What is Shelf Ready Packaging? A Complete Retail Guide

The retail environment is a fast moving world where the products require more than just packaging that protects. It requires packaging that makes the process of stocking, increases the shelf presence and makes the shopping experience much more exciting. Shelf ready packaging provides this all in one packaging. It is seamless and requires minimal handling all the way from delivery to display. This detailed blog will explain to you all about the shelf ready packaging in detail. 

What is Shelf Ready Packaging?

The term “shelf ready packaging” is self explanatory. It is the type of packaging that is placed on the shelves without any rearranging or unpacking. It doesn't put the retail staff through the hassle of proper unboxing. They just open and tear a small section of the box and place the items on retail shelves, ready to be displayed.  The usual traditional boxes require the effort of unboxing each box by hand; SRP gets rid of all that extra effort and is instantly displayed on the shelves. It saves time, effort and shows off a professional look across the store. 

Importance of Shelf Ready Packaging in Retail

SRP makes the tasks easy and saves time for retailers and brands. The fast paced retail stores like grocery stores, bakeries, pharmacies and convenience stores prefer the use of shelf ready packaging. It is their go to choice because of the following benefits:

• It allows faster and easier restocking of the products without extra effort.
• Saves labor costs.
• It makes the products look professional on the shelves and gives the brand a positive image. 
• It makes it easier for the customers to view the products and encourages impulse purchases. 
• It allows less wastage because less material is used. 
• Also reduces the transport costs through shipping. 
• The packaging is highly durable and protects the products during shipping.

How Does Shelf Ready Packaging Work?

Shelf ready packaging is designed to reduce manual labor and has easy to open features like removable lids, tear strips or perforations. After the outer part is removed, the inner container holds the products properly and is ready to be used. Process of the shelf ready packaging:

1. The manufacturer places the products inside the packaging. 
2. The boxes are shipped and stored in the same way.
3. There are built in tear points on the boxes and the retail staff opens them with the help of it.
4. After that, the box is ready to be used and placed on the shelf. 

Industries That Benefit from Shelf Ready Packaging

Shelf ready packaging has become a necessity for industries that are fast paced and require quick restocking, an attractive shelf presence and professional display. 

Food and Beverage Industry: SRP is most commonly used by the food and beverage industry because of the bulk production. It is ideal for canned foods, drinks, cereals and snacks. The shelves are restocked quickly in convenience and supermarkets. 

Cosmetics and Personal Care: SRP helps cosmetic and self care brands improve visibility in retail stores. It makes creams, soaps, and accessories easy to grab for customers. 

Pharmaceutical Industry: In the pharmacies where organized shelves are important, shelf ready packaging helps a lot. For over the counter medicines, supplements and health products, SRP is easy to grab.

Electronics and Accessories: SRP helps small accessories like handsfree, chargers, and batteries with easy access and handling. It restocks quickly and keeps the products arranged. 

Household Products: bulk and multi pack items like detergents, sponges and wipes etc., give them easy shelf placement.

Shelf Ready Packaging vs Traditional Packaging

SRP has replaced traditional packaging methods due to various reasons and more benefits. This table shows how shelf ready packaging is beneficial as compared to traditional packaging:

Different Types of Shelf Ready Packaging

There are different types of shelf ready packaging to meet different display, stocking and space needs. Selecting the right type of shelf ready packaging builds a stronger brand presence and ease in retail use. 

Shelf Ready Trays

This type of packaging comes in a tray form with an open top or tear away style trays. You can place the product directly on the shelves without unpacking the products. The products look organized and neat and help with faster restocking. 
Common Retail Uses: Canned foods, drinks, dairy products, and everyday grocery products.

Shelf Ready Boxes

These boxes are fully closed and come with perforated panels. You can remove them and the box becomes ready to be displayed. These boxes protect the products during shipping.
Common Retail Uses: Cosmetics, small gadgets, pharmaceuticals, and small household items. 

Shelf Ready Cartons

These cartons packaging are lightweight and small. You can easily open them and display your products in an organized manner. They advertise your brand, keep your products safe with an attractive display.
Common Retail Uses: Frozen foods, medicines, beverages, and confectionery.  

Retail Display Packaging

Counter display shelf ready packaging is small and attractive to the eye, making it perfect for checkout counters and point of sale spots. The boxes contain small products and will offer the greatest use of branding in the minimum space.
Common Retail Uses: Cosmetics, seasonal items, snacks, point of sale products and limited edition items. 

Why Retailers Prefer Shelf Ready Packaging

Retailers prefer their work to be seamless and easy. They want to easily manage and restock the shelves. SRP helps the staff save time and allows the items to be well organized. 

• Staff don't have to go through the hassle of opening every box individually and then placing it on the shelf; they can simply display the items without much effort and quickly.
• It reduces the workload, the easy to open designs help with lifting, sorting and handling with ease.
• The products are placed in the correct order, it makes the shelves look uniform and consistent each time.
• The clean, organized and attractive shelves appeal to the customers and allow easy grabbing of the products.
• It sells the products quickly and can be restocked at the same time. 

Why Brands Prefer Shelf Ready Packaging

Shelf ready packaging allows the brand to advertise while fulfilling store requirements. Customizing options makes your products pop in the eyes of customers.

• The packaging can be made exactly according to the size of the products and the shelves to avoid wastage of space. 
• Printing the company name, logo and brand colors makes the brand instantly recognized on the shelves. 
• The boxes are durable, easy to open and meet the standards of retail display rules. 
• The use of eco-friendly materials will make the brands look responsible, professional and environmentally friendly. 

Eco-friendly Shelf Ready Packaging

Shelf ready packaging is made of sustainable and biodegradable materials like paper and cardboard. It follows the eco-friendly practices of manufacturing. These boxes are used for shipping and for retail, which means less wastage of materials and resources. It also allows pallet stacking and less handling in shipping which means less use of material, fewer deliveries and less impact on the environment.

Conclusion

Shelf ready packaging isn't just a passing by trend; it has become a necessity for various industries. It has multiple benefits including reduced costs, minimal waste, effortless unpacking and stacking while also an attractive shelf appeal. It makes the work of retail workers and brands easier. Shelf ready packaging is an ideal investment for retail stores, convenience stores, and other fast retail environments. 

FAQS

What does shelf ready packaging mean in retail?

Shelf ready is a packaging that is made in a way to move products through shipping to shelves without much handling in the stores. It eases the restocking and improves the shelf display.

What is the importance of shelf ready packaging?

It saves time, cuts costs on labor, and maintains shelves in an organized way in addition to increasing awareness about the product and the brand. 

Is the shelf ready packaging environmentally friendly?

Yes, it is usually made of eco-friendly material and uses less material, which makes the retail product a better sustainable solution.

Which products benefit most from shelf ready packaging?

Shelf ready packaging is most beneficial to high-volume products such as food, drinks and cosmetics, personal care and household items.