Unlike solid products, liquid and semi-liquid products are fraught with packaging issues. Most small bottles can’t afford the space in the warehouse and bottles crack; jars leak during shipment. For liquid products, spout pouches address many of these issues simultaneously with the product’s container that pours easily, seals tightly and will last much longer through transit than a glass or hard plastic container.
Typically, brands that are transitioning realize the shipping savings first. A pouch costs less and takes up less space than a bottle, reducing freight expenses before the bottle gets to a store.
What Problem Do Spout Pouches Actually Solve?
Rigid containers are not supposed to be used for small batch transportation. Glass breaks. Once the quantity of plastic bottles grows, the space for them on the shelf and box becomes a big problem. Spout pouches securely hold liquid in use, using less of a product and space than a bottle would require for the same amount of product.
For brands that ship sauces, drinks, personal care liquids, or baby food, this is most important since it can ruin an entire order and can lead to mistrust from the retailer.
Custom Spout Pouches vs Standard Bottles: What Changes for a Brand?
Custom Spout Pouches allow a brand to get creative within their product’s shape rather than being limited by the size of a bottle mold. Print can be applied all over the surface of the pouch, providing more usable space than a curved bottle label can offer for graphics, ingredient lists, and branding.
The costs are another consideration. The initial investment in custom molds is high, whereas pouch molds typically are less expensive, making it easier for brands to switch from a smaller production volume should they want to test demand first.
Getting the Design Right Before You Print
A pouch that looks good on the screen, doesn’t necessarily look good after being filled and placed on a shelf. The end product is determined by a few details.
Spout Placement and Size
The sauce will pour out smoothly if the spout is the size, for the sauce. So the position of the spout and the size of the spout are both important when you are pouring the sauce.
On the hand the spout should be narrower when you are pouring something thin, like juice or oil. This way the liquid will come out of the spout in a stream and you will not spill it. The type of liquid you are pouring is what determines the type of spout to use whether it is a wide spout or a narrow spout.
Material and Barrier Needs
- For shelf-stable products that have a shorter sell-through period, standard laminate film can be used.
- High-barrier film is used to preserve sensitive liquids from the effect of oxygen and light for extended times.
- Heat processing film is good for sauces and baby food, and can be used to retrofit into a retort tray.
Do Printed Spout Pouches Really Improve Shelf Appeal?
Yes, in most cases. When compared to a plain bottle with a small label around its curved surface, Printed Spout Pouches offer the benefits of being able to use the entire surface for design. Bright colors, product photos and readable text all look better on a flat, upright pouch than a round bottle.
Smaller brands are likely to benefit the most here as a well designed pouch can make their first product run look much bigger than it really is.
Mylar Packaging Bags: Where Do They Fit Into the Picture?
The metallized layer of Mylar Packaging Bags is effective at blocking light, oxygen and moisture better than ordinary plastic film. Usually spout pouches are just for poupourables but with the Mylar bags products are able to be packaged for a much longer shelf life and a much broader range of dry and semi-dry products that require a higher level of barrier protection.
Some brands of products that are packaged in both liquid and dry formats, sometimes use both formats together, depending on the level of barrier and shape needed for the particular product in that package format rather than applying one form of packaging to a whole line of products.
Kwick Packaging and Two Other US Manufacturers Worth Knowing
A number of manufacturers have established a good reputation in flexible pouch manufacturing in the USA. This flexible packaging provider is based in multiple facilities throughout the country, providing flexible packaging solutions for all kinds of food, beverage and industrial applications. TricorBraun Flex is dedicated to flexible formats, such as the spout pouch which is a common choice among beverage and personal care brands.
Collaborating with a manufacturer that creates pouches directly, as opposed to via a broker, typically streamlines the sampling experience and provides the brand more control over spout placement, film material selected and print quality before the full run is approved to print.
Simple Habits That Keep a Spout Pouch Launch on Track
- Get a filled sample before approving a full production run.
- Try out the spout using the product itself as the viscosity influences pour speed.
- Don’t get confused after someone has squeezed or teased out the pouch.
- Verify barrier film is suitable for actual shelf-life requirements of product.
These steps don’t need a lot of money. They mostly need to experience testing the pouch as a customer will, with it filled and in hand, as opposed to only looking at a flat design file.
Final Thoughts on Spout Pouches
It has always been difficult for smaller brands to afford packaging that needed huge initial capital investment in bottle molds, but no more. Ideal for brands that are still discovering the number of units they can expect to sell, spout pouches represent a happy compromise between shipping efficiency, shelf appeal and price. The basics of spout size, barrier film and simple design are more important than trying to achieve a very elaborate look.
When brands are willing to ditch bottles, having a manufacturer that creates pouches in-house typically equates to less lead time from sample approval to final product. Such a direct manufacturing process also makes it easier to make rapid changes to a design after actual customer feedback begins to arrive.
