Getting to Know You: The Development Process with a Creative Packaging Company (Part 2)
The competitive landscape of the retail, ecommerce, and restaurant industries has forced companies to find new ways to add value, impress customers and differentiate their brands. Many brands call on a creative retail packaging company to achieve these goals.
Custom packaging companies like Creative Retail Packaging (CRP) are playing a pivotal role in helping brands deepen customer relationships and deliver the best experience possible. Partnering with a strategic packaging expert gives you access to creative packaging solutions, eco-friendly materials, and manufacturing at scale to meet your company’s demand.
In our previous blog post, we took a deep dive into our Discovery Process, a critical first step in our journey to develop the best sustainable packaging solution for your brand. We emphasized the importance of understanding your unique needs, aspirations, and challenges to build a tailored packaging program from development to delivery. Now, let’s explore the next stage: The Development Process.
Creating the dream team for your custom packaging solutions
After our Discovery Meeting, we assemble our retail packaging company dream team at CRP comprising key players and experts from various fields. Each member brings a unique perspective and expertise to develop the best sustainable packaging solutions to meet your goals. Let’s look at how each of these roles contributes to the success of your retail, ecommerce, or restaurant packaging solution.
Account Executive
The account executive manages the business side of your relationship. They work to understand your brand’s goals and align CRP’s services with those goals. They’re also involved in strategic planning, managing budgets, and ensuring your packaging program stays on track for timely delivery.
Operations & Supply Chain Experts
Our operations and supply chain experts handle everything from sourcing sustainable materials, overseeing manufacturing processes, and ensuring timely delivery of the final packaging products. They also work closely with our factories to manage your packaging supply chain, always aiming for efficiency, cost-effectiveness, reliability and sustainability.
Client Services Team
Once your project is underway, a member of our client services team (account manager) will be your main point of contact at CRP. They ensure clear communication and manage the relationship throughout the project. They also update you on progress, handle any issues or concerns, and ensure CRP fully meets your needs and expectations.
Art Department
This team is responsible for the aesthetic and functional design needs of your packaging. They collaborate with your team to understand your branding and product needs, then help drive the development process through the curation of the best sustainable packaging samples and designs based on that information.
CURATING THE BEST PACKAGING SAMPLES
After we assemble the dream team for your creative packaging solution, we begin with an internal “kick-off” meeting to ensure everyone understands the scope of your project. We share the information gathered in the Discovery Meeting about your budget, product specs, sustainability goals, and supply chain requirements. Here’s how the sampling process works.
Brainstorming and Ideation
Our Design and Creative team starts generating ideas for potential packaging solutions. They consider your product’s size, weight, fragility, and branding. They might also consider innovative packaging trends and technologies that could add value to your customer experience.
Critical Evaluation
This curation process involves a critical evaluation of each idea based on its feasibility, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and alignment with your brand and product. From the pool of generated ideas, CRP selects an array of packaging samples that we believe would best meet your needs.
Presentation
CRP presents the curated packaging samples to you and your team. This might be in the form of digital mock-ups, physical prototypes, material swatches, or other representative products. The goal is to give you a clear vision of each potential packaging solution, highlighting its advantages and how it meets the project scope.
Begin Quoting Process
Concurrently, our operations and supply chain experts start the quoting process. They estimate the cost of producing each proposed packaging solution considering factors like materials, manufacturing, labor, logistics, and sustainability certifications. This process helps align our creative packaging solutions with your company’s budget while keeping the project moving in the right direction.
BRINGING EVERYONE TOGETHER TO FIND SYNERGY
We believe in the power of collective decision-making. That’s why we strive to get all key players, from both teams, in the room together—be it virtual or in person. This could include your CEO, VP or Director of Operations, Marketing or Creative Teams, Procurement Team, Director of Supply Chain, or Sustainability Team.
We recognize that roles are evolving and people in these positions wear multiple hats with various responsibilities. In such cases, we want to ensure we’re addressing any questions or concerns of everyone involved. This meeting will serve as the venue to make that happen. From purchasing and logistics to sustainability initiatives, CRP is here to be your strategic packaging partner and guide you to success.
TAKING THE NEXT STEPS TOWARD PACKAGING SUCCESS
Once our teams are aligned, we embark on the journey toward creating the best packaging solutions. This is where we ensure everything aligns with your goals, budget, and sustainable packaging objectives while creating a packaging solution that truly stands out. These stages of development help us cross the finish line.
1) Build Out Timeline
A detailed project timeline is established, outlining each step of the process. This helps in managing expectations and ensuring the project stays on track.
2) Formalize or Refine the Quote
A final quote is prepared based on the project scope and specific requirements. This quote may be refined as needed, taking into account any changes or additional information that may emerge during the process.
3) Art Review & Placement
This stage involves gathering detailed design specs like color, typography, imagery, and layout. We can review your provided artwork or assist in positioning it optimally to maximize the impact of your packaging design.
4) Develop Production Samples
CRP develops tangible samples based on the finalized design and specs. These samples serve as a physical representation of what the final packaging will look like and can be refined as needed.
5) Coordinate Logistics
CRP coordinates storage, transportation, and delivery of the final packaging products. This ensures a smooth and efficient supply chain from production to delivery.
6) Place Sales Order
Finally, the sales order is placed once all details are finalized and approved. This final step sets the wheels in motion for the production and delivery of your custom packaging. Whether you need a custom bags supplier or e-commerce retail packaging, CRP is here to be your strategic sourcing packaging partner.
Complete OUR FREE WORKSHEET: “MY PACKAGING NEEDS”
At CRP, customer service isn’t an afterthought—it’s a main priority. As a premier custom retail packaging company in the U.S., we believe every experience matters. To help you uncover your packaging needs, we’ve created the “My Packaging Needs” worksheet.
Are you ready to create the best sustainable packaging solution for your brand? Complete the “My Packaging Needs” worksheet today and start your journey toward the best sustainable packaging solution with CRP!
