From Fastcompany · · 2m
Grocery stores are shrinking their packages for a world that changed
Smaller households, rising costs and GLP-1 drugs mean the era of bulk buying and pantry loading is ending. Packaging must follow.
In brief
Smaller households, rising costs and GLP-1 drugs mean the era of bulk buying and pantry loading is ending. Packaging must follow. Consumer packaged goods makers are shifting to smaller package sizes as household sizes shrink, living costs rise and GLP-1 adoption grows, making old bulk-focused strategies obsolete…
The future of food packaging is petit
The grocery store of twenty thirty five could look different from today, with tinier packaging on its shelves, according to a new report from consumer intelligence company NielsenIQ.
Old packaging strategies no longer fit
Traditional packaging for consumer packaged goods prioritizes upselling, pantry loading and increased consumption, but those strategies are becoming less relevant, warns NielsenIQ.
Three big shifts are reshaping demand
Household sizes keep going down, living costs keep going up, and the growing adoption of GLP-1s means more consumers are buying less.
Packaging designed for a world that no longer exists
Packaging design for high consumption and big families with deep, full pantries is packaging design for a world that no longer exists. Companies need to think smaller.
“packaging design for a world that no longer exists”
How American shopping is shrinking
If the American household is shrinking, the way it shops is shrinking right along with it, according to NielsenIQ's report.
“If the American household is shrinking, the way it shops is shrinking right along with it”
PepsiCo tests mini cans at low prices
PepsiCo's U.S. beverages division president Mike Del Pozzo said in June the company was introducing mini cans at a low price point and considering new price points and pack sizes for other beverages.
Campbell's launches single-serve Goldfish
Last year Campbell's rolled out two point five ounce single packs of Goldfish that retail for less than two dollars.
Smaller sizes spreading across categories
Smaller packaging sizes are showing up especially across soft drinks, ready-to-eat cereal and salty snacks, but building in other categories too.
Household size drops, costs rise sharply
Average household size fell from two point six people in two thousand to two point five people today. Food-at-home prices rose two point seven percent year over year as of June.
One in five households now uses GLP-1s
Twenty one percent of households now have at least one GLP-1 user, a significant shift driving reduced food consumption and smaller package demand.
At a glance
Consumer packaged goods makers are shifting to smaller package sizes as household sizes shrink, living costs rise and GLP-1 adoption grows, making old bulk-focused strategies obsolete.
