What’s in a price? Key considerations for your commercial products

In ultra-competitive sectors like food, beverage, retail, health and beauty, it’s easy for time-poor business owners to consider things like packaging and labelling only in terms of the bottom line. How much will it cost to design? How quickly will my product packaging be turned around?

But a lack of full consideration can go hand-in-hand with poor service. That’s why you need to think about what a price really entails.

The right tools for success – but what next?

If entrepreneurs and business owners understand one thing incredibly well, it’s that partnering with the wrong company can cost more than just money.

Say you’ve got a product that’s ready to go to market. Feedback has been extremely positive. You’ve nailed all the fundamentals of putting the product into the hands of your customers. You’re a tenacious business operator who understands the cut-throat nature of your sector. There’s just one problem: printing, packaging and labelling your product isn’t as straightforward as you expected it to be.

There are thousands of companies – both here in Australia and overseas – that offer the services you need. But they treat you as a commodity rather than a partner. And even the smallest bump in the road can snowball into a litany of unexpected errors.

You might have the skills and experience to handle all the other problems in your business, but not being able to get your product made the way you want is having a major impact on your finances, your free time and your mental health.

We’ve seen this problem time and time again, and it’s an unfortunate indicator of the labelling and packaging industry at large.

The unrealised cost

Providers may be more interested in providing the lowest quote possible. Undercutting the competition means they get your business and essentially ‘lock you in’ to a full product run. The problem is that having this transactional approach, rather than working with you as a partner and keeping your best interests front-of-mind, often leads to a very poor service.

The quote might be low, but the level of service and quality you receive is even lower.

When you work with an experienced business development manager at Luminar, you get more than just someone who generates a quote and leaves you to it. You get a partner – an operational staff member who can help you solve a variety of common struggles, whether it’s trying to manage and combine multiple SKUs, or trying to avoid the cost of using expensive plates and instead getting total flexibility for your product designs.

In these scenarios it is really about speaking to like-minded individuals who ask you the critical questions that help save thousands and result in the best outcome. In one example, a customer may be using a PE sealant for a cookie product with high barrier qualities. An appropriate response would not be simple provision of a quote, but rather a recommendation that a better option may be available since we are dealing with a fast-moving consumable product. In this case, a better outcome would require BOPP, laminated to itself, and the result will be a reduction of 10-20% in cost.

It’s this resourcing which develops a long-term relationship, built on experience, with your best commercial interests in mind. This means we can improve decision making across purchasing, cost savings, stock considerations, reducing waste, and providing flexible offers for your customers because you are in a better position to innovate.

Consider us part of your business in that sense.

We understand the biggest problems you run into

Another common scenario: a new major order comes in and you need to rapidly increase your supply. You call your existing supplier who can’t meet such a big – and unexpected – surge in output. That means it falls directly to you to find a new supplier. Not only that, you have to deliver them the artwork, endure rapid testing at a time when you wish you weren’t working, and hope that there will be no problems along the way that might cause you to miss the deadline.

At Luminar, we take care of all of this. How? Because we have the capability to complete very short runs and cater for low minimum order quantities (MOQs). We are experts at ensuring speed-to-market with rapid turnaround times. And even if your requirements suddenly increase by tenfold or more, we’ve got you covered.

Don’t do it all yourself – trust in an experienced partner

Taking on the printing, packaging and labelling needs of your products is extremely challenging, and the opportunity cost is significant. So instead of taking on those stresses yourself or using the cheapest service available, enjoy all the benefits of partnering with Luminar. We will be with you through every step of the journey, creating products that fly off the shelves and giving you a packaging process that lets you sleep well at night.

Looking for an experienced partner who understands that printing, packaging and labelling should be about more than just the price tag? Luminar’s passionate team will work directly with you to develop a product that speaks to your customers on the shelf. Get a quick quote today to start the conversation or call us on (02) 9634 3100.