Imagine a container that serves both as a container to consume a broth. Or a pasta packaging that allows us to calculate rations. Or even a tin can change color to indicate when our soda is at the ideal temperature for consumption. Stop fantasizing These are real solutions and are just a small sample of how the packaging sector is changing. The packaging has ceased to be an industry producing simple containers of products to become a creator of strategic communication elements, essential in the decision to purchase the user.
This paradigm shift has completely transformed the industry. Packaging design is now a multidisciplinary issue, where design, marketing, communication, sustainability, sales strategy come into play …

Behind every transformation there is an engine of change. In this case, the decisive factor has been the evolution in the priorities of the user, more and more informed and, consequently, more demanding. Various studies show that more than 60% of consumers choose a product for packaging, while 41% repeat according to their first interaction with the packaging. Among the issues most valued by the contemporary buyer are the ease of use, the information shown, the application of intelligent and interactive systems and, of course, sustainability.

A combination of factors that we could summarize in a single concept: convenience. Undoubtedly, the transversal element that explains the success of packaging over time, beyond trends and changes in consumer priorities. Why did the Campbell soup cans, individual coffee pods or simple cardboard to hold our hot drinks triumph at the time? The answer lies in its ability to offer a user experience satisfactory to the user.

The big change is the profile of our consumers, increasingly connected and informed. Equal in the quality of the products offered, the packaging becomes a definitive element in the purchase decision. After all, the first impression is what counts and that is precisely what the packaging industry offers.

The need to offer a packaging capable of responding to the needs of new consumers has revolutionized the packaging sector. Without a doubt, we work in one of the most innovative industries. We are pioneers in the development of technologies, in the digitalization of processes and in the research of new materials.

One of the fields in which packaging is advancing the most is the application of sustainable solutions, not only in the design of the final product, but in all processes. It is not just a matter of awareness and corporate responsibility. Sustainability is already treated as a business model. Through the reformulation of the processes to prioritize the use of sustainable energy sources and environmentally friendly raw materials, solutions are being created that not only contribute to reducing the environmental impact of the industry, but also result in more efficient processes and, therefore, a greater economic return.

Innovation also in the automation of processes. Fields such as robotics are already a reality in certain phases. Its entry entails a reduction in costs and greater production, as well as greater security and control over the processes. Thanks to the technological innovations of recent years we have multiplied the traceability and control options throughout the process. Today, the manufacturer has real-time information about the place and the exact state of its product from its manufacture until its arrival on the linear.

These advances make sense because they respond to the same objective: aspire to excellence in the consumer use experience. However. Do we really know what the user wants? Brands invest very high budgets in market studies that try to decipher this mystery, so we have some idea.

The trends speak of sustainability, ease of use, interactivity and, even more, smart packaging. And that’s where we’re headed. We are in the transition towards interactive packaging solutions. We are starting to see containers able to inform about the status of the product in real time and to interact with it to improve its conservation and extend its useful life. Once again, one more step in the offer of value through packaging. A new advance in convenience.

The next edition of Hispack, which will take place between May 8 and May 11, 2018 at the Fira de Barcelona Gran Via venue, will show all this transformation and trends that are marking the evolution of packaging. With close to 750 direct exhibitors and 185 speakers, the fair welcomes all the leading players in the sector and offers visitors the best packaging catalog that is marking the step in the sector, as well as an advance in the technologies that will revolutionize the market in the next years. An essential appointment for different professional profiles that find packaging in their daily activity.