A Look back in Time | Trends in Consumption | interpack | Packaging Trends

Trends in Consumption

Snacks and take-away

© Henkel KGaA

The new freedom to live differently also changes consumer requirements. Single households want smaller portions and women who are employed need products that can be prepared quickly. With the greater scope for movement and the increase in options, there arises a lifestyle of non-binding trying-out and being on the move. The fast food culture includes snacks that can be consumed in leisure time, in the office and in the evening in front of the television.

High-tech in the supermarket

The first electronic tills at the end of the seventies look entirely futuristic. The cashier reads a barcode printed on the packaging, using a scanner. The basis for these till systems is an agreement on the product labelling. In the USA in 1973, the UPC (Universal-Product-Code) is introduced. In Europe in 1977, an agreement is made on the EAN (European Article Number).

A bright world of brands

Some branded packaging, which has kept an unchanged image for decades, receives a fashionable new face-lift. This is not always to the benefit of the brand – if the connection to tradition is broken off, the product loses its uniqueness in the eyes of the consumers. Other brands fall victim to the internationalization of the companies, who want to make their product lines as efficient and trans-national as possible.