Zipping up market share

Zip-Pak, the global leader in resealable packaging innovations, has revealed the first in a series of quantitative research studies to test consumer preference for packaging.

Robert E Hogan, Zip-Pak director of international sales and marketing, and the Zip-Pak team presented the company’s findings to the industry and revealed that 88 per cent of consumers questioned would like to purchase food products with the pictured resealable slider closure.

The slider is currently not in use on any packaging in the UK, with the exception of grape packaging - something that Zip-Pak aims to change. The company is targeting retailers and packaging manufacturers in order to turn the market towards the likes of the US, where this kind of technology is used to pack fresh produce, such as lettuce bags, chopped onions and sliced apple, as well as other products.

The Zip-Pak slider technology features an ergonomically designed clip that enables consumers to easily open and close a package. Zip-Pak arranged for an independent party, working to the MRS code of conduct, to research whether consumers had any preference out of three of Zip-Pak’s resealable technologies: a large slider, a small slider and a press-to-close zipper. Hogan explained that the research team conducted 200 interviews with random shoppers within two areas in the UK.

The research revealed that 83 per cent of people asked were confident that slider technology will fully close the pack, whilst 71 per cent said that they would be willing to pay slightly more for a food product in a pack with resealable closure operated by a slider. Zip-Pak also revealed that 79 per cent of the consumers would like to see a slider closure on salad products.

“The slider has a lot to offer fresh produce packaging as it is ideal for when the consumer wants to keep the remainder of a product fresh,” said Hogan. “I have seen it work for a variety of fruit and vegetables; from crushed garlic to sliced apples.”