Packaging innovation boosts pre-made dishes

One end of prefabricated dishes is connected to the fields and the other end is connected to the dining table of the people, driving the integrated development of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries

At present, prefabricated dishes are undergoing structural changes, which requires prefabricated food companies that traditionally serve the B-side and companies and brands that have entered the prefabricated food track to transform from the previous "factory thinking" to "user thinking".

Diversification - full package replacement

The rapid development of prefabricated vegetables has put forward higher requirements for the packaging of prefabricated vegetables, and has also driven the diversified development of the prefabricated vegetable packaging industry

Packaging makes the processing of prepared dishes easier

Packaging optimizes the consumer experience

Packaging makes pre-made dishes more delicious

Packaging makes the cold chain logistics of pre-cooked vegetables more environmentally friendly

Several companies are also working on developing sustainable packaging materials

New opportunities - seeking breakthroughs from multiple perspectives

Prefabricated vegetables are a typical case of the integration of upstream, midstream and downstream industries, involving a wide range of industries.

Relevant persons said that from the perspective of packaging demand and attention of prefabricated vegetable companies, there are three breakthrough opportunities for prefabricated vegetable packaging in the future.

Chen Wenjian, director of the Big Data Center of Lions, believes that the innovation direction of prefabricated vegetable packaging in the future can focus on developing transparent and high-barrier packaging, attaching importance to experience, increasing interaction, improving packaging automation, expanding consumption scenarios, and sustainable packaging

New Demands - Innovation to Solve Pain Points

The innovation of prefabricated vegetable packaging is not only a simple change in packaging form, material, carrier, etc.

　　From the perspective of consumer groups and consumption scenarios, what are the packaging innovation needs of pre-made vegetable products?

　　Xu Changhu, co-founder of Cooking Bags, believes that from the perspective of consumer groups, the Z generation who enjoy the sense of cooking ritual and the middle-aged and elderly people who follow the trend are all possible important consumer groups for pre-made dishes in the future

　　According to the research of Michelin, the Z generation group has diversified needs for packaging.

　　From the perspective of purchasing trends and demand potential, middle-aged and elderly people have a high probability to become the main consumers of pre-made dishes

　　From the perspective of the consumption scenarios of prefabricated dishes, with the accelerated development of prefabricated dishes, prefabricated dishes have different needs for packaging in two different scenarios: the back kitchen of restaurants and the home kitchen

　　In the kitchen cooking scene, the application of product packaging pays attention to atmosphere and satisfaction
.
Product packaging should pay attention to the user experience of consumers, and the packaging requirements should be as simple and convenient as possible
.
For the kitchen novice, the packaging can also come with a smart reminder function
.

　　The packaging design of a pre-made vegetable brand determines the consumer's initial impression of the product and brand, and the possibility of placing an order or even repurchasing it.
In addition to satisfying functional requirements, how should pre-made vegetable packaging be considered from the perspective of marketing and design?

　　Xiaoma Song, the founder of Xiaoma Song Strategic Marketing Consulting, put forward four very practical principles: buy it when you see it, take pictures when you get it, recommend it after eating it, and discover it in any link
.

　　Having an appetite is very important
.
First of all, it is necessary to let consumers know what the product is through the packaging.
Therefore, when taking pictures of real objects in e-commerce or packaging, first of all, they must be good-looking; secondly, each dish must give consumers a reason to buy, such as the grassland sheep Jiezi.
"Soft and tender without deboning, and each piece can absorb bone marrow" and so on
.

　　Most of the pre-made dishes are sold online, so it is necessary to design some reasons for consumers to take pictures, such as showing off, creating surprises and accidents, etc.
When they get the pre-made dishes, they want to take pictures and become ambassadors
.

　　Delicious is hard to define, but it can exceed expectations
.
Provide materials, such as pictures, text, and videos, to increase the desire to share through materials
.

　　The fundamental principles of the design are to spread and reduce transaction costs
.
Packaging design not only appears on the shelf, at home, but also in many environments, so it should be designed to be more eye-catching
.
In addition, the epidemic has profoundly changed people's way of life.
The supply chain and cold chain logistics difficulties caused by the epidemic also make pre-made dishes that do not occupy the cold chain at room temperature become a new category fission opportunity
.
The research data of Michelangelo also shows that the innovative packaging solutions for pre-made vegetables in normal temperature scenarios are highly concerned by pre-prepared vegetables enterprises
.

　　(Yuan Guofeng)

　　"China Food News" (July 20, 2022 Edition 08)

　　(Editor-in-charge: Yuan Guofeng)