Increase Pet Food Sales With Flexible Packaging

General / January 8, 2018

A number of the growing trends in food quality and packaging are migrating into another industry near and dear to many consumers’ hearts: pet food. The more we know, the more concerned we are about what we put into our bodies, and how responsibly we dispose of what isn’t consumed. And responsible pet parents feel the same way about their “fur children”—with good reason. They too should have quality food. And of course, good-for-the-environment packaging is a win for everyone inhabiting this planet. Flexible packaging meets many needs in the pet food industry, and gives manufacturers an edge in increasing sales to a committed consumer base. Check out these benefits in flexible cat and dog food packaging.

On the Shelf

In a sea of cans and paper-based multi-wall bags, brands adopting flexible packaging really stand out. Flexible packaging offers a number of advantages over traditional packaging on the store shelf:

• Different: even as adoption of this packaging type grows, it’s still a smaller part of the market, so it catches the consumer’s eye.
• Visually appealing: design and print options are vast, and those great designs look stunning on the glossy flexible packaging material.
• While choosing a unique and attractive packaging solution, it’s a great time to differentiate your brand with information that is helpful to consumers (and often ignored by competitors). Pet parents are looking for transparency in ingredient and nutrition details (“clean” labeling), as well as responsibility/sustainability in packaging and other business practices. Is your food Non-GMO? How safe are your ingredients? Do veterinary professionals recommend—and use—your products? What happens if a pet becomes ill? Provide beneficial information often missing from pet food labels, while also making industry-regulated information easier to understand (what does it mean?).
• Space-saving: pouches and flexible bags take up less space than cans and some of the other bulkier containers. It’s also easier for consumers to tote a small box of pouches than a heavy flat of cans to the checkout. More product is therefore in front of the shopper, and can encourage buying larger quantities of a product that is easier to manage than they might be used to with competitors.
• Sustainability: flexible packaging sends its own message to many consumers—with or without printing involved—sustainability. Eco-conscious buyers will be particularly interested in buying from a manufacturer that uses packaging that aligns with their values.
• Sustainability: many flexible packaging products are recyclable, and compostable options are even available. Plus, when a flexible package does find its way into a landfill, it takes up much less space that some competing containers.

At Home

Once the pet parent brings their cat or dog food home, the benefits continue.

• Space-saving: once again, flexible packaging saves space, not just on the store shelves, but in the home pantry.
• Easy-to-open: no more struggling with can openers or pull tabs, or tearing a gaping hole in the side of a paper bag. Notched flexible packaging is easy for your consumers to open, and smooth BPA-free interiors allow for easy pouring.
• Keeping food fresh: ordinary multi-layer paper bags keep dry food adequately fresh on the store shelf, but once opened at home, the clock is ticking. To keep fresh, food must be transferred out of these now-open bags into a resealable container (usually a very large rigid plastic bin). Flexible packaging, on the other hand, with a built-in zipper, solves all these problems. Food stays fresh with less air and ambient moisture exposure, and the bag takes up much less space than a bin. Old dry food doesn’t taste as good to your pet (would you eat stale food that’s been in your pantry for months?), but even worse, it can lose nutrients and even decay and cause illness. Flexible packaging (and proper storage) help keep pets satisfied and safe.

After Use

When the pet food is all gone, your customers are literally left holding the bag. But flexible packaging is a great choice because of what happens after the product is used up.

Pet food manufacturers are embracing the flexible packaging format for repackaging, and even rebranding, to meet the needs of their audience and expand their reach to new buyers. Will you join them and make your products stand out on the shelf—and outstanding at home? Give us a call or contact us to discuss your packaging options and get started!