100th Impact Centre workshop in Benelux!

DS Smith’s Impact Centre in Gent hit an important milestone when Refresco (Europe’s largest bottler) profited from the 100th Impact Centre workshop. The Impact Centre is a place where retailers, brands and others can learn about the power and potential of packaging in real-life retail, supply chain and production for more sales, lower costs and managed risks.

The enthusiasm from Refresco was clear. “Very inspiring, good explanations and very professional.” said Maarten Kusters, Managing Director of Refresco Benelux. “We looked through the eyes of a consumer at our product, instead of with our professional glasses. We start from the product and the packaging comes later. But the customer sees it the other way and is guided by the packaging. This open approach by DS Smith has opened our eyes.”

Workshops typically include a wide spectrum of roles from the organisation from procurement, sales, marketing and production. “We insist on having a mix of roles for an Impact Centre workshop,” said Olivia Van Hauwermeiren. “It is so important that everyone is on the same page – production may have different concerns than marketing who has different requirements."

The only way to develop the right packaging for a product is to first build a common understand of what packaging can do and how it fits the customers’ needs.

— Olivia Van Hauwermeiren, Impact Centre Manager

Dozens of store visits were done throughout Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. That’s a process which is repeated for many workshops. “We visit stores constantly to make sure we have all the latest retail trends and to make sure we show what is happening in discount retailers, convenience stores and supermarkets. Packaging that is designed for a discount retailer is often completely inappropriate for a convenience store that needs smaller quantities, with a broader range and in a different size to maximise shelf space,” continued Van Hauwermeiren.

But the sales performance is just the beginning.

“Brand owners rarely think about the instore efficiency – how the retailer handles the products. If it’s not “easy to identify” or “easy to open” there could be availability issues that reduce sales. We talk about a three second rule; the shelf filler needs to be able to figure out how to open the packaging within 3 seconds, otherwise he will open it the way he or she thinks best (which often means using a knife and cause damage). Of course logistics are also important and optimised packaging can reduce transport costs a lot. We cover all of this and a lot more during an Impact Centre workshop,” concluded Van Hauwermeiren.

The Benelux Impact Centre in Gent is one of a network of Impact Centres across Europe that share market intelligence and the latest trends between markets. Thanks to this network, Belgian and Dutch FMCG producers are not only able to optimise for their own country, but also to successfully launch products in other European markets.

We have gained interesting insights that have permanently changed our view on packaging

— Kusters, Managing Director of Refresco Benelux