Easy-to-open: German firm seeks to open lid on senior supplement market
The company tested the packaging – which is designed to have an easy-remove warranty band and can be opened with one hand – with 120 women and men who buy and consume supplements or painkiller tablets two to three times per month.
The company claimed that compared to other systems its new closure could be opened in a third of the time – 9.2 instead of 25.8 seconds – and with 70% less physical effort – 12 newtons compared to 36 newtons.
Commenting in a release to press, the company’s product manager Ursula Hahn said: “For producers of food supplements this is a decisive factor. In case of bad experiences with the packaging, repurchase rates decline considerably.”
Figures from market research firm Mintel echo this importance.
Research from October 2015 on food packaging found that easy-open features are important to 42% of UK consumers, the second highest response after ‘resealability’.
“But among consumers aged 55+, easy-open is important to 59% of consumers (reaching 63% among consumers aged 65+), suggesting a real need for packs that can be easily accessed by those with reduced grip, for example,” Mintel trends and innovation director David Jago told us.
Meanwhile Sanner cited a survey of 350 people aged over 50 from the German National Association of Senior Citizen's Organisations (BAGSO), which suggested 92% had problems opening packaging.
For 49% this difficulty was experiences several times a week or even daily.
The 2003 data showed 57% reacted to dissatisfaction with a brand change.
The European region is ageing rapidly.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), its average age is already the highest in the world and the proportion of people aged 65 and over is forecast to rise from 14% in 2010 to 25% in 2050.
