For the last 30,000 years, baking has been central to human flourishing.
As the baking industry thrives in 2023, smart businesses are taking advantage of the newest packaging trends to find new customers and build brand loyalty.
One notable event in this sphere is the Artisan Bakery Expo East – the East Coast’s only baking industry trade show and a hub for baking industry professionals.
This guide will explore five bakery and artisan packaging trends that can boost your brand’s popularity and take advantage of changing social attitudes.
Key Takeaways:
● Customers are more conscious than ever about both food waste and material waste, so offering
smaller portions and using eco-friendly packaging can grow your appeal.
● In 2023, strong branding with vintage and retro looks, minimalist styles, and bold colors is
trending.
● Building digital interactivity and personalization into your packaging can help grow customer
engagement.
● The Artisan Bakery Expo East is your opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals in the
baking world.
1. Smaller Portions
Concerns about both food waste and material waste have made consumers more conscious.
As a result, portion sizes are shrinking, and packaging is shrinking to match it.
Portion-Controlled Packaging
Highlight smaller servings with portion-controlled packaging. Convenient for grab-and-go customers,
pre-portioned servings like mini loaves or bite-sized pastries also effectively advertise smaller serving sizes.
Transparent Packaging
Not only can transparent packaging entice customers by showing off your goods,
but it can also highlight the serving size of your product.
For example, transparent mini cake packaging lets customers see exactly what they’re buying,
including serving size. Similarly, bite-sized cookie packages can not only show off the size
of the product but also visually suggest serving sizes using a transparent window proportionate
to the recommended portion.
Variety Packs
While single-portion bakery items are popular with commuters, health-conscious consumers, and
impulse buyers, variety packs use the appeal of smaller portion sizes to capture a different market.
These packs appeal to gift shoppers, group gatherings (like workplaces), and families by allowing
bakeries to sell more products while still highlighting smaller portion sizes.
Find vendors offering packaging solutions at Artisan Bakery Expo East!
2. Eco-Friendly Materials
Changes in social attitudes extend beyond smaller portion sizes. With consumers
increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of their spending, your
packaging should reflect your commitment to sustainability.
● Biodegradable and compostable materials: Bamboo- and paper-based bakery boxes and
clamshell containers are great ways to promote sustainability. In 2023, a wide range of
compostable and biodegradable materials are available for bakers.
● More efficient packaging: As portion sizes shrink, so do the packages that contain them. These
smaller packages, using less excess material, can signal environmental consciousness and
aversion to waste to customers.
● Sustainable messaging: One effective way to communicate that you care about the
environmental impact of your packaging is simply to state that on your packaging. Positive
sustainable messaging can go a long way in shifting consumer attitudes toward your brand.
To see the latest developments in sustainable, eco-friendly packaging,
attend the Artisan Bakery Expo East on October 1 and 2, 2023.
3. Strong Branding
The baking industry is already well-saturated with competition, making strong branding essential if you
want to stand out.
Vintage and Retro
With nostalgia (and newstalgia) trending since 2022, clean, simple designs
using vintage elements like woodcarvings, retro oil paintings, and pop art
can increase the visual appeal of your brand and help you appeal to trendy
consumers.
Minimalism
The design trends of minimalism and maximalism run in eras that typically span several decades.
In the ’80s to ‘00s, maximalism’s popularity dwindled, giving way to minimalism (and “debranding”)
in the ‘10s and ‘20s. As of 2023, minimalism is a popular design style for bakers.
Colorful
Nostalgia runs on a 20-40-year cycle, so the colorful designs of the ‘80s and ‘90s are enjoying a
resurgence today. While the monotone shabby chic packages were all the rage in 2010, colorful
packaging can help you appeal to consumers in 2023.
A product is only as desirable as its packaging. Discover branding solutions at the
Artisan Bakery Expo East.
4. Interactive Packaging
The digital revolution has caused many businesses to migrate to ecommerce models, but
brick-and-mortar bakers can benefit from the latest ecommerce technologies as well.
One popular way that bakeries can incorporate digital tools into their packaging is through interactive
elements like QR codes, social media links, and Spotify codes. These interactive packaging elements
can drive traffic to your websites (giving you more opportunities to convert leads), increase
customer engagement, provide added value to your customers. QR codes are the most effective
way to use your packaging to drive traffic to your website. Since consumers can easily scan QR
codes from any smartphone, they eliminate the need for consumers to type in URLs or search
for your brand online (which can draw results from competitors).
While online interaction can effectively connect new customers to your brand,
in-person networking at the Artisan Bakery Expo East offers a prime opportunity to
connect with peers and discover how other industry players are attracting consumers.
5. Personalized Packaging
Branding is nothing new in 2023, but personalized packaging can really get consumers’ attention. While
branded packaging is specific to a brand, personalized packaging is specific to an individual customer.
Bakers can personalize their packaging in several ways, such as custom labels or stickers for individual
customers (think Starbucks or Chewy), custom-printed cake boards, or package customization options.
While many customers seek out personalized bakery items like customized cupcakes or printed
cookies, going the extra mile to personalize customers’ packaging is a powerful way to stand
out from the competition.
To show off your personalized packaging, get inspiration from peers, and learn about the latest
developments in bakery packaging, attend the Artisan Bakery Expo East.
Explore the Latest Bakery and Artisan Packaging Trends at the Artisan
Bakery Expo East
Don’t just read about trends—participate in them.
The Artisan Bakery Expo East is the oldest and most successful baking industry trade
show on the East Coast. Come see 2023’s trends in baking and packaging and rub
shoulders with industry peers at the only annual baking industry show.
Learn more about exhibits or about attending the Artisan Bakery Expo East to
stay in touch with the latest packaging trends.
