Ditch The Box Welcomes Gary Bowen: On Flexible Packaging

Did you miss our latest episode of Ditch The Box? Don’t worry, you can still reap the benefits of packaging expert Gary Bowen’s advice here:

Our latest Ditch The Box episode welcomed packaging expert Gary Bowen from Shannon Packaging. During the show, Gary and the CEO of StandUpPouches.Net, David Marinac, covered many topics within the flexible retail packaging realm. Gary offered huge insight on flexible packaging and where he sees the industry heading in the future.

Is this simply a trend Shannon Packaging is experiencing? No. The popularity of flexible packaging is occurring across the entire packaging industry. Gary and Shannon Packaging predict continual market growth. Here’s why:

1. Cost - LOW. People can SAVE money.
2. Marketing opportunities – Pouches provide more space for marketing efforts. They also offer hang hole options for display and presentation.
3. Material lengthens shelf life – Pouches protect taste & demolish geographical barriers. The product stays fresh longer, potentially increasing sales.

One particular topic Gary emphasized during the discussion was mitigating risk. He used the example of labels coming off of packaging and highlighted the potential problems with this that can put your product and brand in danger. Gary stressed that these risks can be avoided altogether with printed pouches. About 70% of Shannon Packaging’s food packaging is printed.

Gary’s advice: Be UNIQUE – If you are introducing a new product onto the scene, don’t be afraid to be different. Take advantage of stand up pouches’ ability to be unique. This will make your product stand out to customers. According to Gary, using the right combination of graphics, texture, word-choice, etc., can get your product physically picked up by customers. Once in hand, you're that much closer to a purchase.

Gary left us with a great analogy when it comes to flexible packaging by comparing a pouch to an ECOSYSTEM. Providers of flexible retail packaging do not just create pouches, they create ecosystems that maintain a moisture-vapor equilibrium. This equilibrium keeps your product in pristine condition. Pouches are the only barrier between environmental elements and your product. Taking this fact for granted can prove detrimental to your product, brand, and company.

We thank Gary Bowen and Shannon Packaging for guest appearing on Ditch The Box, and for sharing incredible insight on the flexible retail packaging industry with StandUpPouches.Net and our listeners.

If you missed it, you can still catch the full episode here. Be sure to follow Ditch The Box to hear upcoming episodes!