Is there anything pouches can't do? The answer is almost nothing, judging by some of the examples of innovative pouch packaging from around the world presented by Euromonitor's Daniel Grimsey at the AIP National Technical Forums that ran alongside AUSPACK last week.
“Stand-up pouches are among the five pack types which are forecast to grow fastest over the 2012-2017 period,” Grimsey said.
“In Australia, the fastest growing pack types are stand-up pouches at 55% compound annual growth each year, over the last five years,” he said
“Stand-up pouches have grown so fast due to their portability in confectionery and baby food, as well their ability to stand out on the shelf in breakfast cereals.
He cited local and overseas cases across a wide range of food categories of the growing penetration of pouches. As one example, the Kellogg's Snack Attack portion control pouch encourage on-the-go consumption, increases consumption occasions, and differentiates from the standard cereal packaging.
"Stand-up pouches were also the fastest growing pack-type in beverages, with a compound annual growth rate of 61% over the last five years, and for similar reasons to their popularity in food packaging. This is however, starting from a lower base,” Grimsey said.
“In alcoholic drinks packaging, stand-up pouches still play a very minor role globally,” he said. "Yet the pack type has proved that it can carve itself a niche in certain growth areas in what is a rather hermetic industry, by offering not only pack functionality but also a modern brand image."
Pouches have, for example, experienced sharp growth in RTDs [ready to drink alcohol] in the US, but are also predicted to find other niche applications, according to Grimsey.
For more coverage of Daniel Grimsey's presentation “Driving Growth Through Packaging Innovation” see the May-June print issue of PKN.
Daniel Grimsey is senior research analyst at Euromonitor, based in the Sydney office.
