Retail ready packaging is nothing new is has been around for years. One of the oldest and most common examples of retail ready packaging is the boxes of gum that have been displayed next to the register at the super market. The boxes come branded with the gums' color and logo and ready to be open and placed in view for the customers. Retailers have recognized the benefits of retail ready packaging and are moving beyond gum to bigger ticket items and larger scale retail ready products.
One of the earliest implementers of retail ready packing on a large scale were the membership retail warehouse/wholesales. Initially designed to be a supplier for small to medium businesses these membership warehouses have skyrocketed in popularity because of their rock bottom prices. All of the products in these stores come in retail ready packaging most often for bulk quantity. These retailers are able to offer the lowest prices because the store doubles as a warehouse reducing costs for space and for product transport and restocking.
Today more and more retail and chain grocery stores are implementing retail ready packaging as a way to save money by placing the products directly on the retail store.
Retail ready packaging – Customer Perception
Today's customers are very intuitive when it comes to packaging. Produce that is being sold directly from retail ready packaging gives off the illusion that it just arrived. Customer's also understand that retail ready packaging usually means that the product has come directly from the manufacturer, therefore they are most likely to receive the best possible prices.
A recent study has shown that loyal customers are twice as likely to switch stores if the store they visit regularly runs out of a specific product which they want. Retail ready packaging not only increases the time to shelf of a product but also can double as storage space so that retailers can essentially double the needed storage space for products that come in retail ready packing.
