Packaging Raises Merchandising Bar

Much like the products themselves, packaging for the highly functional items sold at hardware and home center stores is becoming more customer-friendly and enticing. The days of brown boxes and two-color printing are being left behind in favor of four-color application photos, color-coding systems, clearer, benefit-oriented copy, and creative designs that let the customer interact with the product before purchasing it.One reason for the emphasis on packaging comes from the increase in on-line shopping in the do-it-yourself industry, "Rapid advances in technology have made selling on the Internet a reality" says Chris Jensen, editor of Do-It-Yourself Retailing magazine. "Companies are also discovering the value of the Internet as a way of providing information about their product offerings." Packaging that is bold, simple and attractive draws more attention on a computer screen than complicated, drab offerings.Another reason to upgrade packaging is to project a high-quality image as products expand out of the contractor-only market and aim for the general consumer market. Paint manufacturers, in particular, are creating higher-end lines and aiming for a premium look with new techniques and product applications offering more options for faux finishes. This, in turn, is enticing more women into the paint aisle, creating more incentive to produce attractive packaging to suit their tastes.Packaging of tool products is also becoming more interactive to emphasize their ergonomics and ease of use. This is especially important for garden tools, a rapidly growing category that is proving popular with older customers who want to ensure they can handle the tools before buying. Package options that leave the handles open and even allow them to be squeezed to show cutting action are gaining ground."The lawn & garden industry has really evolved tremendously in recent years," says Dag Seagren, president of The EZ Street Co., Miami, makers of asphalt patching compounds now expanding into the home center market. "We have been years behind them in investing in the packaging for our lines. Now, home improvement marketers are realizing they need to have much better shelf appeal."That's especially true as products that were considered to be basic commodities can now stand out with added brand appeal with some basic merchandising pizzazz. "If you have a true commodity, you don't want to add cost," Seagren notes. "But if you have a premium concept, you want to project that message and differentiate your product from the true commodities." Product marketers are learning there are incremental sales available if they explain the product and present it better.EZ Street marketers have learned that lesson. After several years of testing, they introduced new packaging for the company's asphalt patch last fall and gave it a big push at the National Hardware Show in August. "This is designed as premium packaging with high-end technology to project the image we want to have," Seagren explains. The package, measuring 15 inches wide by 21 inches high, is made of polyvinyl with a resealable track at the top that makes it resemble a plastic tote bag. The package won first place for Best Packaging at the show in the Building Supplies & Materials category.One feature of the packaging is its use of rotogravure printing on the interior of the see-through bag. This ensures that the inks don't scratch off in the product receives in home centers, while the polyvynil material ensures that staining, which obscures copy, doesn't occur. The result is bright, four-color application photos and graphics. Further enhancing the upscale image is a non-slip, 3/8-inch black nylon braided rope handle."There are both graphic appeal and physical properties to consider with a petroleum-based product," Seagren explains. "This result not only solves those concerns, but also creates a great package for merchandising -- it pops off the shelf and gives us new options for using displays, too." Those include pallet boxes and aisle violators with the product attached by its handle.Another company that upgraded its packaging is Flotec, part of the Sta-Rite Water Systems Group in Delavan, Wis. The company manufactures sump, sewage, utility and water systems. The packaging features bolder graphics and key information such as brand and product-use category, number of warranty years, a horsepower rating, a toll-free customer service phone number and a web site address."We wanted the new packaging to build brand recognition and loyalty as well as to expand our retail channel opportunities," explains Tom Strupp, vice president of the water systems group for Sta-Rite. "And from a practical standpoint, it was vital that the new packaging provide greater detail about Flotec products, how to use them and how to install them." Expanding deeper into the D-I-Y category means not only conveying brand identity, he notes, but also explaining the product and its benefits more than would be needed for contractors or tradespeople.Marketers at Wagner Spray Tech Corp., Minneapolis, also introduced revamped packaging at the show for power-roller paint sprayers. It is aimed at communicating better with the consumers who are buying the products themselves. The goal was to simplify the packaging message to better explain the features. Its upscale model has also been packaged with a faux-finishing kit and a how-to video to provide a value-added package.Such value-added packaging and kits of products are growing in popularity, too. This is particularly advantageous for home improvement products since consumers have a strong concern about not buying all the products they need to complete a project. The Bondo Corp., Atlanta, known, for its auto fillers, keyed into that trend at the show by introducing a variety of Patch and Repair Kits as part of its new Bondo Home Solutions line of repair products.The seven kits contain materials for repairing walls, rotted wood, tubs and showers, fiberglass and metal such as gutters, garage doors and duct-work. There is also a repair kit for waterproofed materials. The kits contain repair resins, putties and hardeners, plus all the application tools needed, such as mixing sticks, cups, plastic spreaders, brushes, fiberglass screen and cloth tape, and sandpaper sheets. The goal is to assure consumers that the kit makes any product a turnkey operation.A similar kit approach is being taken by EZ Paintr Inc., a division of Newell Rubbermaid in St. Francis, Wis. It followed up the introduction of its three-kit Walls with Style decorative-painting program last year with the introduction this year of five new kits that include everything needed to complete a specialized painting project. The new kits focus on applications for blending two paint colors and kits for striping paint, rag rolling, sponge rolling, stipple rolling and special effects. The packages include specialized brushes, paint trays, lids, instructions and videos."Since the product launched last year, the response has been amazing," says Ben Johansen, vice president of merchandising and research & development at EZ Paintr. The goal is to reassure consumers that they can achieve these specialized effects with no specialized talent -- and they won't need to run back to the store to buy extra tools or products, he explains.Another type of kit packaging was unveiled by Cutler-Hammer Inc., Pittsburgh, which has grouped nine of its electrical-protection products together into a SafetyPak that is packaged in a cardstock carrying case. The pack includes four arc fault circuit interrupters, a surge protector, two surge strips, two wall-mounted surge-protection devices and an educational video. The package top features a photo of a mother holding her daughter, photos of the products and a basic description of the value of surge protectors. The top folds back to create a dramatic header that allows retailers to attract attention to the product, display the educational information and present the array of products included inside.A countervailing trend was also seen in which products are being pulled out of kits to offer more options or overall packaging is being reduced to present retailers with more compact options. In redesigning its Cracklin Finish decorative finishes, Plasti-Kote Inc., Medina, Ohio, removed its products from kits and now offers them as single-can options. "When these were initially introduced, the line was small enough that combining them as kit products made sense," says a company spokeswoman. "Now as it expands, we wanted to give customers as much flexibility and as many options as possible." The line includes three basecoat colors and five topcoat colors.Another interesting option was introduced by DecoArt Inc., which is offering its Easy Blend stencil paint in two formats: a package version and a cheaper uncarded option. "There's less expense for us in producing it, and we're passing that along to retailers," says Cindy Wesley, marketing specialist for the Stanford, Ky.-based company. "Retailers are thrilled with it because it allows them to fit more product into the space on display boards, and customers like it for the price savings."The option does make merchandising the product more difficult because of the smaller selling space available, Wesley notes. "We have to condense our feature copy and instructions, so it's not as nice for us or the retailer trying to explain the products." Feature copy for the uncarded version is printed on the can lid, and the company is putting more emphasis on its take-one brochure.While both options are being offered, retailers seem to be gravitating toward the uncarded version, Wesley says. "Many have said they'll switch over one their carded inventory is depleted. Not everyone is planning to switch, but it tends to be favored due to the smaller space and lower price." The company has no plans to extend the option to other products at the moment. "But we're always looking for new ways to improve our systems, and this one is generating some interest now," she says.Marketers are looking to minimize packaging while also leaving enough space to convey the key marketing message and provide retailers with a way to display the product conveniently. More "try me" type packaging takes advantage of that preference for less packaging while also allowing customers to hold the product directly.The Thorsen Tools brand of Woods Industries, Carmel, Ind., unveiled new packaging for its combined lines that is designed to take up less space and offer more interaction for the consumer. The packaging feature a cleaner, more informative label, a spokesman says, while requiring 38% less space. For the Thorsen tool line, products such as open-end wrenches feature small hang cards that provide pegging options while leaving the bottom open for gripping.Alltrade Inc., Long Beach, Calif., introduced a new line of garden tools called the Feel Good Series that feature ergonomically-designed, patented handles to provide more user comfort during higher torque applications. The company also introduced the Grip Tight wrench, which offers one-handed close-and-open action. Both product lines feature "try me" type packaging with the head of the product enclosed on a hangable card and the bottom half (around the handle) open to allow customers to try it. In fact, the company offers a three-pack of the Grip Tight wrenches in three different sizes, which are carded together but open at the bottom so each one can be gripped.Similar styling was used by Garden Pals Inc., City of Industry, Calif., which introduced new coloring and packaging for its line of lawn and garden products. The goal was to maximize visual appeal and color coordinate the products, while also reducing the amount of packaging to make it more efficient, according to Loren Lum, vice president of sales and marketing. "The overall style presents a cohesive look that helps identify various products and their uses as well as different grades and quality levels." The products now feature four-color application photos as well as a new color scheme.A key to the space-efficient design, Lum notes, came in offering the "try me" format that allows customers to grip the tools and try them as if using them to cut. To complement the new design, the company also introduced a variety of display options, including shelf displays, tower units, power wings and sidekick panels, and freestanding displays. "The new colors and graphics invite the gardener to touch, feel and get inspired to make a difference as the world turns over its new leaves," Lum says.Turning over new leaves is the goal for many of the new lines. Although efficient, functional, easy-to-use products still find success in the home center's aisles, those products must be just as strong form a consumer-selling standpoint as anything one would find in a supermarket. Balancing the flash of strong, bold graphics with the need to explain, organize and interact with customers will keep packaging designers busy for a long time to come.

Packaging Raises Merchandising Bar

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