If you are considering selling your product to a club store, warehouse store, or discount supermarket chain, you may be considering retail-ready packaging (RRP). You may also have seen these corrugated units referred to as shelf ready packaging (SRP), display ready packaging (DRP), or replenishment ready packaging (RRP). Some retailers may have their own terminology, such as Walmart’s PDQ. Retail ready packaging is popular because it enhances productivity and increases opportunities for the retailer and brand owner. Below we dive deeper into retail ready packaging, including industry guidelines for creating it and the benefits to the brand owner, retailer, and customer.
Retail Ready Packaging Defined
Retail ready packaging is a unit that contains a corrugated display prefilled with a product or products. It arrives at the retail store ready to put out on the sales floor or shelf with minimal effort and touches. The customer shops from the display, and it is easily disposed of. It may include free-standing displays, pallets, trays, bins, crates, and more.
Because there are so many different types of RRPs, the industry has agreed on several requirements. For a package to be considered an RRP, it must conform to what is known in the packaging industry as the 5 Easies. These basic guidelines follow the best practices as defined by ECR Europe.
Easy to Identify
The pack must be easily identified. The tray or carton should be clearly marked to reduce errors during handling in warehouses and retail stores. Product identification, which may be the actual product visible through clear packaging or product information printed on the RRP, is critical for store associates and customers. Other information, such as sell-by dates or information specific to the warehouse, may also be required by retailers. Additional information may be necessary to help the customer quickly identify and compare products.
Easy to Open
RRP must be easy to open for the store employee. Some retailers may have a time requirement. Difficult to open or otherwise time consuming packaging can result in frustration and products not being available for customers. The ease of opening should not detract from the robustness of the packaging. Protecting the product remains a critical consideration. When needed, include simple pictorial instructions. When possible, avoid the need for razor knives to open, which may result in damaged products. Additionally, RRPs perforated for tearing open should be constructed so that they can be easily gripped for tearing without damaging it and should tear away clean.
Easy to Stock
The RRP must make it easy for the store associate to quickly replenish the shelves or place the display. The displays should be designed for easy handling by the store associate and to avoid products spilling out when displayed.
Easy to Shop
Customers who can’t easily shop your display won’t buy your product. So, ensuring your display is easy to shop is in your best interest. Your customer should be able to easily identify the product. Customer-facing components of the display should only include information intended for the consumer. Products shouldn’t be so tightly packed, nor should the display create barriers preventing the customer from quickly retrieving or returning a product to the display. The display must also be designed so that it doesn’t degrade before the end of its life.
Easy Disposal
At the end of its life, the RRP must be easy to dispose of so that aisle and shelf space can be opened for other products and out of the way to not impede the shopping experience. Corrugated materials should be able to fold down flat without the need for tearing or the use of a knife. Material recyclability may be required by the retailer.
Designing a Retail Ready Display
Each retailer will have its own requirements for retail ready displays that can vary depending on the type of display. For example, a retailer may require pallet displays to be a specific height for ease of shopping and maintain a clean sightline consistent with its brand.
Today, sustainability is a primary objective for many retailers and customers, which must be front of mind when designing your display. Using the least amount of material while maintaining structural integrity is paramount. Using recyclable materials may also be important.
Exit Strategy on Entering
It is recommended that you design an exit strategy for your RRP. For example, starting with a large pallet display, you must determine how the products will be configured as they sell down. The retailer will not want displays on their floors with only a few products in them.
Typically, the remaining trays or bins in the display can be consolidated into smaller displays or store shelves. Your display should be designed to accommodate various methods and multiple configurations for displaying products throughout the life of the display.
Benefits of Retail Ready Packaging
RRP offers benefits to the brand owner, retailer, and customer alike. For brand owners, RRP can get your products noticed in a crowded marketplace with the use of attention-grabbing graphics. When products are placed directly on shelves, as they are shopped throughout the day, the products in the back are more difficult to see on a crowded shelf. RRP keeps your brand at the front so customers can quickly find it. In addition, RRP helps to promote brand recognition. By having easy-to-identify products readily available, consumers are more likely to make impulse purchases, increasing sales. RRP can also reduce stockouts. Human nature is to do what is easy. With retail labor shortages facing the industry, having easy and quick placement on the shelves makes it more likely that retail associates will prefer to replenish your product over one that is more work intensive.
For retailers, RRP increases replenishment speed and creates efficiency of stock rotation, so the product is more readily available. Costs associated with retail associates finding products in stock, putting them on the floor or shelves, and disposing of packaging can be as high as 25% of a retailer’s costs. RRP streamlines these tasks and reduces costs. The ease of use and stocking creates a safer work environment for the store associates.
The shopper experiences ease of purchase and an enhanced shopping experience. RRP makes shelf scanning and quickly grabbing a product effortless. When RRP is used to provide the information they care about, shoppers can make quick comparisons and selections. Supporting quick and easy decisions for your customer helps them feel comfortable with your brand and builds brand loyalty.
Get Started with Retail Ready Packaging
When you need retail ready packaging, you need a partner you can trust to deliver every time to ensure no opportunities are missed. Tyoga has been providing corrugated solutions for more than 50 years. Our solutions will help you to be more cost-competitive while meeting your most challenging needs. Whether you want it more colorful, lighter, stronger, faster, more cost-effective, or easier to assemble, we will provide a solution to get your job done. Contact us to get started.
