Packaging trends pop up pretty quickly, and even when you have your finger on the pulse of the industry, there are always innovative new ways to present your items that you may not have considered.
One of the most convenient, flexible, and trending new options are stand up pouches. They’ve been around for decades, but with the public’s growing interest in efficiency and waste reduction, they’re rapidly growing in popularity.
Basically, stand up pouches are soft sided containers that stand up on their own, unsupported. They usually have a resealable zipper, track, and/or spout, and can carry solid, liquid, or powdered items.
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If you’re trying to envision what these pouches look like, think of that elementary school lunchbox staple: Capri Sun single-serve drinks. Many baby food or granola containers also come in stand up pouches.
Scan the shelves of any retailer in 2019, and you’ll start noticing stand up pouches all over the place.
Because they’re functional, flexible, and have a wealth of potential uses, stand up pouches (also known as flexible pouches) are more popular than ever — and an important addition to the options available in manufacturing.
More and more products are being offered in these pouches, from coffee beans to soap refills to potato chips.
According to a study from the Freedonia Group, demand for stand up pouches in the U.S. will grow almost 6% year over year to $2.9 billion by 2022.
Because they’re light and take up less shelf space, stand up pouches often make product handling and storage easier — so they should be a serious packaging consideration for many manufacturers.
Stand up pouches and gusseted pouches come with many potential benefits, depending on your product needs or contents.
These include:
In addition, the stand up pouches trend is in keeping with consumers shifting eating habits. People are moving away from three main meals and moving towards eating snacks and smaller items throughout the day.
According to a 2018 study by Technomic, consumers are more likely now (than in 2016) to replace one or two meals per day with snacks, instead. 80% of consumers say they snack at least once a day.
Stand up pouches support that trend, as they’re often resealable and/or can contain small portions, perfect for single-size servings.
While stand up pouches are the perfect fit for many items — from cleaning products to food items — they’re certainly not for everyone.
They do present specific challenges when it comes to manufacturing and packaging, and aren’t an ideal choice in all scenarios.
Some of the challenges that come with stand up pouches include:
While stand up pouches aren’t a “one size fits all” solution for packaging, they are a flexible, efficient technology with a wide variety of uses — and a great addition to the growing selection of more sustainable, customizable options for manufacturers.
If your company makes a product that sounds like a fit for this type of packaging, it’s definitely worth exploring what’s available.
And if you’re thinking about utilizing flexible packaging that protects your products, be sure to download our free eGuide To Protective Packaging!