What are the benefits of hyper-personalisation in packaging?

Customers now demand personalised products and more of them, one size does no longer ‘fit all’.

Executing this however can be difficult, but it can also offer many benefits to manufacturers, in particular strengthening their relationship with the end-user and therefore enabling them to access a potentially longer and increased revenue stream.

It can allow for a more creative and fluid approach to the entire supply chain, from design to manufacture and consumer.

In part, technology has enabled this hyper-personalisation of packaging to happen, with digital and 3D printing now being increasingly utilised.

Case study: Black Panther

PepsiCo and Marvel Studios designed 3D printed packaging for the Black Panther movie premiere earlier this year.

Five cans representing each of the movie’s main characters were produced, with 3D-printed Black Panther masks fitting onto the corresponding can.

The project was manufactured by specialist, Protolabs on their multi jet fusion machine.

In order to produce this complex design without 3D printing, there would’ve needed to be 250 parts manufactured in total.

What are the benefits to hyper-personalised packaging for manufacturers?

Consumer engagement

Whether that’s through social media, word of mouth communications or other, engaging the consumer to highlight products is essential to more success.

Loyal relationship

If a consumer thinks a brand understands them as an individual rather than as part of a group, then likely the consumer will trust the brand more, thus creating a more loyal relationship.

A more appealing product

The ability to personalise a product to individuals, or a a specific target market, will mean a more appealing product to the end-consumer.

Packaging remains a vital part of this, as now manufacturers must sell their products both on the quality of them but also how they appear.

Enhanced revenue

Being able to create a more appealing product that engages the consumer and is tailored to them will result in an enhanced revenue stream.

As customers become more loyal to a brand and or business, this is increasingly becoming relevant for manufacturers to make the most of, as they look to offer complete solutions with their products.

Case study: ‘Share a Coke’ campaign

Back in 2013, Coca-Cola selected the UK’s most popular names to replace their logo and give consumers the chance to ‘Share a Coke’.

The popularity of the campaign meant that it became one of the most successful for the fizzy drink manufacturer ever, with 150 million personalised bottles sold in the UK.

This examples shows the drive from consumers to have more personalised products, and the need for brands and manufacturers to understand and be able to execute this effectively.

Coca-Cola campaign by numbers (UK 2014)

•  Over a thousand different names on bottles
•  More than 150 million personalised bottles sold
•  Over 730,000 glass bottles personalised via the e-commerce store
•  65 experiential stops on the Share a Coke tour

Glass manufacturer to digitally print 

The world’s largest glass manufacturer Owens-Illinois (O-I) announced a new technology enabling it to customise bottles at industrial speeds.

This latest innovation is being produced via digital printing, and can reportedly create highly personalised and customised glass packaging at flexible volumes, industrial speeds, and affordable value, with a range of colour and design possibilities.

To produce these products on an industrial scale, the company is making an initial investment in two direct2 glass digital printers, which are programmed to be able to contactless print.

This investment is to meet the demands of its current customers, this being to personalise packaging and create more different types of glass containers and at a faster rate.