3 Red Flags Your Current Packaging Supplier is Damaging Your Brand

You have likely heard the expression, “you eat with your eyes before you eat with your stomach”. Presentation in the culinary world plays a vital role to the dining experience, and isf plating is sloppy, a customer can send the plate back to the kitchen.

In the world of retail marketing this sentiment is amplified by ten fold; if a product doesn’t look good, a large percentage of people won’t even pick it up from the shelf. In fact, a survey conducted by Luminer in Lakewood, NJ asked 400 men and women aged 18-65 about the features that draw their attention to a product on the store shelves. 56 percent of shoppers say they won’t pick up a product if the logo or brand isn’t clear, 60 percent say they won’t buy a product if the packaging doesn’t provide enough information, 56 percent say they are more likely to buy a product if the packaging is eco friendly, and 33 percent say they will reject a product if they don’t like the packaging design.

Many people tend to focus on packaging as having a main role to protect the merchandise from damage. While this is indeed a benefit to a good packaging structural engineering job, product packaging and printing go hand-in-hand with branding and marketing. It is crucial that retail organizations set recurring meetings with tasks to determine if their current packaging partner is making the grade, or if there are red flags indicating that switching from one product packaging printer to another is necessary to prevent brand damage. These three red flags will help your organization determine if it's time to start looking for another supplier to slowly start outsourcing other projects to.

1. Product Packaging Quality Control Reveals Ongoing Problems

We mentioned that product packaging quality is not the only thing a good supplier should offer, but it is an important one to promoting a positive brand image and increasing your revenue. The obvious side to poor product packaging construction is product damage. Some organizations bleed out hundreds of thousands of dollars due to scuffed, cracked or scratched products. Even if the product itself is in pristine condition but the litholam corrugated box has a noticeable dent, most people won’t buy it. According to a Smithers Pira survey, 58 percent of shoppers said they would not buy a product if the packaging was damaged. Just think about the last time you were shopping and you had the option to buy a dented can of soup, or one in perfect condition. Product packaging integrity is everything, and plays a huge role in your revenue target.

If your product packaging supplier is making more frequent mistakes in structural engineering or material failure, you may want to start outsourcing jobs to other suppliers and compare the quality before a big mistake jeopardizes your entire line.

2. A Poor Decision in Packaging Design

Packaging design doesn’t just hinge to bright colors and head-turning graphics. There are a number of considerations that the best product printing design companies always keep top of mind when providing solutions for retailers. For example, Coca Cola’s curved bottle is a trademarked item. One common tactic is to create packaging that resembles best-selling competitor products. But if your packaging engineer isn’t aware of all the trademarks and legal holds, your organization could run into a slew of problems. Sometimes it just takes one mistake to raise a big red flag because if a printing company demonstrates their lack of knowledge in one department that results in a big error, other prog=blems are likely to follow.

3. Communication is Shaky

It goes without saying that communication is important when dealing with a professional service provider in all industries. But when millions of dollars in retail product and brand reputation are on the line, communication must be flawless. If the collaboration between your team and your printer is poor leaving gaps in translation, clearly the printing team is not able to brace your way of relaying, discussing and absorbing information. This is their job to perfect; not yours. Also, if they don’t respond quickly enough to emails or calls, this raises a red flag. All too often a quick change needs to be made to product descriptions, ingredients, or to the design itself. If your printing team isn’t on the ball your folding boxes can go into production creating one big mess and a financial loss. Start vetting other providers and look for one that demonstrates superior quality, creativity, and exceptional communication.

Do You Think You can Partner with a Better Packaging Print Company?

If you found value in this article we invite you to download our FREE GUIDE on how to transition from a current printer, to a new one. Learn what warning signs matter, how to vet organizations, and the various considerations that go into handing off projects to new potential printing and packaging companies. Got questions? Global Printing is an internationally known leader offering high-quality affordable packaging and printing solutions. We have the answers and are eager to learn about your brand and its growing needs!