Offering your product in a range of sizes has many benefits. Primarily, this allows you to appeal to a larger variety of consumers. There are many factors that a consumer may consider when deciding how much of a specific product is right for them.
Some of these include:
- Location – Consumers in more urban areas may have less space to stock up, smaller portions may work better for this buyer.
- Household size – Shopping for a family, as opposed to a couple or single person, naturally will affect the amount of product needed.
- Product type – Purchasing household items in bulk that do not expire is sometimes more tempting (or practical!) than items that could go bad, like fresh food.
Many manufacturers are able to offer their products in multiple sizes to appeal to all of these varying needs. Some of the types most often found are:
BULK
Volume shoppers often prefer this method because they are either buying for a lot of people, or because there is generally a price savings when buying in bulk (as with most things, packaging included!).
Bulk packaging can come in many forms. Sometimes this could be one larger, “family size” package. Other times bulk purchasers can find multiple single serve items sold together in volume. These would often contain single serve packages outlined as below sold together in one large bag or box.
STANDARD
Shoppers with limited space in their home or people living alone may like to buy items, especially food products, in standard size packaging. This may include a single bottle or box of perishable product intended for multiple uses, three packs of paper towels, or single rolls of aluminum foil.
Standard selling size of a product can range greatly based on industry and company standards.
TRIAL SIZE / SINGLE SERVE
Single serve items are commonly found at places like gas stations, convenience stores and checkout counters. These are often all about impulse, so compelling packaging is an important factor.
Aside from the convenience factor, single serve or trial options give a wary consumer the opportunity to experiment with a new product without a significant commitment. Instead of buying a box of granola bars or a full size bottle of shampoo, a single bar or sample packet of product can allow the consumer to get their feet wet without potentially purchasing a large amount of something they will not actually like in the end.
This is especially popular in the beauty industry where brands often look to push new products to consumers through samples. These are usually offered free of charge and designed to last a few times, to give consumers a feel for the product.
For food products, companies can consider offering new flavors in a trial size attached to a regular purchase to entice the consumer to try something new.
Stick Pack
These single serve packs are often used for items such as powdered drinks, supplements or sweeteners. They are a compelling option to offer for the grab-n-go sector. This type of package is also becoming increasingly popular in the nutraceutical industry for powdered supplements or sample sizes of a few pills or gummies.
Packette
A packette is often used to hold small amounts of liquid material – think shampoo or laundry detergent. Sometimes these are marketed as trial sized, but you can also find packettes used to sell travel sized products.
Packettes can also hold small portions of foods or powders for easy single use purposes. Single wipes are another popular filler for this type of packaging.
Flow Wrap
Flow wraps are most often used on single serve food products – like granola bars or cookies. These are a great option for any single serve item whether it is being sold individually in a convenience store format or grouped together and sold in volume.
