Alcoholic Beverages Packaging Opportunities – New Packaging Formats and Value-added Features

The alcoholic beverage sector is dynamic with strong competitors in the market. Such manufacturers aim to make their products unique and quite often build their position on heritage and tradition, which are reflected in the packaging design. On the other hand, many producers are looking for new solutions and follow current trends that may be important for consumers. Consumer awareness of environmental issues is growing and therefore the number of eco-friendly packaging concepts is noticeable in the sector. Although glass packaging is quite dominant for alcoholic beverages, there is a space for introducing lighter materials that help with lowering CO2 emissions associated with transportation costs.

Replacing plastics with board or introducing features facilitating easy material separation for disposal is another way to tackle environmental trends. Simple functions such as easy-to-open or easy-to-hold packs is also well received by consumers and helps to create a point of difference. At the same time, consumers value nice-looking, elegantly designed products or other added features that very often bring a feeling of specialty to the offering. The alcoholic beverages packaging opportunities report explores new packaging formats and value-added features in the alcoholic beverages category.

Alcoholic Beverages Packaging Market Trends

Consumers are becoming more ‘experience-driven’ and are willing to pay more for an enhanced ‘brand experience’. Packs designed to tell stories behind the product, either by unique design, extra functionalities, or even augmented reality mean the offering is worth buying because it delivers more enjoyment.

Premiumization captures the reasons consumers treat themselves by buying something better and usually more expensive. Packaging with elegant decoration and upscale-looking elements such as limited-edition designs, unique patterns, or foil-blocked details are valued by many consumers.

There is a strong focus on climate change, environmental deterioration, biodiversity loss, and resource shortages amid growing energy demands. Manufacturers respond to this need by designing packaging with lighter or more sustainable materials, or by introducing solutions that facilitate easier separation for recycling.

Key Alcoholic Beverages Packaging Opportunities

Alcohol products are used for consumption as well as gifts for various occasions. This drove many manufacturers to make beautiful-looking packs with gift-ready solutions. They achieve this by means of either attractive, functional packaging, which serves as a ready-made gift, or in the form of interesting and intriguing-looking bottles, which can arouse admiration and joy among many consumers. 

Consumers who choose alcoholic beverages are often looking for unique experiences, both from the drink itself as well as from the entire packaging, that can help them broaden their sensations. These kinds of experience-driven consumers have been targeted by some manufacturers with augmented reality features that can take the product to the next level and entertain, or even build a better brand connection to enhance the experience. Such packs are designed to tell stories behind the product, but also to convince consumers that the offering is worth buying because it is more unique than others. Experience-seekers are also encouraged by an unusual way of preparing the beverage.

Consumers globally claim it is ‘extremely important’ to them to be more loyal to brands that support ‘green’/environmental matters. Manufacturers respond to this trend by designing packaging with a view to reducing the material or weight of the product itself. This results in reduced transportation costs and thus lower CO2 emissions. The other approach is to replace plastics with more sustainable materials such as carton boards or to introduce solutions that facilitate easier material separation for recycling.

Saving time acts as a key driver for consumers while deciding which products to purchase. The possibility of trouble-free use of the product in almost all conditions certainly saves time, which is why many manufacturers of alcoholic beverages introduce such innovations to their packaging. Smaller sizes of bottles, additional cups, easy mixing solutions, or non-breakable materials facilitating quick chilling are some responses to this trend.

Many consumers value products with additional functionalities that could not only increase the portability of the offer but also introduce sensory aspects. Being able to grasp the product easily is always important, but when combined with a beautiful design, it can create even more added value. Elegant bottles with molded handles can be great for many social occasions and can even be kept for refilling. The unusual, intriguing shapes of the packs make them easy to pick up and hold, but they can also attract attention and stand out from the competition.

Key Players in the Alcoholic Beverages Packaging Market

Some of the key players in the alcoholic beverages packaging market are 1404 Manufacturing GmbH, 19 Crimes, Alljuice, Bartex Bartol Sp. z o.o. Sp. k., Blue Tree Ltd., Browar Miejski Gloger Sp. Z o.o., Budejovicky Budvar n.p., DAMM, S.A., and Debowa Polska Sp. z o.o. Sp.k.

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Alcoholic Beverages Packaging Market Report Overview

Scope

This report provides:

• Drivers of packaging innovations in alcoholic beverages
• Notable new formats and value-added features that have been introduced in the alcoholic beverages category in recent years
• Consumer trends that these packaging innovations capitalized on
• Ways for the alcoholic beverages manufacturers to use packaging to stay ahead of the game in a crowded marketplace

Reasons to Buy

• Use GlobalData’s Category Packaging Opportunities reports to inspire innovation
• Understand the relevant consumer trends that drive and support innovation so you can tap into what is really impacting the industry
• Appreciate the importance of innovative packaging in the overall consumer experience of a product and how this can help to drive brand loyalty