Retail Ready Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023-2028)

The Retail Ready Packaging Market is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 4.35% over the forecast period. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in changed consumers' shopping behaviors. Retail-ready packaging (RRP) helps limit the risks of shifting consumer behavior. It goes beyond being prepared for online shopping. It involves preparing for any channel customers pick, including e-commerce, in-store purchases, and third-party collection and delivery. Because a single platform functions across all channels, brands anticipate that retail-ready packaging would help them face the problem of changing consumer behavior. Furthermore, the Russia-Ukraine war has an impact on the overall packaging ecosystem, including retail-ready packaging.

Key Highlights

• Not only can RRP reduce packaging waste, but it can also lower operating costs by reducing labor. Retailers also prefer RRP because it creates a more efficient consumer shopping experience and frequently triggers impulse purchases.
• Rapidly growing mass retail and club stores are expected to drive demand for the studied market. Furthermore, according to the Retailers Association of India (RAI), the retail industry achieved 96% of pre-COVID-19 sales in September 2021, owing to rising consumer demand. Increasing purchasing power has resulted in increased demand.
• FMCG goods increased demand for retail-ready packaging because of its creative and effective functional design, which aids retailers in product identification to facilitate effective stocking, improve store efficiency, and reduce labor efforts by placing products directly on retail shelves without unpacking inner contents and turnover time for re-stocking, which ultimately increases a store's sales and profit.
• In addition, according to IBEF, the online retail market in India is expected to reach USD 350 billion by 2030, up from an estimated USD 55 billion in 2021, as the country's online shoppers grow.
• However, the lack of standardization in the packaging process stifles market growth. Furthermore, different products require various packaging qualities, as they are subjected to varying transport levels and wear and tear. Using the same packaging process for all products reduces product life and quality, further limiting the growth of the retail-ready packaging market.
• In Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) markets, the fragmentation of traditional media channels (such as TV, radio, and cinema) and increased awareness of the impact of Point-of-Sale propositions, combined with multiple retailers' and brand owners' RRP requirements, are resulting in the retail store becoming a much more powerful marketing environment. As a result, global demand for decorative corrugate cases is expected to grow at twice the rate of corrugated overall.
• According to a PMMI study, nearly 28% of consumers are willing to pay more for additional conveniences in terms of packaging. In the future, this is expected to create even more opportunities for the retail-ready packaging market.

Retail Ready Packaging Market Trends

Die-cut Display Container to Hold Significant Share

• One of the important elements contributing to the growth of the global die-cut display container market is the rampant evolution in the retail sector. Die-cut display container is considered a modern retail packaging solution and is expected to develop along with the progression of hypermarkets and supermarkets.
• Rapidly expanding mass retail and club stores and the launch of smaller-format locations are expected to drive the demand for the studied market, as these stores carry a limited product selection than their traditional counterparts. These stores can benefit from the Die-cut Display Container's ability to speed stock shelves and increase shelf-space efficiency.
• Manufacturers and retailers are gaining massive traction towards die-cut display containers as it helps to reduce cost in terms of providing safety to the product due to reusable features, which essentially drives the growth of the global die-cut display container market.
• Die-cut packaging is an excellent choice for more complex packaging needs than a standard cardboard box. GWP Packaging, for example, invested EUR 600,000 (USD 632,100) in a new die cutter at their Wiltshire production facility in February 2022. The investment will allow GWP to expand capacity in an area with robust demand for packaging products.
• In addition, the increasing disposable income among the middle-class income group, fast-paced lifestyle, and increasing consumption of packaged food is expected to drive the growth of the retail ready packaging market, which is a relatively high contributing factor towards the growth of the die-cut display container market.

North America to Hold Significant Market Share

• North America's strong financial condition allows it to invest in cutting-edge resolutions and technologies. These advantages have given regional organizations a competitive advantage in the retail-ready packaging market.
• Moreover, the region has the existence of several major corrugated board packaging vendors, such as International Paper Company (United States), Georgia-Pacific LLC (United States), and WestRock Company (United States). Hence, there is intense competition among players operating in the retail-ready packaging market in the region.
• The market is also becoming increasingly adopted in the United States, evidenced by the recent announcement of a licensing agreement involving two-piece retail-ready packaging between DS Smith and RockTenn.
• For instance, in February 2022, the Kroger Co., America's largest grocery vendor, and Loop, TerraCycle's circular reuse platform, introduced a new way for customers to shop, offering various products in reusable packaging than single-use plastic. Customers can walk into one of 25 Kroger-owned Fred Meyer stores in the Portland metro area and purchase more than 20 products from leading consumer brands packaged in reusable containers, owing to a first-of-its-kind partnership in the United States.
• Furthermore, retailers in this region, such as Walmart, Kroger, and others, are increasingly adopting retail-ready packaging solutions. These stores are establishing guidelines to assist in standardizing and transitioning their shelves as they adopt the latest package designs. Walmart, for instance, has published a Retail Ready Guide to set standards for retail display and shelf packaging for their stores going forward. These guidelines help producers understand the requirement of RRPs and how they must be leveraged in stores.

Retail Ready Packaging Market Competitor Analysis

The Retail Ready Packaging Market is competitive because of the presence of many players running their businesses within national and international boundaries. The market is mildly concentrated, with major players like Mondi Group, Smurfit Kappa, DS Smith PLC, International Paper Company, and STI Group, among others.

In June 2022, AvantForte WhiteTop, a brand-new kraftliner created from only virgin fiber by Stora Enso, was made commercially available. The white top kraftliner is designed to meet the needs of high-end, competitive markets, including fresh food, e-commerce, and shelf-ready packaging.

In May 2022, Smurfit Kappa UK Limited, an integrated plant of paper-based packaging products, announced the acquisition of Atlas Packaging based in Barnstaple, North Devon. Atlas Packaging is an autonomous corrugated packaging provider. The company is well invested with a strong market presence in the UK, allowing it to meet the needs of and deliver value to its broad customer base. With an influential company in shelf-ready packaging, gift boxing, and the e-commerce sector, they offer an exciting and wide range of innovative products.

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