of Prosperity, reviewing brand owners’ top three challenges reveals areas where communication and education are paramount.
The No. 1 challenge brand owners reported is designing packaging that influences purchasing, with 39% of respondents selecting it as a top challenge. For many brands, having a packaging designer on staff is not always feasible, so they often rely on external design teams, either at their printer partner or via firms they contract with. While brand owners will have a sense of how they want to express their brand essence, they don’t always know the latest design trends that stand out to consumers. For printers and converters, understanding their customers’ specific markets and how consumers seek out products in that space can be highly beneficial in informing packaging design, and relaying this information to brands can help them design and enhance their packaging, whether via embellishments or interactive components.
On the logistical side, improving supply chain efficiency and responsiveness was also a top challenge brand owners reported. Lead times are often critical for brands, as they must factor in shipping times and delivery deadlines for products to arrive at retailers. When packaging is delayed, it can wreak havoc on their schedules. Communication and transparency in the supply chain can help brand owners stay on top of these critical logistics.
Sustainability is among brands’ top challenges as well and is a significant pressure on brand owners as consumers, retailers, and legislative action have all led to an increasing sense of urgency around sustainability. Again, this is an area where brand owners may not be experts, so they must rely on their packaging providers to help them with sustainable packaging initiatives. This could mean offering more environmentally friendly materials, lightweight packaging, or even helping with sustainability messaging on packaging.
Maximizing Services and Expertise
In addition to asking brand owners about their top packaging challenges, the Digital Packaging: The Pursuit of Prosperity survey also asked brands to rate the level of importance of a variety of attributes when selecting a label or packaging printer. When the responses were sorted by the combined responses of “Essential” and “Very Important,” a couple of interesting data points emerged.
First, 87% of respondents reported that printers’ strong grasp of current packaging regulations and legislation was either essential or very important. For brand owners, regulations can constantly be in flux and can be challenging to keep track of. The same goes for legislation, particularly in this era of heightened attention on sustainability. Package printers that can stay on top of these external packaging disruptors and communicate any impending changes to their customers will undoubtedly be viewed as highly valued partners.
Further down the list, but still eye-opening to see, is that 78% of respondents reported that offering design services or consultation was either essential or very important. Again, particularly at smaller brands, a staff designer or art director is often a luxury. Having a package printing partner that can both design and advise on design can help customers make the most out of their packaging.
While good communication seems like it should be a given in a strong business relationship, it is not always the case. Instead of a transactional relationship in which the brand simply submits the order and the printer prints and converts the label or package, being a proactive, transparent communicator and educator is a surefire way to ensure satisfied customers.

Cory Francer is an Analyst with NAPCO Research, where he leads the team’s coverage of the dynamic and growing packaging market. Cory also is the former editor-in-chief of Packaging Impressions and is still an active contributor to its print magazines, blogs, and events. With a decade of experience as a professional journalist and editor, Cory brings an eye for storytelling to his packaging research, providing compelling insight into the industry's most pressing business issues. He is an active participant in many of the industry's associations and has played an essential role in the development of the annual Digital Packaging Summit. Cory can be reached at cfrancer@napco.com