The New Year is upon us, and it is time to think about your yearly objectives. What better way to plan for the coming year than by looking back – at what worked and what didn’t! This year, take advantage of the many benefits of an annual packaging audit and get that resolution in the works.
First of all, what is an annual packaging audit? A packaging audit is a process by which you identify and analyze the types and amounts of product and shipping packaging produced on an annual basis. The objective of this audit is to help detect those things that are working well and to spot the areas where improvement would be useful.
Benefits of an annual packaging audit:
- Regain a clear focus on your core business
- Identify areas of strength and weakness
- Learn about packaging solutions that work in the real world
- Ramp up sales with innovative and creative changes
- Save money – both on production and shipping costs
- Become more sustainable
What can you take from the results of your packaging audit?
Were sales great last year? Things seem to be working well? That’s great! Does that mean that improvements don’t need to be made? No. Remaining stagnant won’t necessarily net anymore profits for this year – so stay ahead of the game and keep things moving. Maybe think about the minor tweaks that can be made that don’t actually change the overall look and feel of your design.
Was last year not as fruitful as you would have liked? Might be time to rethink your marketing plan. New and improved packaging might be the answer. Think about a new design – one with various colours. Innovative technology such as flexoprint PrePrint offers more colour selection and combinations and improved printing quality. Another option may be retail ready packaging to further meet retailers’ expectations or to catch the eye of customers.
What about sustainability? Perhaps your numbers are strong but your waste output is also high – and therefore not super eco-friendly. This might signify the importance of switching to a manufacturing company with an eye to the earth – one with a process that focusses on reducing waste and decreasing their carbon footprint. It may also mean shrinking the size of your packaging and therefore the material used – which will also save on shipping.
An annual packaging audit is an intelligent idea no matter how you look at it. Even if you feel as though things are working like a well-oiled machine, it never hurts to glace back to help maintain your current road to success.
For more about how to conduct an annual packaging audit and to improve on those core areas, please contact Packaging Technologies Inc. by calling 1-800-303-5883.
