Packaging - a lesson

Management Tutorial Q: Discuss the Packaging Decisions

Ans: Packaging is the art, science, and technology of preparing goods for transport and sale.

Art is the behavioral aspects including size, shape, color, outside appearance of the packaging design..

Science deals with the feasibility of proposed packaging design.

Technology refers to the infrastructure required to manufacture the proposed packaging design including machine, technique, men and design.

Management Tutorial Q: What is the importance of packaging in marketing?

Ans: The importance of packaging in marketing are as follows:

• Protecting the product inside.
• The packaging contains the product attributes in written form.
• The packaging helps the manufacturer, distributors and customer to handle the product well.
• The packaging helps identifying the products.
• The packaging contributes to the promotion of the product with attractive design and color.
• The packaging contains information on the ingredients of the product.

All in all packaging offers customer convenience.

Management Tutorial Q: Discuss Packaging as an art?

Ans: Packages go back all the way to primitive times and has witnessed many artistic impacts. Today packaging is all about the synergy of creativity and science.

The packaging is gaining importance as 5^th P of marketing mix.

The layers of Package:

1. Primary package: It is the wrapper which is the products’ immediate container.It can be called as Skin Packaging . It can be Foil Packaging or clear Packaging.
   
2. Secondary package: This is the layer to protect the primary package and which is discarded when the product is about to be used.It can be Bubble Wrap Packaging .
   
3. Transportation package: The shipping carton/box for transportation and identification.It can be carton packaging
   

Management Tutorial Q: Discuss the packaging concept?

Ans: Package development requires establishment of a packaging concept. The packaging concept always has a purpose for the product or brand. Let us discuss these purposes:

1. Product or brand sales promotion: Usually the offers like “ Buy one and get free”, “ 25 % Extra” and other such promotional activities are performed through packaging.
2. The presentation of all marketing mix is present in the package which is very vital for the manufacturer and consumers.
3. The packaging helps in positioning of a product or brand positioning.
4. The packaging also aims at differentiating the product.

Management Tutorial Q: What is Labeling?

Ans: The label is a simple tag attached to the product which contains the brand name or trade name as a pert of the package.

Management Tutorial Q: What are the functions of Labeling?

Ans : Labeling performs the following functions:

1. Label identifies the product or brand. Are called identification Label.
2. It contains information like
   1. who made it ?
   2. when it was made?
   3. Where it was made?
   4. What it containts?

And are called descriptive label.

1. Label also promote the product through its attractive graphics. Are called promotional label.
2. Labeling is important in overseas trading on any product.

Management Tutorial Q; Discuss the legal aspects of packaging?

Ans: A package must necessarily give complete information about:

1. Date of manufacture
2. date of Expiry
3. Guarantee period
4. Batch no.
5. Volume or weight of contents
6. Name of manufacturer
7. Instruction how to open it
8. trademark of the manufacturer
9. Price etc.

Management Tutorial Q: Discuss the socio-economic criticisms of packaging?

Ans: Packaging depletes the natural resources: The excessive use of polybags and polythin as wrapper and package and container has some ill-effect on the natural resources and cleaning system.

Packaging is deceptive: the packaging has been misleading the consumer for long as duplicate products are sold with look alike packaging to some popular brand.

Excessive cost on buyers: the cost of developing and final packaging is levied upon the end users, adding to the cost of product.