Convenience factor in packaging and the important role of packaging in product innovation

Many people see convenience as an integrative part of numerous products, especially in the case of products from the technical and electronic sectors, as well as articles from the non-food sector in general. Usability as an essential aspect of convenience has been a conditio-sine-qua-non in connection with product design for years. Of course: Consumers prefer to buy things that they can use easily and correspondingly conveniently.

If you look at it more closely, this convenience starts with the packaging. The more convenient it is to handle, the more relaxed the consumer is – and, logically, the more favorably disposed he is towards the brand. Incidentally, convenient handling refers to various points: The packaging should

– easy to open and close – without excessive force and without having to think about it and try it out for a long time.

– If possible, it should be made of a recyclable material that makes it easier for the user to dispose of, or otherwise come across as sustainable (such as the special ones that can be reused as elegant drinking glasses after consuming the spicy mustard as seen in our THOMY project).

Taking the whole thing a bit further, it becomes apparent that packaging convenience is in turn closely related to product innovation and can drive it – sometimes even unintentionally at first. Yes, it can actually go so far that when working on packaging with a convincing convenience factor, completely new products, services or applications suddenly emerge, even though they may not have originally been included in the core concept. Creativity brings progress.

This is what outstanding convenience in packaging can look like

To illustrate good convenience in packaging, we would like to give you a brief example: One of our last projects involved developing a transport and gift box for baked goods. The aim was to create packaging in which sweet treats could be transported well protected and presented stylishly at the same time.

In the course of the design process, we succeeded in giving the “baker’s box” even more convenience. Apart from the fact that the delicate delicacies can be transported safely from A to B and that it looks good, the packaging also has two other advantages:

1. the individual boxes are nestable or stackable and can be connected at the end with a gift ribbon to an extremely practical and pretty unit. Because they can be stacked, there is absolute flexibility with regard to the quantity of baked goods to be packed. That means it doesn’t matter how many goodies the consumer orders. With just one shipping box size, every customer requirement can be met. In the end, the packaging is always the same width and only varies in height.

2. since the bakery box is made of paper, it meets recycling and sustainability requirements.

In short, this packaging covers the entire “life cycle”: first it brings the baked goods safely to the consumer, then it surprises him with its creative design and gives him the opportunity to present the delicacies in the box and also enjoy them out of it. And last but not least, when it has mastered all its main tasks brilliantly, it can either be kept as a souvenir or sent to waste paper.