Sustainability, Social Handles, Emotional Marketing, and Commitment to Clarity are the New Trends in Packaging
Usually when we reflect on the packaging trends of each year our eyes are drawn towards the aesthetic designs of the year. However, 2021 is a unique year. As we looked back at the year, we saw quite a different trend than in previous years. This year, food and beverage packaging trends had less to do with aesthetics and more to do with customer relationships.
Creating packaging that appeals to your ideal customer is nothing new, that is marketing 101. However, the shift in 2021 went beyond just a simple appeal to the customer’s interest. This new focus is brands showing customers that they care about them - not just as their customers, but as people!
Brands took this next step in building personal relationships with their customers by appealing to their values through sustainable packaging, creating opportunities for interaction through social media, acknowledging current emotions, and being clear about their products.
These trends are most likely in response to the disconnect felt throughout 2020 and brands looking to re-establish their connections with customers. While there are things from 2020 that we could all do without, these new trends are a shift that we love to see!
Sustainability Logos
Sustainable packaging has been on the rise for several years. However, in 2021 brands began to reinforce their efforts towards sustainability. In addition to simply using sustainable packaging, they started to promote sustainability with stickers and logos on their packaging. Several companies have also moved to obvious sustainable packaging, such as cardboard containers, with minimal designs.
This effort shows how brands are aware that not only is sustainability still important to their customers, but that customers are also wanting immediate information and clarity regarding products. The effort to promote sustainability is also a likely response to the shift backwards in 2020, when a lot of single packaged goods and plastic were reintroduced. While it was an immediate need at the time, it caused concern for a lot of people who value sustainability to support the environment. With less urgency for immediate individual packaging, brands are now able to focus on reestablishing their commitment to sustainability.
Social Handles & QR Codes
Packaging sustainability wasn’t the only thing to get a boost in 2021. With a desire to connect with customers on a more personal level, brands started making it easier to access them through their packaging. Most food and beverage brands include their social handles on their packaging. Not only do they include where to find them, but they also have an active social media presence where they can truly engage with their customers.
Some brands have taken it one step further and started to include QR codes on their packing. QR codes on packaging makes it easier for customers to immediately connect with a company in several ways. Brands may use a QR code to take customers directly to a social account, an email, or the company’s website. QR codes are also being used to provide customers with more information about individual products, such as the supply chain of where ingredients come from.
Emotional Marketing
Appealing to a customer’s sense of emotions is not something new to marketing. However, the type of emotions that brands are now focused on appealing to has shifted in 2021. No longer are companies only focused on personal interests of potential customers. After, and amidst, the rise in stress and anxiety in the world, brands are more aware of their customers’ mental health and being mindful of appealing to their sense of safety and security.
You can see this trend in the use of copy and color choices. Many brands are leaning towards soft pastel colors in their overall packaging. Some brands are also offering clear words of encouragement and support in the text added to their packaging. Several brands are also personalizing packages with customer’s names to create not only a sense of security, but an appeal to the need for personal connection that many of us lost last year.
Commitment to Clarity
One of the biggest trends of 2021 that reflected brands’ commitment to creating positive relationships with their customers was transparency. In a year with still many unknowns, consumers want to know what they are getting when they buy a product - especially when it comes to what they are eating and drinking. Brands created transparency for their consumers in several ways - including literally:
Minimalist designs to make it easy to see what the product is
Bold typography to help important qualifications stand-out
Stickers that show specifications such as “gluten-free” or “sustainable sourcing”
Transparent packaging that literally shows consumers what they are buying
By taking the guesswork out of what was inside the package, customers are now able to make quick, confident and informed decisions. Just another way brands showed their commitment to building honest relationships with their customers.
While 2021 is coming to a close, these trends are likely not going anywhere. We predict they are just the beginning of a shift where the primary focus in food and beverage packaging is how it appeals to people as people, rather than just consumers.
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