THE THREE LEVELS OF PACKAGING:  PRIMARY, SECONDARY AND TERTIARY PACKAGING

Packaging material comes in many different shapes and sizes. Each one has its own distinct purpose that it serves to provide your business and your products with some kind of benefits, whether that’s first and foremost protection, marketing, or something totally separate. In order to codify and arrange the extensive variety of packaging supplies available, there are three main categories of the types of materials, which are often regarded as the three levels of packaging. The edifice of these levels is very simple with the three branches classified as primary packaging, secondary packaging, and tertiary packaging. In this article, we’ve decided what each level represents and what kinds of packaging supplies are identified into each category.

Level 1: Primary Packaging

The first out of the three levels of packaging is called primary packaging. Primary packaging is easily identifiable as the supplies that touch your actual product itself, which means that it is in direct physical contact with your goods. Because of this, primary packaging is what your customers and end users will see, sitting on retail shelves or immediately, before they open their newly purchased item. For that reason, this first level of packaging is also often mentioned as consumer packaging or retail packaging.  There are several functional purposes for primary packaging. Like all kinds of packaging, the uppermost among those purposes is protection. Level one is the last line of defense against foreign matter or detrimental elements that may harm the product within. In addition to this function, primary packaging is also almost always used for the purpose of marketing or providing information about the product. This space is a great place to include brand logos and vital product usage information, as it is what will grab your customers’ attention from the retail shelves and inform them of everything they need to know about the item inside the packaging. Custom boxes showcase your products in an eye-catching way. Custom printed boxes are the frequently used types of custom boxes, as these are liked by most of the customers.

Common examples of primary packaging include metal cans and plastic bottles that contain soft drinks, shrink wrap that covers meats and vegetables at the grocery store, blister packs that hold medications, and even the labels attached to each of the above-mentioned packaging materials.

Design consideration

Due to its prominent position on store shelves, primary packaging is often the first impression a product casts on a potential buyer.

Level 2: Secondary Packaging

As the name indicates, secondary packaging is the second of the three levels of packaging. These packaging supplies make the second layer of protection around your goods. They may be used to bundle a group of primary packages collectively or unitize many items into one single entity. Bundling, assorting, and protection are the essential functions of secondary packaging, but they are not the only purpose that this level serves.  On top of being an important modus operandi for keeping items together, secondary packaging can also serve as a marketing tool. Parallel to primary packaging, it’s more likely that your customers or end users will look at this level, which means that it needs to be aesthetically appealing in order to be more accentuated or offer them a magnificent first blush. Luxury packaging boxes can be used in order to make the customers feel more special. For example, cupcakes, for a birthday party, packaged in a luxury custom packaging box will cast an everlasting impact on your buyers. Premium packaging boxes are essential for every business. They are functional and multipurpose packaging solutions. Premium packaging for products like glass champagne bottles or cosmetics not only improves the overall look of the products but also adds to the value of a company by ensuring the protection of products during transit and shipment to the customers.

 A few examples of secondary packaging are the cartons used to contain 12-packs of carbonated drinks, large poly bags that are used to hold individually wrapped candies or snacks, or a small cardboard box that encloses multiple blister packs of over-the-counter medicine.

Design Consideration

Other considerations include the following: Color harmony, legible typefaces, high-resolution images, and minimal clutter.

Level 3: Tertiary Packaging

The last classification of the three levels of packaging is tertiary packaging. The materials that constitute this category are infinite and offer lots of advantages. Possibilities are much that the end user of your products will never actually see any of your tertiary packaging materials, but these supplies are still definitely necessary in keeping your goods safe from damage and assisting them go through the whole supply chain without any harm. There are two major purposes of tertiary packaging. First, they ease the process of handling by combining a considerable amount of products (that are already contained within the former two levels of packaging) into one single, larger unit. Second, this third level of packaging offers protection to your goods and the other two levels during transport and storage. Although customers may never see the third-level packaging products, they will receive the advantages of an unharmed, high-quality product. Wholesale Custom Packaging saves you money as the cost is reduced while buying custom packaging boxes at wholesale rates.

Some examples of tertiary packaging include the wood pallets on which products are placed before and during shipment, the stretch wrap used to unitize those same products onto the pallet, or the corner board and edge protectors needed to keep the goods upright and in position so they don’t fall during shipping.

Design considerations

 Your layout needs to draw people’s attention right away. Be sure that your design is tough enough to withstand transportation and looks impressive when combined with additional packaging layers.

Your custom packaging is an opportunity to personalize your product and help it stand out from the crowd. Packaging creates a strong message for your consumers, so choose your packaging strategy carefully.

There are so many ways that a product can potentially be damaged—during shipping, during stocking at the store, and even while the customer is taking the product home. That’s why it’s critical to maintain a balance between the levels of packaging to keep your product look great and properly protected.