Take a fresh view… on packaging
Written by Stephen Spencer for Gifts Today magazine
As the nights start, drawing in and thoughts turn to Christmas, whilst retailers‘ plans are laid and suppliers, order books, hopefully filling up, there’s a question, which is unlikely to be answered this season, but should be on every retailer’s and supplier’s agenda for 2024 and beyond.
Of course, the nights drawing in also starts the countdown to one or other of those two great Christmas movies, Die Hard and Love Actually. In the latter movie, everyone in this industry will have appreciated the care and attention to detail with which Rowan Atkinson attempts to gift-wrap a necklace for an impatient, Alan Rickman – it is a scene that exemplifies for many the essence of gifting, which by its nature is over-the-top; nothing says “I love you” like a large quantity of unnecessary packaging.
The question, however, is this: how much longer can we continue to associate gifting and indeed luxury with excessive packaging? For me, as a long time, retail concept and product, developer and marketer of unique giftware, the question first occurred to me during a panel discussion at the Autumn Fair a couple of years ago: the subject was Facing the Future: the Benefits of Sustainable Retail, and the speaker, Francisca Sassetti, highlighted the true costs, right the way through the supply chain, of what is arguably unnecessary packaging. The idea flickered, and has now burst into flame, with recent global events, and the political response, throwing a spotlight on voters’ and indeed consumers’, true feelings on the matter of Net Zero. Whether consumers want or do not want to change their behaviours to help achieve a more sustainable future is a moot point; however, there is an opportunity and a responsibility for every business to take its customer on a journey to a more sustainable future.
In recent months, I’ve read two great articles: the first, by Hugo Jamson of the Design Council, who proposed that packaging, rather than being the a key differentiator between brands should be co-developed, perhaps, within a regulatory framework, to make it as green as possible across sectors. I agree with his argument that radical change is required. However, I was also inspired by an article by the Board of Innovation, showcasing 20 sustainable packaging solutions, developed with AI. If you have any downtime this Autumn, and as you start to plan and budget for 2024, I urge you to read this article and consider how you might (retailers and suppliers working together) re-imagine your plans for, say, Valentines Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, and beyond, by focusing less on the glossy exterior, and more on the authentic, honest, and I hope, sustainable gift experience within. After all, Emma Thompson was not interested in the box, but rather the necklace, which in the end it did not contain.
So, let’s make packaging a differentiator, either by its absence or by being genuinely sustainable, and making that part of our brand story.
Now there’s a challenge for the New Year!
Stephen Spencer is founder and Ambience Director of Stephen Spencer + Associates, a retail consultancy that aims to maximise ROI by triggering emotions at every level.
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