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The craft beverage industry continues to pivot and adapt to changes in the market, with companies frequently revisiting their production decisions to adjust to the next “new normal.” With consumer shopping behavior shifting in response to issues like supply chain shortages and the growth of off-premise retail, prioritizing your brand’s labeling and packaging needs now will help set the stage for steady sales and growth to come.
To stay ahead of the curve, and compete visually as well as with taste, here are five trends in craft beverage packaging to help you evaluate where your brand sits today and where it can evolve tomorrow.
1. Tactile Finishes & Embellishments
When it comes to helping your brand stand out in the crowded beer aisle, the options to elevate your craft beverage packaging and labels can include incorporating tactile finishes and embellishments. Using these printing techniques plays up the visual stimulus of your brand and captures the consumer’s attention even more effectively by strategically prompting the sense of touch. So you’re not just making a great first impression; you’re delivering a unique second impression through the feel of your packaging and label.
After all, there’s so much more out there than just the choice between glossy or matte—we can teach you more about options like foiling, embossment, tactile varnish and dual finish. And incorporating additional features like metallic inks or sparkle finishes can help draw the eye and urge to pick up your product even faster.
2. Soda, Seltzer and Beer Packaging Shrink Sleeves
By customizing the shrink sleeves of cans, you can offer shoppers a genuinely eye-catching way to spot and connect with your brand. Instead of printing directly on the can, the design is printed onto flexible film sleeves, that are conformed completely to the shape of the container. Shrink sleeves, printed in full color, completely wrap around the can, providing the most real estate for messaging.
3. Sustainability
Carton solutions for both bottles and cans go a long way to making the sale, and persuading people to come back for more. You can expand the consumer’s shopping experience with options for 4-packs, 6-packs, 8-packs, 12-packs, and even 15-packs.
As people look to more environmentally conscious packaging, you can quickly ditch the conventional plastic handle on can cartons with sustainable paperboard instead. With Belmark’s Mindful Solutions, you can inspire consumers to feel confident in choosing your products because of naturally recyclable materials that include 15-30% post-consumer fiber and low carbon footprints. Belmark offers eco-friendly pressure sensitive labels, flexible packaging, and folding carton options to make choosing sustainable craft beverage and beer packaging accessible and more cost-effective. It’s an easy and strategic move that signals your brand’s attention to detail and commitment to the environment.
4. Seasonal Packaging
If the pandemic years taught beer brands anything, it has been the need for speed to successfully adjust to changes in retail and customer experience very, very quickly. With some parts of the US experiencing slowdowns or shutdowns that significantly affected the restaurant and hospitality industry.
But stocking in stores often brings its own set of challenges in terms of packaging and labels. Working with a partner to adjust printing needs is a valuable way to adapt to changes in demands or production very quickly (and without having to carry hefty inventory).
At Belmark, our solutions are designed to support small batch production. We work with breweries to support smaller runs of labels and packaging – in fact, we never require minimums. And we deliver the same high quality whether your seasonal offerings call for large or small orders. If your production shifts and you need quick or short runs of bottle labels, you can count on Belmark’s swift turnaround time (regardless of order quantity).
5. Unique Craft Beverage Design Trends
While soda, seltzer, and beer brands are no strangers to bold design, naming, and branding, influences from other verticals and brands are skewing trends in the direction of natural, healthy living, and environmental consciousness areas. This means that some brands and products are starting to adopt softer palettes and a simplified aesthetic.
That being said, one characteristic of beverage packaging that will never fade into the background is the use of vibrant, high-color branding. Neon colors, popping shapes, linear color blocking—these are just some of the most beloved and familiar design elements out there in the craft beverage world.
Whether you’re passionate about sharing your beer brand’s origin story, bold branding, or custom illustrations, the opportunities to translate your brand through beer packaging are endless. Get in touch with one of our packaging experts today. We make the process easy, are “all in”, and ready to guide you through every step from idea to finished product.
