Thanks to the emergence of e-Commerce, home bakers now have a wider choice of packaging than ever before to choose from, including some choices that can be customisable. With such a variety of choices, it sometimes becomes difficult to choose one from another.

So aside from pricing, what criteria should a home baker consider, when choosing the best packaging for the product, the customer and the brand – and why?

There are four key functions in a good packaging for the product – to protect, to promote, for convenience and to communicate.

At its most basic level, product packaging serves to protect and preserve the product inside, increasing shelf life while maintaining the quality and appearance. With packaging, the product has a physical barrier between the product and the environment, thereby protecting it from physical, chemical and microbial contaminations.

The environment from packaging to transporting, right until it is consumed by the customer – all need to be considered.

Those interested in a green and biodegradable packaging can look at various options such as cellulose that come in the same shape and size as the plastic packaging commonly used.

After looking at the best packaging to protect your product, look towards how the packaging could promote your product.

Try this perspective, look at packaging as a passive salesman for your brand. The packaging, displaying your brand logo clearly, interacts with your customers silently – reminding them about your brand, and urging them to find out more about your story, product range and latest promotions on your social media or website page.

Therefore, design the packaging in a way that captures the attention of customers and stands out from the rest. First impressions count.

You can use various design elements and effects on your packaging like colours, words and clear graphics, and take the time to explore the different shapes and materials available.

Next, you will want to think about convenience. Again, this has to be considered holistically – from packaging and storage to transporting and customer consumption.

Most important of course is the convenience it brings to customers. A convenient packaging is one that is ready to eat upon purchase, so easy to open, convenient to consume, and easily disposed of.

An interesting example is the accordion container which compresses as you eat, suitable for long shaped products like a baguette sandwich.

Lastly, packaging acts as the main communicator for your product, informing customers about your product information, instructions and your brand.

Key information that should be on your label are the list of ingredients, nutritional data, production date or expiry date.

You may also add in product traceability information such as the production batch and date in the form of a QR code.

As mentioned above, you may also use your label to further promote and inform customers about your brand story, values, etc.

For example, a product for customers who value fitness would appreciate a calorie-controlled product, which is clearly labelled as having x amount of calories.

To sum it all up, a good packaging should serve all four of its functions – to protect, to promote, for convenience and to communicate. Various options and ideas are out there, but it is up to your company goals and packaging principles that will guide your choice.

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