Luxury packaging: the forecasts of the future market

Packaging for the luxury segment is built and designed to convey brand values ​​by focusing on elegance and innovation.

Nowadays, a new sensitivity regarding pollution and waste production, as well as the changed purchasing habits of consumers and the greater use of online stores, have given the sector new stimuli, offering the possibility for designers to experiment new solutions.

So Packaging Première has promoted research aimed at understanding the evolution of qualitative trends that are emerging in the packaging user sectors.

With the advent of the pandemic, there was a renewed interest in Made in Italy, both in terms of domestic consumption and in terms of the foreign market. In this sense, the packaging had the task of transferring those values ​​that are iconically linked to the excellent products of our country, such as elegance and tradition, but also innovation and originality.

What are the characteristics of luxury packaging?

The packaging used by brands operating in the luxury sector has always been strongly identifying the brand.

The customer, therefore, recognizes himself in that specific product starting right from the packaging. Thinking of packaging variations different from the usual one can be harmful in terms of recognizing the distinctive features of the product.

This strategy, therefore, can only be used for celebratory purposes, for example on the occasion of an anniversary or a limited edition. However, not all products are suitable for this type of operation.

In addition to the desire to obtain a personalized and recognizable packaging, at the same time companies require the realization of projects that aim to protect the environment, combining the use of recycled materials with savings in the input phase and with the consumption of themselves.

Furthermore, with regard to the use of the product by the final consumer, we can see that in Europe the sensory interaction between packaging and the consumer is privileged.

This aspect is also evident in the difference in approach to colour, preferring a range of shades that bears the concept of naturalness in its essence, as happens, for example, for products in the food chain.

What are the prospects that influence the production of luxury packaging?

With the advent of the pandemic, the number of users who have turned to online commerce to satisfy their needs has increased. This trend could stabilize over the next few years.

If in the past the tactile sensations regarding the composition material of the packaging could be an additional attraction, now it is necessary to conceive the packaging with an aesthetic capable of involving the potential buyer through the screen.

The search for a new aesthetic will go hand in hand with the need to preserve functional characteristics.

In this sense, also given the greater sensitivity of consumers towards issues concerning the environment, it will be the designers’ responsibility to propose solutions that come to life from recycled materials, easily disposed of once they are placed in the circuit of use.

The packaging of the future will be user-friendly, suitable for containing costs, thanks to the lightening of the raw material and the consequent lowering of transport costs.

The new trends in luxury packaging

As we have mentioned, the packaging is also designed on the consumer’s habits. If at one time glossy finishes were synonymous with prestige, now they are mainly intended for foreign markets such as Russia and the Emirates.

We tend to preserve processes that have important details that can give back pleasant tactile sensations. At the same time, attempts are made to limit or eliminate the use of multi-material packaging, to avoid integrating paper and plastic.

As for printing, there is talk of a reduction in costs through the use of nanotechnologies, which have not yet found use in Italy. Finally, technological advances make it possible to obtain paper and cardboard packaging made from renewable sources or from processing waste, which undergo processes capable of making the packaging robust.

For the creation of customized corrugated cardboard packaging obtained through sustainable processes, discover the proposals of CART-ONE.