What Is Functional Packaging?

1.What Is Functional Packaging?

Functional Packaging – Picture courtesy: Trend Hunter

Functional packaging is a smart and innovative approach taken by manufacturers that transforms your product through its appearance and quality too. With the perspective of the consumer, it is the driving force behind intriguing them into buying anything they visualize as appealing.

It can be a stick pack or a pouch style packaging, a corrugated cardboard or plastic box for food grade and any fragile items ,a can or bottle ; hence to sum up whatever practically wraps up your product in a customer safe and impactful packaging can be termed as “Functional Packaging”.

Physically designing the selection of appropriate type of functional packaging requires a packaging expert to idealize how it will work to stay in consumers mind for a long term brand image. This means that the functional packaging will be offering security , sustainability, aesthetically pleasing and excellent quality packaged structure for your products.

Of course, it has variations according to type of materials selected, type of machinery that will be used for this purpose and the type of closure that will be chosen for sealing the packaging. You’ll be reading about it further in the blog.

2.How Are Consumers Attracted By Functional Packaging?

The functional packaging is considered as the way into the heart of your consumers, building confidence and good brand messaging. Let’s discuss these factors below.

Product Freshness

High strength material sealing- picture courtesy: Dieline

The quality of the packaging material and its sealing strength decides how freshly delivered your product will be (if it is a food item). Not only its freshness, but also its efficacy, for instance, there are items that need to highly effective in their potential such as medicinal ingredients, chemical agents, beauty products etc.

Protection

Preserves Freshness- Picture Courtesy: minisocial

Functional Packaging serves to preserve and protect the product in carefully designed layers of packaging film , that safeguards and prolongs the shelf life of your product. You might’ve noticed any fancy packaging of food item denotes a comparatively longer expiration time than other styles. This makes the consumer interested in buying such products which will stay longer without deteriorating.

Sustainability

Preferred sustainable solutions- picture Courtesy: Tweak Your Biz

Consumers nowadays prefer buying items that portray they are environmental friendly. For this sustainable options in your packaging, such as Kraft paper, recyclable plastic, or cloth bags are used. Advancements in technologies have made packaging options to be reusable for earth friendly purposes as well.

Customization

100% greater customization option- picture Courtesy: Packaging Printing

Consumers get attracted when they find new packaging that offers them not only the product they want but also it comes with another added purpose such as a small container of butter having knife shaped closure, a pair of shoes in a bag that can be turned into water bottle pouch, etc. The consumer feel happy to get two benefits at one price.

Easy Usage Method

Multi-functional Packaging- Picture Courtesy: Webpackaging

Convenience of usage method such as easy tear option, reclosable zipper seal, or a packaging that can simply be taken out of its container and used directly without the need of using scissors or any other tool.

Reliability

Greater reliability ratio with functional packaging

A product that has good shelf life and storage conditions , which means the packaging guarantees its effective protection and reliability. Customers get attracted when they find such packaging which is feasible for them to carry wherever they want. Portable and lightweight packaging that comes in single serving portions (in food) are beneficial for working and traveling people and so they like to find convenience in their packaging style.

Adaptability

Maximum adaptability- Picture Courtesy: Etik

Packaging material that offers flexibility and adaptability to get any of your customized design  that will be easily handled, stored and carried seems to be one of other important features that customers look for. A packaging must be such that it protects and enables secure contents delivered from the site of manufacturing to the point of purchase, unaltered in its product quality.

Boosting Your Brand

Functional Packaging Boosts Your Business- Picture Courtesy: Inewritten

Impulsive buying along with evolving trends in sustainable and flexible styles of packaging has tremendously increased the market demand for specifically such packaging. The design of the packaging material not only speaks about your brand’s product but also leaves behind a footprint through the sensual experience the customer gets via your functional packaging.

3.What Types of Materials Are Used In Functional Packaging?

The basic material types of functional packaging involved as below:

Stick Pack

Stick Packaging- Picture Courtesy: Mridulpatrika

Sleek, convenient, and flexible stick packs are one of the famously grown types of functional packaging material that are in wide preference by customers. They serve single use purposes and due to their portability can be used anywhere. Sealing through heat or pressure encloses the content inside protecting against moisture and temperature degradation. Its most common application is found in the food and beverages industry, some other uses are in the cosmetic industry and pharmaceutical industry.

Type of Machine You Need

Allpack Stick Packaging Machine

Pouch

Various categories of pouches as a functional packaging

Different styles of pouch packaging such as gusseted pouch, pillow pouch, stand-up pouch, quad seal pouch offer versatility in their characteristics and features. They have a window display allowing clear visibility of the product inside and are made up of a ziplock and easy tear notch option, making it convenient for use and restoration. Mostly used by the food and beverages industry, pet food industry and chemical industry.

Type of Machine You Need

Allpack Horizontal Pouch Packaging Machine

Corrugated cardboard boxes/ Cartons

Sustainable Carton Functional Packaging

In terms of sustainability and customization, cardboard boxes have proved to be a new functional packaging solution. These boxes can hold fragile items with safety and integrity. It includes cartons such as general cartons, flip top cartons, or slide open cartons. Another example includes Tetra packaging where you can store products such as milk or juices to preserve quality.

Type of Machine You Need

Allpack Carton Machine

Plastic reusable/disposable boxes

Plastic and paper disposable boxes- Picture Courtesy: Sustainable Jungle

Today the use of plastic boxes has enormously outspread, as they are mostly used to withhold fresh food items such as fruits, vegetables, meat, cheese, and some ready to eat meals. Plastic reusable or disposable boxes serve to be convenient and providing better stability to the food any other item inside as it locks the freshness.

Type of Machine You Need

Disposable Box Making Machine- Picture Courtesy:Xinyi Automatic

Bottle Packaging

Bottle Packaging

In various packaging fields, bottles are considered the best functional packaging entity as they offering you fast and safe dispensing, and easy portability of liquids, semi-solids, and powder materials. These include squeezing bottles such as ketchup, condiments bottles, and dropper bottles such as for eye, ear medicines and essential oils, and general bottles such as syrups, beverage bottles.

Type of Machine You Need

Allpack Bottle Packaging Machine

Blister Packaging

Blister Packaging- Picture Courtesy: Mcfadden

This is a type of packaging that formed a hollow cavities or pocket like structure to embed your product as a single- or one-time usage. The blister packaging is ideal for packing food items such as chewing gum, sweeteners, and medication such as capsules, and tablets. Moreover, this packaging is broadly used in the field of packaging items associated with engineering, tools, construction, electricals, etc. The blister packaging is of various functional types including clamshell blister packaging, full-face, trapped blister etc.,

Type of Machine You Need

Allpack Multifunctional Blister Packaging Machine

Cans & Containers

This category of functional packaging is also linked to various types of cans used for convenient and efficient packaging to store medicinal, household, chemical, or other food related products. The packaging is of significant importance as it is required to store products require for long distant shipping with suitable preservation.

Type of Machine You Need

Allpack Can & Container Packaging Machine

Tube Packaging

Tube as a functional packaging- Picture Courtesy: PeakPx

The type of functional packaging that helps in the accurate and precise filling of formulated content in respective tubes. This category of packaging is useful in various items such as filling ointment, beauty products, food products, chemicals, and various others. The tube packaging is a promising agent that supports handy, customized, and flexible options where you can enjoy its easy handling and portability anywhere you go.

Type of Machine You Need

Allpack Tube Filling Machine

Conclusion

As we have discussed the basic about the functional packaging, so hopefully you must have known the convenience way to design and select the functional packaging for your product that consumers expect from you. If you’re looking for innovative series of equipment that professionally brings your expectation into the finest shape; then we promise you Allpack is right here to fulfil your needs. We would love to hear from you! Plus, if you’ve any questions from blog ‘What is functional packaging?’ Just Message us to get solutions shortly.