When scanning shelves at supermarkets and other retailers, the average consumer spends only 13 seconds deciding which brand to purchase in-store. With such a short time to capture a buyer’s attention, your stock food packaging needs to have a nearly immediate impact on perusing shoppers — especially for prepared food products like sandwiches, wraps, subs, and other grab-and-go options.
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 it once purchased.
Seven Qualities To Look for in Sandwich Packaging Design
At Lacerta, we work with customers to ensure they make strategic decisions about their food packaging. Choosing the right showcase for pre-packaged, wholesale sandwiches improves food presentation, branding, and shelf life.
If you’re in the market for a new packaging provider, we’ve compiled a list of qualities decision-makers should look for to ensure their plastic sandwich containers highlight all the right qualities:
1. Showcases 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 and prevents steam, condensation, or other factors that interfere with freshness or cloud the visibility of the contents within.
2. Prioritizes Shelf Appeal
According to Chicago-based food industry research firm Fresh Perspectives, maintaining a clean shelf and display case, eliminating clutter, opting for transparent packaging, and providing information about when the food was made are all factors that can contribute to consumer 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.
Your food container supplier should work with you to identify a sandwich container that highlights your ingredients' quality and freshness. Not only does this combat inventory shrinkage — or the dollar value of inventory a store owns but is unable to sell — but it also ensures your food products stand out against competing products.
3. Keeps Shipping Integrity in Mind
Before your food products can “wow” consumers on the shelf, they must hold up throughout production and distribution.
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 If 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.
4. Manages Portion Size and Price Control
When packaging is designed to securely and snugly fit around the sandwich (or other food product), kitchens can easily manage portion size and control costs more efficiently.
5. Combines Sustainability With Durability
While consumers and corporations alike are placing a much-needed emphasis on environmentally conscious materials, sustainable materials should not come at the cost of a poor customer experience. For example, a recycled cardboard-style package might be great for the environment but an impractical option for food that must be transported in large quantities.
That’s why we recommend our customers choose packaging solutions that keep durability and sustainability in mind. Our entire PET-based portfolio guarantees an average 10% PCR blend at minimum for packaging that is better for the planet, consumers, and our customers.
6. Has a “Fresh” Look
Consider the latest culinary and plastic packaging trends, but only if they’re relevant to your customers. When it comes to innovations in health and safety, it’s more important than ever to ensure your product and packaging are up to par. However, some trends — take quinoa and other super-grains, for example — appeal to a select few but rarely become crowd-pleasing food items that fly off the shelves.
7. Prioritizes Safety With Tamper-Proof Packaging
Tamper-proof packaging adds another layer of assurance for cautious shoppers. But temper-evident containers do more than provide peace of mind; they can reduce the risk of contamination, reduce theft and “trying before buying,” and mitigate liabilities tied to faulty products.
Invest In Plastic Sandwich Packaging That Improves Your Bottom Line
Ultimately, maximizing innovation and shelf appeal boils down to your ability to present your sandwich products as eye-catching meal options. When consumers see food that looks fresh and contains quality ingredients, chances are high they’ll choose your products 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.
