Stand up bags are part of the flexible packaging industry, meaning that they are made using flexible and not rigid films which are laminated together then converted into various sizes and at times shapes that will stand erect on a store shelf while at the same time protecting the contents inside and keeping them fresher for longer.
Even more dialed in, depending on the product that is being packaged, its size and weight and if the client wants to be able to see the product or not (such as having a window on the stand bag), a stand up pouch supplier will recommend different flexible films that when laminated together will form the strength of the pouch around the product, allow it to stand, and most importantly create barrier properties that will protect the product for an extended period of time.
What started out as a unique packaging concept several years ago by some of the real big boys in the retail packaging industry such as Nestles and Stouffers, has morphed into an ever popular concept that is now being embraced by medium to large companies all the way down to small Mom and Pop operations. Many companies initially fell in love with stock and unprinted stand bags that they could purchase 1000 at a time in a case, apply a label and be “in business” and on a store shelf in a matter of days, with products that ranged from salted nuts to homemade granola. Around the same time jumbo retailers such as Target and Walmart among others started rapidly expanding coast-to-coast and the competition for retail shelf space and the need to outshine others on the store shelves led many away from stock stand up pouches with an applied label into custom printed stand up pouches.
Once again, the real big boys who could afford to spend extensively on large quantities of printed stand bags had a major advantage on a store shelf over mid size to smaller companies. Fast forward 20 years and oh how things have changed. New printing techniques have improved quality while lowering the overall cost. Even further, the minimum run quantities for custom printing has dropped from 50,000 per SKU to as little as 5000 pieces per SKU. Click Here Now, with jumbo retailers competing for every last consumer dollar they’ve opened up their lucrative store shelves to niche retailers and smaller players who never before could compete against the big boys.
So what does this all mean? It means that stand up pouches are here to stay for the foreseeable future and the ability for small companies to compete with the large companies will be exciting to watch. Here are some of products and industries you can expect to see in stand up pouches for years to come:
In closing, I’m well aware this is longer than the “generally accepted” blog post rules and regulations, but I wanted to write extensively about stand up pouches to form the basis or foundation for coming blog posts. Now, if someone gives me that deer in the headlights look when I’m talking about this packaging solution, I can point them to this article and feel that I’ve at least given them enough information to be dangerous.