SubscribeLack of time Classifying consumers using concepts such as lifestyle, etc. is no longer as easy as it used to be.
People say that you cannot categorise your customers; - they are not faithful to a segment, but float from one to the other. The environment can be important one day, but not the next. During the week we like things to be quick and easy, but at the weekend other values such as quality and being with others become more important.
We can say, however, that most of the segments into which, despite everything, we try to classify consumers, is time. Convenience is a concept that has been embraced by everyone today, probably because convenience provides comfort and ease, and if we can have that, we can ultimately save time, which is a common denominator of all consumer segments.
This shows part of our new Gastro Series
Sales Exposure
The fact that consumers display no loyalty while at the same time searching for convenience places great demands on all stages of the grocery chain. It is more difficult to hit the mark with one's product, things have to be quick and easy, and we need to be very flexible. It is also becoming more usual that consumers have not decided in advance what they want to buy when they go shopping. This means that product exposure is now, if this were possible, even more important than before.
The face of the product
The packaging is the face of the product, and is therefore extremely important when it comes to product exposure. In the past this has been one of the main areas of product development, but we now have to go even further! We now have to focus very much on convenience, on how we can make things nice and easy, and thereby save the consumer time without compromising the quality of either the container or the contents.
Focus on the consumer
In order to accommodate this trend Færch Plast focuses very much on the consumer, asking questions such as: how do they make purchases, how do they use the packaging at home and, ultimately, how can packaging be used to provide the consumer with convenience?
One of the many results of focusing on this area has been the launch of HEAT/it,one of a number of registered trademarks designed to make containers more informative.
Preparation and serving in one
HEAT/ithas already been presented to consumers in the form of a Hall Test. It is clear from these tests that HEAT/it consumer information contributes to food safety, as more people want to use plastic for heating food if HEAT/it is embossed in the tray. It is clear to the consumer that the food can be heated directly in the packaging, which makes preparation quick and easy for the consumer. The purchase decision is also made simpler, saving time both in the store and at home.
HEAT/itis mainly used for ready meals and contains temperature instructions informing the consumer that the food can be heated in an oven, a fan-assisted oven or a microwave. HEAT/itcan withstand heating during the production and filling processes of ready meals, and also during heating at home in the kitchen, or in a company canteen.
Apart from HEAT/it's functional and high exposure value, it also provides safety and convenience for the consumer. HEAT/itis convenient in that, apart from making preparation easier, the container can also be placed on the table - an attractive serving dish that requires no washing up.
New salad tray developed in close
co-operation with Vita, Germany
All needs form part of this concept
An awareness of the importance of consumer convenience is needed if we are to be part of our customers' growth. In developing containers designed to make life easier for the consumer, all stages of the cycle leading up to the consumer must be taken into account.
The container must function throughout the whole of the production process, protect the food, be the face of the food and attract the consumer's attention in the split second the purchase decision is made.
Færch Plast received a Scanstar for its work in this area in 2002. It produced a container developed for salads, in which the tray contains a "bridge" for accompaniments and the lid contains a fork.
This provides the consumer with convenience in that the salad is ready to eat, and the fork in the lid means you can eat on the move.
The tray provides great flexibility in the production process for the food manufacturer, and for the retail trade the tray provides optimal exposure, in that the material is transparent and the tray can also be placed in an upright position on the shelf if so desired.
It makes sense for development work to take into account all the various stages of the process. We must reach all the way out to the consumer, but also provide better business for our customers.