When scanning shelves in the supermarket, consumers make purchasing decisions in as little as 2.6 seconds on average. With such a short time to capture a buyer’s attention, it’s more important than ever to make sure your stock food packaging has a fast and meaningful impact on the food they choose.
So, how can you make sure your sandwich container helps your product stand out from the competition?
First and foremost, it’s all about the food. Among consumers who increased their spending in convenience stores on prepared foods, 59% said their decision was driven by the food “tasting good.” When choosing commercial sandwich packaging, it’s important to remember that the packaging should highlight the sandwich, not the other way around. While it sounds simple, many components can influence how appealing your food looks to the consumer and their experience transporting and consuming the food once they buy it.
How Innovative Packaging Solutions Can Benefit Your Company
At Lacerta Group, we work with customers to ensure they make strategic decisions about their food packaging. Choosing the right showcase for pre-packaged wholesale sandwiches increases shelf appeal and does wonders for branding. When consumers see your company as an innovator in the market and associate your products with a positive experience, they’ll become your unofficial marketers and salespeople through social media and word-of-mouth.
We’ve compiled a list of qualities decision-makers can look for when it comes to selecting a plastic sandwich container that highlights all the right qualities:
Investing In Sandwich Packaging That Impacts Your Bottom Line
At Lacerta Group, we find the most success when we work with companies that view their food packaging as an investment rather than a means to an end.
When a business focuses on leveraging food packaging to improve the buyer’s experience, the buyer will likely purchase the product again and become a loyal advocate for your brand.
That’s where the investment part comes in: positive customer experiences have a ripple effect of generating repeat sales and marketing your product through word of mouth. This increased revenue offsets the incremental cost of the packaging.
So, how can you find packaging that leads consumers to your product and ensures they have the experience possible? We’ve compiled a list of tips based on nearly three decades in the food packaging industry.
Top 3 Tips For Choosing The Right Commercial Sandwich Packaging:
- Showcase freshness and quality ingredients. While taste might be a driving factor for consumers, they won’t have an opportunity to try your product unless they purchase it in the first place. In the short time it takes for consumers to make a purchasing decision, they take in myriad visual cues about freshness. To increase merchandising appeal, select transparent packaging that allows consumers to view the sandwich's contents easily. Your food container supplier should work with you to select packaging that keeps the sandwich intact, prevents steam, condensation, or other factors that interfere with freshness, and contributes to an all-around positive customer experience.
- Prioritize shelf appeal. According to Chicago-based food industry research firm Fresh Perspectives, factors including shelf and display case cleanliness, lack of clutter, transparent packaging, information about when the food was made, and even word-of-mouth influences food buying decisions. While it’s up to grocery stores and other food retailers to keep shelves organized, food companies can control their commercial sandwich packaging and how it aligns with their entire collection of food products. Creating a “family” look for your company’s sandwich packaging, pre-made salads, and other prepared food products helps with brand consistency and shelf presentation.
- Keep shipping integrity in mind. For your food product to “wow” consumers on the shelf, it must hold up adequately during the production and distribution stages that take place before the food even reaches the grocery store. To determine which container is most suitable for transporting food, ask your packaging vendor whether the sandwiches can be loaded and closed easily during production (while factoring in the elements of tamper-evident containers, which prevent food handlers and other customers from opening the containers, and whether the container stays closed and remains crack/crush-resistant during distribution. Generally, when packages are sized correctly, they will fit the sandwich snugly with just the right amount of headspace.
Ultimately, maximizing innovation and standout shelf appeal for your sandwich boils down to your ability to present it as an eye-catching meal option. When consumers are presented with food that looks fresh and contains quality ingredients, the chances are high that they will choose your product over the competition.
If there’s one thing we know here at Lacerta Group, it’s that putting together an attractive food product takes considerable time and attention. If you’re searching for packaging that will highlight your sandwich's fresh, quality contents, our sandwich packaging could be just the right fit.
