Confectionery Packaging: How to Increase Consumer Engagement & Extend Shelf Life

Standing out from the competition in any industry is a must when launching or relaunching your product. Whether you’re a small or start-up business, or a seasoned packager, you know how important it is to stand out from the crowd with packaging that communicates your brand’s value. Keeping up with current trends can help you determine what consumers want in the busy candy market.

Because snacks and sweets fill most American cupboards, it’s important to constantly be evolving to meet consumer demand. So, what key attributes do consumers seek? Which features catch their busy eyes?  

It’s actually fairly simple.

Candy packaging should be portable, keep the product fresh for consumption, and be designed in a way to feed the playful side of consumers. How? With digitally printed flexible packaging. Flexible packaging delivers extended shelf life and freshness, ease of use, the capacity for high-impact graphics, plus unique material and textures that can take your product from ordinary to extraordinary.

Pouches Keep Candy Fresh

A great package can go a long way in securing your product’s success. But, the most important characteristic to ensure your product’s success is packaging that keeps the product fresh. Luckily, flexible packaging, when paired with reseal technology, is great at extending shelf life and reducing waste.

How?

High-barrier films, as well as a strong seal, aid in keeping oxygen out and keeping the package tightly closed to ensure freshness. Reseal technology is being used across various markets to allow consumers to snack from the same bag or pouch over and over again while still being able to properly secure the package for later use. Fresher product means happier consumers and longer shelf life for both manufacturers and consumers, resulting in less waste.

Convenience and Portability

Know what else makes for happy consumers? Giving them what they really crave… convenience. Mintel reports that consumers want convenience, and packaging, that can save them time. This craving for convenience includes snacks and confectionery that can help to make any sweet snack break a snap. And, a key convenience attribute is portability.

Consider packaging your candy in a small or medium-sized pouch designed to let consumers take the lightweight package with them. In recent years, one major gum brand launched a pocket-sized flexible pouch with reseal technology. The slim pouch design ensures the packaging is light and slender enough for the pocket, and the reseal keeps the product secure and fresh inside the pack. The pack is easy to stow in a purse, bag, or the car and takes up minimal space, compared to a rigid container.

Following this convenience craze is the desire for single-serve and mini portions so that consumers don’t have to feel guilty about indulging. What’s more is that with small or single-serve packaging, it’s easy to dispose of the package since there are no leftovers to consider.

For multi-serving packages, the pouch makes a great vessel for snacking, pouring, scooping, sharing, and then resealing for later. Consider the old “movie theatre-style” boxed treat/candy, or sharing size packages. Replacing those boxes more and more are pouches. These pouches differ for the better in that they are lighter weight, resealable and are in a package that can’t be torn or destroyed. Packaging that caters to this portable, single-serve, and reseal trends will go far to get noticed by consumers.

Standing Out on The Shelf

Speaking of getting noticed, did you know that only digital printing can produce photo-quality graphics? And, digital printing on flexible packaging allows for 360 degrees of branding and imagery, with plenty of space for the brand story, recipes, trivia, QR codes and other graphic elements to create a unique brand experience.

Many brands are already taking advantage of the boosted consumer experience flexible delivers. Chocolates and gummies are no stranger to the pouch. Consider the various popular chocolate brands that are now packaged in pouches. These pouches stand out from the rigid plastic or paperboard counterparts that are generally not resealable, weigh significantly more, and take up more space in consumers’ bags.

According to Research And Markets, worldwide chocolate sales are expected to grow, with a key growth driver being packaging innovations that improve shelf life and boost consumer engagement. The report also states that “capturing consumers’ curiosity through packaging is considered an extension of brand value.”

Delivering premium brand value in flexible packaging as it literally stands up and stands out on the shelf, delivering clear and bright designs, with photo-quality graphics. The premium imagery coupled with the convenience features that consumers crave translates to perceived higher value, which can mean a higher price point.

The Candy Market Loves Digital Printing

Candy makes us all feel happy, from that nostalgic piece of candy, to an indulgent piece of chocolate, the confectionery market satisfies more than just a sweet tooth. To optimize your package, be sure to deliver consumers everything they need and want, including portability, engaging design and freshness.

Are you looking for a partner in the process that can help you get your product to market in a truly stand-out package? With digital printing on flexible packaging, you get an advantage over other brands. And because no plates are needed, there is no long set-up time. This flexibility makes adding a SKU, changing a recipe, or adding promotional information to an existing package is quick and easy.

Contact us today to see why digital printing on flexible packaging is the BEST way to create candy packaging in today’s competitive marketplace.