Pinterest—that addictive social media platform where I pin 4,000 different cookie recipes that I’ll never actually make, and 2,500 DIY projects I’ll never actually create—recently released its Home work report 2017. Basically, they collected a bunch of data on the top trends in home solutions, and created a board to showcase all of the trends you’re about to see hit the earth. Or at the very least, home improvement and/or cooking shows.
First of all, that’s pretty awesome. Second of all, I noticed in the report several of the pins center around organization solutions: pantry organization, bathroom organization, under sink storage. And that got me thinking about CPG suppliers, specifically the packaging of products.
You’re probably thinking to yourself, Wait, what? How on earth did you get there?
I’ll tell you: I live in a one-bedroom condo with my husband, my son, a dog, and two cats. Space is limited, to put it simply. Organization is key to keeping our sanity in tact. And thus, anything that comes into our home has to be able to fit…somewhere.
So while I may want the new olive oil I spied at the grocery store that sits so tantalizingly on the shelf, but just by looking at it I can tell the tall, thin, almost sculpture-like bottle it comes in won’t fit in any of my cabinets. Which means it will be one more thing that sits on my counter, and there is nothing I hate more than counter clutter, so nope. On the shelf it will remain.
Or, let’s say I’m so, so in love with the new vanilla-lavender scented shower gel I found at the drugstore. It can be used for the whole family! But it has a screw top cap and there’s no way I am coordinated enough to uncap a bottle without spilling three-quarters of the contents while trying to wrangle an unwieldy seven month old in the bath.
Which is all to say this: As a supplier, your packaging matters. You know that, and you know it well. But it never hurts to review what you already have, and see if you can tweak it to be better for how people actually live with and use your product. Look around at unexpected spaces and places—like Pinterest—to see the lifestyles that are trending, and to see what people aspire to. It’s often a good indicator—and inspiration—of where CPG is heading, and makes for a good chance to get ahead of the curve, to be the influencer.
And also maybe a good chance to find yet another new cookie recipe. Let me know it turns out.
