To all retailers who are new to the field or even ones who are tired of the boring packaging designs out there, we are writing to inform you about some basic information about custom packaging. We believe before dreaming to take your business to the next level you must give read to this article. This article allows you to know about three different levels of packaging, its importance, functions, and importance. Let’s start the discussion directly by stating these three levels.
What Are The Three Levels Of Packaging?
For wrapping and shipping products, we have packaging that can be categorized into three levels: primary packaging, secondary packaging, and tertiary packaging. This simple classification is based on the particular function of each. Glance at it.
Level #1: Primary Packaging:
It is the type of packaging that is in direct contact with the product, so often named “Retail packaging”. The role primary of packaging is to protect your product, educate people and attract customers. The tissue boxes containing hundreds of fine tissue sheets are one example of primary packaging.
Level # 2: Secondary Packaging:
As the name implies, the secondary packaging gives full coverage to even the primary packaging. Or, it coats the primary packaging, especially before product transit. Other names for this type of packaging include retail packaging or consumer-facing packaging. Traditional shipping box that contains already packed containers and jars of honey and jams are some of its examples.
Additionally, the most suitable example of secondary packaging is the custom boxes that often contain primary packaging, such as the outer cardboard boxes containing the plastic or glass bottles of cough syrup and skin rejuvenating serum.
Level #3: Tertiary Packaging:
Lastly, what a packaging industry needs to do for shipping the secondary packaging such as mailer and shipping boxes to their customers. Of course, they need protection too, so tertiary packaging is specially designed to give added protection to secondary packaging. This packaging is usually used to ship the packaging materials to small and large businesses directly; hence, consumers do not often see this type of packing.
We think these definitions of all three levels of packaging are sufficient to clear the difference between them. Still, if you are looking for a little more elaboration, read the next session as it explains its importance.
Importance of Three Levels of Packaging:
Gathering important information about the three levels of packaging is helpful in making a packaging strategy, as each of them serves a specific purpose in product marketing. In overview, primary packaging aids brands in promoting their products and increasing the product’s shelf-life. The secondary packaging, in addition to the protection of the product, is crucial for branding during transit. Last but not least is the tertiary packaging, commonly known for properly protecting shipments during their time in transit. All in all, the common purpose of these types of packaging is to provide retailers with complete custom product packaging solutions.
Furthermore, the following are some points depicting the importance of these levels of packaging.
Importance of Primary Packaging:
Primary packaging remains in direct contact with the products, so if created carefully to captivate the customers, it has a direct impact on customer retention. For lead generation or customer conversion, the SEO-based content integration on this type of packaging is also important. We carefully select the material of primary packaging because, as mentioned earlier, it maintains direct contact with the product, thus, the wrong material may contaminate the product. In certain cases, the primary packaging itself causes harm or damage to the product that emphasizes its importance. Lastly, user-friendly primary packaging such as easy opening, and flexible and durable bottles entertain the consumers to enjoy using your product.
Importance of Secondary Packaging:
The main purpose of creating secondary packaging is to support the supply chain of a business. It actually holds multiple units of primary packaging for reducing transporting costs and increasing the ease of transiting bulk quantities or orders. It provides ample space, unlike the primary packaging, due to its large surface-to-volume ratio. The large-size cartons, shrink wraps, and mailer boxes make brand elements such as names and logos more visible, thus contributing to causing brand awareness. It also works a lot in building a good brand reputation by increasing retail displays.
Importance of Tertiary Packaging:
The third and one of the most important levels of packaging is tertiary packaging, allowing the products to reach their destination safely. Above all, the sustainable benefits of tertiary packaging have no parallel. It reduces packaging waste and allows the safe reach of products to shops. Usually, this type of packaging has no effect on the overall branding of the product, as consumers never see it. The importance of tertiary packaging simply lies in the ease of transportation of products, in other words, it is extremely useful for managing all logistic operations.
Functions of Three Levels of Packaging:
Like importance, these levels of packaging also vary greatly in terms of functions. The following is a brief list of functions of primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging. Take a look and decide which will help you gain competitive market benefits.
Functions of Primary Packaging:
The main functions of primary packaging include:
- Protects the final product from damage
- Allows brand to grab the customer’s attention
- Gives the finest final finish to the product
- Makes a product ready- to- sale
Functions of Secondary Packaging:
Though many functions of secondary packaging are similar to in case of primary packaging, still a brief list highlighting some of them includes:
- Protects the product
- Gives an attractive retail display
- Saves primary packaging from environmental factors
- Help to introduce bundle offers to boost sales
Functions of Tertiary Packaging:
Here are some tertiary packaging functions:
- Protects items for sale
- Offer sustainability to the e-commerce business
- Eliminate environmental sustainability concerns to a great extent
- Ensures safe delivery of products
Differences Between Different Types of Packaging:
In summary, the packaging is made for protecting the products and all these levels ultimately serve the same purpose. The main difference lies in the extent of protection each level offer to the products. The primary level only protects the product, the secondary one gives protection to primary packaging and the last or tertiary packaging is essential for protecting products in bulk. However, the branding can be achieved by Customized Packaging Boxes at every level. My Box Packaging USA allows customization of almost all sorts of packaging to give your business a boost.