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Packaging
By Wendy Ratel of Fresh-N Home Products
Probably the most difficult process in creating a new product is how to package it. The considerations are endless! When I'm working on packaging, I consider many different parameters. First, who is the product sold to? If the target demographic is women, then the type and style of package is considerably different that if you're selling to men. Are the products sold to moms? How about children? Once you've chosen the demographic, another consideration is where and how the product will be sold. If you're a vendor at the local farmer's market, the packaging can be very different than if you are targeting retail. Big box store packaging is considerably different than gift store packaging. Another factor is online. Will the packaging you've chosen ship, especially in small quantities? Do you need barcodes and for that matter what's in a barcode? The first six numbers of a barcode identify the manufacturer and the country of manufacture. That's a consideration when looking for barcodes. They aren't cheap! Is it important to have your own barcodes or can you pick up a number from a reseller off the internet? To me this is a credibility issue. Iphones have a app now that scans the barcode and tells you all that information, so it's no longer a mystery set of numbers on a package. Where does the packaging come from? A considerable amount of packaging comes from China. It's inexpensive and you can get anything you want. There is a growing movement to purchasing locally, so is Chinese packaging the best choice. What's the packaging made of? You can now purchase biodegradable plastic and plastic made from corn which is eco. There is also recycled plastic. Paperboard is another option. How does the packaging "fit" the corporate culture of your company? Our products are all earth friendly, so therefore our packaging needs to be as well. Our first packaging came from a Chinese source. The plastic we chose has an additive that allows the plastic to degrade and not off-gas. While this is great, we had to purchase a large quantity to get this option. We then discovered that the packaging creases when shipped and it's been a bit of a nightmare ever since. We've probably spent more trying to keep the products looking ok, than we would have it we had chosen a different option. Our Fresh-N line is packaged in cardboard tubes. This has been great. It ships well, it's sealed so doesn't absorb (an important factor when the product is a natural mineral that absorbs both smell and moisture) and we can purchase it in small quantities, so it allows us to test new designs and products and make changes and adaptations as we go. We've been blessed to work with a graphic artist and printer, Trina, at Wilson Printing in Hamilton, ON, Canada. Trina also teaches at Mohawk College in Hamilton. Mohawk College teaches a course in product packaging. This is a great resource and they look for projects for their students. I hope the above helps when you are thinking about packaging a product. Your comments and insights are welcome.
Fresh-N Home Products produces 4 different brands, Fresh-N, Diva Diamondz, SportzGemz and Gentlemen Gems. All products naturally eliminate odor and dry.
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Mohawk College Packaging Program
  
Auto Fresh-N in cardboard tube packagaing
SportzGemz in biodegradable plastic
Diva Diamondz in plastic
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Thank you for sharing these great tips on packaging, Wendy.
The external link on Mohawk College is very useful.
Best to you.
Frederick
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Thank you Frederick. I must admit though that it's a rather selfish post. I'm in the process of creating a new product and thought that if I put into words the process I go through it might help make it clear in my own mind.
Take care,
Wendy
The copyright for this content entitled "Packaging" has been specified by the contributor as:
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