What’s holding back digitally printed packaging?
When all the market research of recent years is projecting market growth of between 10 and 15 percent CAGR over the coming years, with corresponding advances in market share, it may sound unnecessarily provocative to suggest that digital print in packaging has failed to fulfill expectations. The value proposition of digital print is familiar enough: the ability to go from PDF to POS in a matter of hours doesn’t just make short runs and cool customisation campaigns economical, but enables supply chain efficiencies and leaner stock management. Digitally printing a package thus caters to a swathe of key market trends and demands: from agile marketing campaigns and proliferation of SKUs to streamlining processes for faster time to market. However, in off-the-record conversations over the last couple of years, both brand owners and digital print specialists have confided a mild disappointment that some of the more idealistic predictions of digital conquest have not yet come to pass. Tim Sykes explores the barriers that may be holding back the digital tide.
