Special Edition packaging with irresistible ‘gifting’ appeal
[4 min read] Special Edition packaging is increasingly becoming a brand strategy in its own right. It is in the premium skincare brands sector where Special Edition packaging really comes to life. In this case study we look at how Hunter and REN Skincare collaborated to deliver a Christmas gift set with unrivalled ‘gifting’ appeal. THE BRAND Created in 2000 by Antony Buck and Robert Calcraft, REN is known worldwide…
4 must-have features of winning e-commerce packaging
Global retail online sales have increased steadily since 2010, and 2016 was a year of all-time records, with a reported 1.4 billion people shopping online. Today China, the US and the UK together account for 68% of total global online retail turnover. In the UK, the average online consumer spent the equivalent of $4,000 online…
How manufacturing in China is changing for the better
China has been the factory for the world for over 30 years now. However, manufacturing in China is in transition and the country is moving away from a low cost, low-margin manufacturing model to one of higher end, higher margin, and higher value-add. Although it is true that the Chinese government has had a significant…
How to turn premium products into top selling gifts
Limited edition gifts are increasingly becoming a brand strategy in its own right. With an undeniable power to create added value in the eyes of the consumer looking for ‘exclusive’ or ‘unique’ experiences, limited editions gifts have the power to stimulate sales, extend the life of a product, and increase brand recognition. Consumer brands can be credited…
Premiumising the high street through luxury packaging
[4 minutes] Bottles of spirits look very eye-catching under the bright lights of a pub back bar, but nowadays they are more likely to be sold on an ordinary supermarket shelf than in the on-trade. In 2015 the off-trade generated nearly 80% of UK spirits sales, while the country’s six major supermarket chains— Tesco, Sainsbury’s,…
Delivering the hug through travel retail
[3 minutes] Go to Gate flashes on screen. Ten minutes, at most, to grab something for the kids to make up for missing the weekend on the business trip. Need something they’ll like, something that shows we know and something they’ll remember. Must be safe and sturdy; could well end up in the cabin bag…
Packaging to win consumer hearts and plaudits
[3 minutes] The global skincare market continues its impressive growth, forecast to reach a staggering $154B within 4 years. The category is ultra competitive, fuelled by one of the most creative packaging and point of sale environments in global retail. So much so, packaging plays a critical role in the gifting and user experience, helping…
Gourmet chocolate provenance – the clue is in the packaging
[3 minutes] Confectionery remains one of the most fiercely competitive of fast-moving consumer goods sectors with multinational-owned brands fighting tooth and nail to gain shelf stand out. But consumers have changed and the foodie movement is now obsessed with origins. There was a time when legendary Belgian and Swiss chocolate brands such as Godiva and…
Packaging awards — what catches the eye of the judges?
[4 minutes] Winning a major packaging award can deliver a significant boost for consumer goods brands, design agencies and packaging manufacturers. Firstly, there’s the kudos that comes from the endorsement of the competition’s panel of judges. They are invariably a group of industry experts and decision makers. When they voice their opinions, people tend…
Where art meets packaging
[3 minutes] In the ultra-competitive world of modern retail first impressions are everything. The way brands package their products is an opportunity to put their best face forward to potential customers. To increase shelf standout further some brand owners are now enlisting the help of celebrated artists and designers for one-off editions and gift…
Advances in sustainable packaging
[4 minutes] A number of factors are driving brand owners to become more environmentally responsible when it comes to designing and producing sustainable packaging. National and international sustainability targets; the need to create cost efficiencies throughout supply chains, and perhaps most importantly of all, consumer pressure are pushing companies to make their packaging lighter,…
Unwrapping the travel retail confectionery market
[3 minutes] Packaging has a crucial role to play for any successful confectionery brand. First and foremost it has to preserve the quality and taste of the products inside. It must also stand up to the stresses and strains of transportation while being aesthetically appealing enough to stand out on the shelf. Take the…
Gin: from rags to riches
[3 minutes] Could we be about to reach the stage of ‘peak gin’? Just a few years ago that would have seemed an absurd question to ask. Gin was the most neglected white spirit, outshone by vodka, and the antithesis of cool. Infamously derided as Mother’s Ruin, gin was more recently shunned as an old-fashioned drink…
Luxury spirits packaging – communicating provenance and heritage
Award-winning packaging for the luxury spirits industry Hunter Luxury works with some of the largest spirits brands in the world, creating beautiful, creative, technically advanced luxury packaging that gives our client’s products the attention they deserve. Our team of experts and global suppliers can be trusted to make sure that every step of the development,…
Ditch the predictions, embrace the goals
[1 minute] An issue with relying too much on New Year predictions rather than on goal-based plans is that people can wrongly assume that by embracing an outside view, they are reducing the risk of introducing their own optimistic bias into their plans. What people seem to forget is that it’s not predictions that create…
Packaging – the jewel in the crown
[3 minutes] When purchasing jewellery or watches, consumers don’t just buy a product. They buy into the brand experience and values. The woman wearing a string of pearls with Chanel embellishments wants to be perceived as classically sophisticated, the man with the S10,000 Swiss watch could tell the time just as easily with a $3…
Packaging a user experience
[3 minutes] Apple’s rise to the world’s greatest super-brand started with one brilliant strategic move. Instead of challenging the (then) thriving PC market at their own game, they diverted the audience. They knew customers, at heart, wanted something bold and simple. On some levels, Apple commercialised the discipline of User Experience. And the billions rolled…
Travel retail: Six and a half minutes
[5 minutes] A lot has changed since the first duty-free shop was established at Shannon Airport in Ireland back in 1947. At first glance, it is quite obvious that the travel retail sector changed its “cheap cigarettes and alcohol” image to become a luxury retail environment that exudes elegance and sophistication. But look closer and…
The Shifting Future of Sourcing
[5 minutes] Deng Xiaoping has been credited for coining the phrase “To get rich is glorious!” It is not clear whether he actually said it, and if he did whether he could have ever foreseen the speed of the rise of the Red Dragon. China’s emergence as a manufacturing powerhouse has been startling. The country not…
Senses and the science of sensory packaging
[2 minutes] When it comes to branding, we’re all very familiar with the visual variety. One needs only imagine the iconic typography of Moët & Chandon, Godiva, or the instantly recognisable Rotary watch logo. However, as marketers struggle to break out from the clutter, luxury brand owners have come to realise that visual systems by…
