Say Yes To Glass: Build Your Brand With Glass Packaging
Founded in 1903, O-I has grown to become a leading global producer of glass bottles and jars, including those for the food and beverage industry. Progressive Grocer asked Alexis Guetzlaff, Director of Marketing, to discuss how the company’s innovative glass packaging can help grocery retailers elevate their private label products so they can successfully compete with national brands.
Progressive Grocer: How does O-I’s glass packaging expertise translate to the retail grocery industry?
Alexis Guetzlaff: I think it’s important to talk about the benefits that glass packaging delivers to brands and shoppers.
Glass naturally protects the flavor and integrity of the food or beverage inside; without linings or harmful chemicals, products taste the way they were intended to. With glass, textures and colors show through — customers see what’s inside, so they’re confident about what they’re buying. Glass is impermeable, which makes it the best choice for preserving products on their journey from the plant to the store to consumers’ tables. And because glass packages are easily resealed, consumers can eat or drink the contents on their own timetable without worrying about the product spoiling quickly.
Those are just some reasons shoppers view glass-packaged items as being of higher quality than products in other packaging.
Grocery retailers are working hard to make sure their own brands can successfully compete with national brands. O-I’s expertise enables retailers to offer private label products in the kind of quality glass packaging large national brands use. Glass packaging makes those store brands look as amazing as they taste so they stand out on-shelf to shoppers seeking high-quality products.
PG: Does glass packaging really have an impact on sales and profits?
AG: Most companies recognize that packaging tells their brand story through the colors, labels and messaging on the package. But they often forget to consider what that package is made of. Before thinking about the visual design elements, consider the message a skinny can or PET bottle sends about the product inside, then compare that to the quality message a glass bottle conveys. Consumers will pay more for products packaged in glass — which means prioritizing those products can help grocers generate as much revenue as possible from the limited amount of shelf space they have.
PG: How does O-I work with grocery retailers?
AG: It depends on each retailer’s needs. Often our relationship is with the co-packer. That works well when executing existing ideas, and when both sides feel standard bottles and jars are the only options. However, we believe a partnership that includes O-I, the retailer, and the filler helps activate new ideas that will provide a competitive advantage. Instead of choosing existing packaging, O-I can help grocery retailers rethink their options, consider brand family cohesiveness, and position themselves as innovators. And if a retailer wants to bring a new product to market, we can find co-packers with fill capability, too.
PG: What makes O-I different from other glass packaging companies?
AG: We offer value-added opportunities that are integrated into our manufacturing process — things like internal concept design, market intelligence, and consumer research services. We can find white space and product positioning and drive concept design for our retail partners. Having this expertise in-house, and being well-connected with our engineering teams, results in products that are eye-catching at the shelf and capable of being produced on a manufacturing line and run through our partner’s fill line. We also have consumertested stock items grocery retailers can easily commercialize, so they can hit the ground running.
Instead of just selling the container, we support the retailer’s product from idea to shelf, enabling them to leverage the benefits of glass packaging. At the end of the day, we are making it easy to say yes to glass.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW O-I CAN HELP GROW YOUR PRIVATE LABEL BUSINESS, VISIT O-I.COM.