The question about types of packaging needs to narrow down to understand packaging better. There are far too many types and far too many classes of packaging. Packaging varies from wholesale to retail, a premium to regular, cost is effective to expensive, common to niche and so much more. So, to get a better idea, first differentiate between packaging for industrial purposes, wholesale packaging and retail packaging. Retail is the everyday product packaging, and wholesale too somewhat comes in the same category, but the industrial packaging is for warehousing, storage, and shipping.
Why Packaging is Important
Product without packaging doesn’t sell; it won’t even stay in its place, it will not be beautiful to the buyer and will not have a good shelf life. Also, it will be contaminated! So, there is no concept of the product without packaging and packaging essential to preserve, save, attract, market, storage, and shipping.
Types of packaging
To divide different types of packaging is indeed a difficult task as there are a lot of categories based on industrial and commercial uses but to get the necessary gist of it, here are a few types you will encounter in everyday life.
Cardboard Packaging
Cardboard is a bright packaging; you will come across cardboard packaging in premium and general merchandises both because of its versatility. It is used to shelve food in grocery stores, to cooked food and delivery boxes to shoes, clothing, perfumes, jewelry and so much more. It is a significant contributor to the retail industry currently.
Plastic Packaging
Plastic packaging is used in third world countries where design comes second, and environment safety isn’t much of a deal. Such packaging is harmful to the environment, and it damages health and humanity. It is not precisely cost useful and when it ends up in the sea, it leaves sea polluted and harms life underwater.
Kraft Packaging
The favorite and the most popular packaging of e-commerce, Kraft rules the world of e-commerce as its raw and rough texture looks very pretty in pictures since e-commerce runs on what you see in photos, Kraft is gaining popularity worldwide. It is lightweight, cost-effective, easily produced, customized, weightless and is paper-based which makes it eco-friendly.
Corrugated Packaging
Corrugated packaging is a type of cardboard packaging. It is manufactured by placing a zigzag sheet between layers of flat recycled packaging. Corrugated is sturdier, best for packaging fragile merchandises and does well in keeping the merchandise away from damage due to intense temperatures.
Retail Packaging
Retail packaging is not correctly made of a specific material, it is made based on the preference of the buyer, and from a marketing point of view, it is designed keeping in view what target buyer likes. Retail packaging is made after research and survey to keep cost low and hit the right buyer as there is always a lot of competition in the retail industry. Retail industry appreciates eco-friendly, multipurpose packaging yet every type of merchandise takes a different kind of packaging regarding design and customization. Now, such packaging can be of any material and made anywhere in the world, the primary concern of the retailer is getting good quality packaging in minimum cost that attracts the right customer.
Wholesale Packaging
Wholesale packaging is usually packaging made of cardboard and large cartons. In those cartons, several units of retail items are placed. This packaging is very basic, and it doesn’t need to be precisely flashy and attractive as such, it is more for the safety of the smaller units and to keep them away from damage as well as to make the shipping easier.
Festive/Seasonal packaging
Festive packaging is the boxes and bags you see at birthday giveaways and wedding favors. That packaging is manufactured in smaller number hence they cost slightly higher because sometimes this type of packaging is also assorted in design. Seasonal packaging is what retailers do to be up to date, and it comes with a marketing strategy to encourage buyers to purchase and collect your seasonal packaging.
Food packaging
Food packaging is hygienic, and its priority is to keep contamination away and keep food at a favorable temperature. Thus, packaging types are far too many, and each category mentioned further splits into several subcategories!
