Packaging is the process or technology involved in placing an object into a box, envelope, container or other object in which it can be maintained for the purpose of physical protection during storage, sale, distribution, transportation or use. Packaging also has a wider application of being used to identify and describe the product inside, for machine identification (such as barcodes), to keep the product dust-free, to attract attention or for marketing purposes. The term “packaging” is also used to refer to the material/object in which a particular product is contained or “packaged.”
Packaging Considerations
The following are certain packaging considerations pertaining to convenient distribution of the particular product:
1) Size – For a product that has to be shipped to a distribution point that’s quite far off, heavy or bulk packaging could cost too much in terms of transportation expenses.
2) Labeling – It may be necessary to include specific information on a product’s label if it is to be distributed in a particular way. One example is the labels of food products displayed for sale in retail outlets. These labels must contain the necessary information pertaining to their nutritional value and ingredients.
3) Durability – A lot of products undergo rough handling on their way to the consumer from the production point. If the distribution system cannot be trusted to protect the product, the packaging must be done in such a manner as to provide the necessary protection.
4) Opening – If the item or product is of a kind that has to distributed in such a way that a potential customer can examine it before deciding whether to buy it or not, the packaging must be easy to open as well as to close again. Alternatively, if the packaging should only be opened by the purchaser (such as in the case of over-the-counter medication), the packaging would have to be designed so as to be tamper-proof.
In a lot of countries, packaging is completely integrated into government, industrial, institutional, business and personal use.
