2025 Packaging Outlook: An Opportunity for Growth
The following article was originally published by Printing Impressions. To read more of their content, subscribe to their newsletter, Today on PIWorld.
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The "unboxing" experience is a growing trend, with brands tapping into presentation packaging as marketing collateral, such as this Amazon advent calendar, seen here. | Credit: Premier Press
For commercial printers, the packaging segment is one of the most appealing growth opportunities.
According to PRINTING United Alliance’s “Print Business Outlook Series, Commercial Printing Report — Spring 2024,” the most popular packaging types that commercial printers have already moved into — or are looking to get into — are folding cartons (37%) and labels (40%), which were trailed by flexible packaging (32%) and corrugated (29%).
Cory Francer, analyst at NAPCO Research, explains that folding cartons and labels are popular entry points to the packaging industry because of reduced complexity compared to flexible and corrugated packaging, but also because commercial printers often have existing equipment that can be used for these applications.
Having customers lined up is critical though. David Zwang, principal consultant of Zwang & Co., points out that this is one of the most critical pieces of convergence.
“In all honesty, the first thing you need is customers,” Zwang says. “It’s not about the equipment, it’s about the application. Do you have customers, how are you going to go out and get them, etc.”
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Packaging, including folding cartons, makes up 80% of J.S. McCarthy's revenue. | Credit: J.S. McCarthy
Jonathan Tardiff, president and CEO of J.S. McCarthy Packaging + Print in Augusta, Maine, adds that making sure your staff is up for the task is key as well.
“You can’t underestimate having the right people, [from] the up-front office and to prepress,” Tardiff says. “ … The diecutting, foil, and gluing — that side of things, that takes years to gain that expertise and knowledge.”
Diving Into Packaging
The recently released “Digital Packaging: The Pursuit of Prosperity” NAPCO Research report found that 51% of surveyed brand owners reported factoring packaging design into their consumers’ “unboxing” experiences. Portland, Oregon-based Premier Press is familiar with this, as the company began creating presentation packaging about 20 years ago. Within the past eight years, it has gone deeper into this niche as influencer marketing packaging has gained traction across industries.
“The need was there,” Jenna Mackowiak, creative services manager at Premier Press, says. “ … Our clients are really focused on how their product is received into the world. With the [offset and digital] capability that we have in-house, it felt like the next reasonable step to be able to provide their marketing collateral in a variety of different forms.”
Premier Press also offers packaging solutions for companies in the food, beverage, cannabis, cosmetics, and some other verticals, primarily in the form of secondary packaging. The company develops everything from flexible packaging and labels to folding cartons and corrugated.
J.S. McCarthy, on the other hand, has dedicated its focus and expertise to creating folding cartons since it entered the packaging business about 18 years ago, and now serves the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.
“We were very heavy into greeting cards, so we did a lot of foil stamping, a lot of diecutting, we had a small folder/gluer,” Tardiff says. “ ... For us, it was minimal investment at that time to really get into that market, which was part of the reason why we did it. To be honest, we just kind of fell in love with it after we got into it and started growing in that market.”
According to Tardiff, packaging has grown from about 30% of J.S. McCarthy’s business when the company “started to push hard” into packaging shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, and now comprises 80% of the company’s revenue.
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J.S. McCarthy entered the packaging segment 18 years ago with a focus on folding cartons for the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. | Credit: J.S. McCarthy
Key Trends in 2024
While some of the biggest trends in the packaging segment are not necessarily new, Francer notes these trends are growing steadily and are driving much of the work being done in packaging.
“From our research, a lot of what we’re looking into is a lot of the stuff that supports the growth of digital printing,” he says. “ ... That’s beneficial for the commercial segment, too, because if they are thinking about making the move into packaging, getting in with digital printing and production equipment is generally a good way to do it.”
The growth of digital printing goes hand in hand with other packaging trends, including increased use of versioning and SKU proliferation, as well as demands for quicker turnaround and speed to market. These are all high priorities for brand owners, who have learned what can be done with digital technologies by connecting with their packaging providers.
Francer adds that e-commerce has also had a huge influence on opportunities in the packaging industry in recent years.
“E-commerce was skyrocketing pre-pandemic," he says. "During the pandemic, it went crazy. Everyone was buying stuff online. In the years since, it’s kind of plateaued, but it hasn’t dipped. … The demand for it is still there, which then leads to opportunities.”
In fact, data from the “Digital Packaging: The Pursuit of Prosperity” report showed that about 88% of the 131 brand owners surveyed offered their products on e-commerce platforms, whether it was through their own platform (44%), a third-party channel (21%), or both (23%). Only 5% of brand owners surveyed said they had no plans to offer products via e-commerce.
Another top priority for brands is the sustainability piece of the puzzle.
“In production, there can be a lot of waste, and one of our key values is sustainability — we’re a wind-powered facility,” Mackowiak says. “I think that corrugates and different paper stock materials are really popular in a lot of ways. It may not align with every brand’s identity, but many big-name companies are using this approach almost as a statement to drive their mission — showing their commitment to sustainability through action rather than just words.”
Additionally, some parts of packaging manufacturing historically have been done in other countries, known as offshoring, but Zwang says there’s been an uptick in onshoring.
“It actually even goes beyond onshoring; it’s also more regional,” Zwang says. “So instead of manufacturing everything on the West Coast and then shipping it off to the East Coast, [brands] are trying to see if they can’t bring it in a little bit closer. That saves time, allows them to go to market faster, and obviously has an impact on sustainability as well, because we’re not burning a lot of oil to move stuff around.”
Expectations for 2025
Looking forward, Shannon Uchida, marketing communications specialist at Premier Press, expects sustainability to remain a huge factor in packaging design and production.
“The strongest trend I’m seeing is a growing demand for sustainable options,” Uchida says. “We’re staying at the forefront by researching recyclable materials and developing curbside-compatible packaging solutions tailored to client needs.”
Zwang also predicts sustainability will be fundamental for the packaging industry as new regulations are enacted. The European Union has outlined in its Directive 94/62/EC that, by Jan. 1, 2025, “EU countries should ensure that producer responsibility schemes are established for all packaging.” These regulations will affect inks, the size of packages and how they are filled, what happens to the packaging once its purpose is fulfilled, and more.
“That’s in the EU,” Zwang says. “However, many of the brands are global, which means they are going to — probably, because this is what they’ve done historically — use the same regulations, process requirements, etc. for the stuff that’s going to be done here in the States as it is in the EU. … It’s something you should be aware of because track-and-trace is going to be an issue.” If there’s a problem with a product, its production will be reviewed to see if something went wrong with printing, filling, or anywhere else in the process.
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Presentation packaging is on the rise for brands looking to reach new audiences. | Credit: Premier Press
With regard to Premier Press’s work creating presentation packaging for influencer marketing, Marti Jacobsen, account director at the company, has seen an increase in the number of boxes companies are ordering — and expects that trend to continue in 2025.
“No one’s really watching TV and seeing commercials anymore, so most of your advertising is coming through your phone or your computer,” she says. “I think that that’s where brands used to spend a lot of money on commercials; [now] they’re looking at influencers to do that work for them.”
While Tardiff foresees growth in the coming year, he doesn’t anticipate any sky-high revenue increases.
“For us, we see a lot of our major clients kind of putting projects on hold,” Tardiff notes. “ … There’s a lot of people sitting on the sidelines kind of waiting to see what happens with the economy and with interest rates and whatnot. Right now, I see a lot of status quo going into next year; I don’t see it being a major growth year for us. We’re anticipating probably a 5%-10% increase in sales revenue next year.”
Despite the current climate, packaging still has plenty of opportunities for those looking to converge. This is especially true because of the continued development and growth of digital printing technologies that Francer anticipates in 2025.
“Adding anything new is complex,” he says. “You need to think about workflow, software, color management, new substrates, finishing, cutting, embellishment. There’s a lot to think about. But, as more digital equipment comes online, more entry-level digital presses are available and they’re becoming easier to use. The opportunities are there and the entry barriers are lower.”
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Kalie VanDewater is associate content and online editor at NAPCO Media.
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