Yes! It’s true. Millennials are set to make up 50% of the workforce this year. As their buying power increases, the way they experience your product's packaging will influence their purchasing decisions. As packaging providers, we have to understand what they are looking for when they are faced with the option of choosing between your products and your competitors’

Minimalism

Millennials are continuously, exhaustively connected. Bombarded with messaging and marketing at every turn, they are seeking clarity to cut through the clutter. They don’t want flashy colors, crazy fonts, or gimmicks. They want simple packaging with easy-to-read fonts that convey a simple message. In short, they want to cut to the chase and find out exactly what this product will do for them and why it’s a better choice than the competition.

Convenience

Urban and on the go, millennials are looking for that product that can be easily picked up on their walk home from work or on the way to an event. Millennials tend to live in smaller spaces, in one- to three-person households, and shop in frequent buying spurts, rather than weekly stock-up shopping. Packaging needs to respond to these smaller and more individual packaging requirements. Because millennials prefer shopping in small convenience stores, rather large outlets, manufacturers need to consider the decreased shelf space available when designing their packages. Today’s consumers also enjoy the convenience of packaging that offers on-the-go eating and in-the-container preparation.

Cause

Millennials care where their money goes. While frugal, they want to use their buying power to invest their money in companies and products that are deemed environmentally and socially conscious. This extends from the product itself to the package it comes in. This market segment is concerned with how much energy, water, and effort is involved with not only producing and transporting their food, but in how it is packaged. They want packaging to uphold their mantra of reduce, reuse, and recycle and will choose products that make that obvious through packaging. If millennials are a major part of your target market, work with a designer that does the necessary homework to ensure a good fit with their perceptions and expectations.