The hunt for proteins is no longer reserved for just the deli or seafood counter at the grocery store. That’s part of the reason why Rastelli Foods Group decided to revamp its packaging strategy for its Wicked Tuna brand products – consumers are looking for their meals all over the supermarket, and with its new vacuum-sealed pouch presentation, more Wicked Tuna can be stocked on more shelves.
“People are now shopping for proteins in a variety of locations, so this new packaging opens Wicked Tuna up to everywhere people buy meals for the home,” Mike Carr, Director of Marketing at Rastelli Foods Group, explained to SeafoodSource.
Much of Wicked Tuna’s new look takes into consideration consumer trends and habits. The pack has what Carr and Rastelli Foods call an "honest, you see what you get” kind of look – the brand label is clear and pronounced, and shoppers “can now see more of the product” as they peruse the aisles. Moreover, the package is eco-friendly in its composition, another area that is becomging increasingly more appealing to the consumer sect: “Customers respect companies and brands to continue to R&D ways to package products in eco-friendlier ways,” Carr said.
Particularly when it comes to seafood and seafood products, a proper package – one that grabs the attention of consumers and holds it – could mean the success or failure of a product.
“Product packaging is everything in the retail industry. The package tells the story and entices consumers to try it out. Especially with a new brand or product line, the package is critical to the initial success of the product. If the product is good and convenient and priced competitively, shoppers with buy it again and again, but it all starts with grabbing the consumers’ attention when they’re in the store,” Carr noted.
“Competition is fierce in the seafood aisle, so packaging is critical. We feel the Wicked Tuna household name brand, combined with the new honest (transparent) packaging gives us an opportunity to get people to try us out,” he said.
Of course, consumer considerations are only one piece to the puzzle. When redesigning Wicked Tuna’s packaging, Rastelli Foods also had retailers in mind. The pouches housing the tuna product are 10 to 15 oz. per shipper, making them a fit for large- or small-scale retail venues because they take up less shelf space, according to Carr. With respect to larger operations such as Target and Walmart, the Wicked Tuna pouch can be stocked in emerging food aisles; the pouch is also a good fit for c-store freezers, Carr added.
“The new packaging takes up less space in grocery freezers as well and, equally important, the lower cost packaging also provides a better price point per unit. It uses less plastic and no cardboard, so it’s less expensive to package, and makes less of an impact on the environment,” he said.
The shipping container itself has also been optimized for retailers’ and seafood department managers’ convenience, a practice that permits a reduction in labor costs. “The product is displayed in the same case it ships in, with a simple tear-away top that holds the tuna products and displays all of the product information,” Carr concluded.
