Page 3 - Lesson Note 3

Packaging refers to the act of designing and producing the container or wrapper of a product.

Packaging plays a very important role in the marketing success or failure of many products.

Levels of Packaging

There can be three different levels of packaging. These are as below:
1. Primary Package: It refers to the product’s immediate container. In some cases, the primary

package is kept till the consumer is ready to use the product (e.g., plastic packet for socks);

whereas in other cases, it is kept throughout the entire life of the product (e.g., a toothpaste
tube, a match box, etc.).

2. Secondary Packaging: It refers to additional layers of protection that are kept till the product

is ready for use, e.g., a tube of shaving cream usually comes in a card board box. When

consumers start using the shaving cream, they will dispose of the box but retain the primary

tube.
3. Transportation Packaging: It refers to further packaging components necessary for storage,

identification or transportation. For example a toothpaste manufacturer may send the goods to

retailers in corrugated boxes containing 10, 20, or 100 units.

Importance of Packaging

Packaging has acquired great significance in the marketing of goods and services, because of

following reasons:
(i) Rising Standards of Health and Sanitation: Because of the increasing standards of living in

the country, more and more people have started purchasing packed goods as the chances of

adulteration in such goods are minimized.
(ii) Self Service Outlets: The self-service retail outlets are becoming very popular, particularly in

major cities and towns. Because of this, some of the traditional role assigned to personal selling

in respect of promotion has gone to packaging.

(iii) Innovational Opportunity: Some of the recent developments in the area of packaging have

completely changed the marketing scene in the country..