**5. Food packaging as a salesman**

Food packaging through its communication function serve as marketing strategy, passing necessary information all potential consumers desired to know about the

### *The Place of Packaging System in Advancing Food Preservation for Promoting Food Products'… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108235*

product. The information is designed to provide the state of chemical constituents, nutritional and sensory characteristics, mode of utilization, shelf-life and other aspect of logistics required for the consumers' utilization of the product. Such information is necessary to stir up interest of consumers or influence their choice for the product. In this way, food packaging performs a role of salesmen, employing all its characteristics to entice expected consumers who may instantly recognize the products through appetizing pictures or distinctive brands on the package. Also, the increasing change in lifestyle and introduction of self-service retail system, has invariably substituted food packaging as a communicator and mediator between producers and final consumers, by having information designed for consumers printed on the package [4]. Other nature of packaging like transparency which enables consumers to see and ascertain the conditions of the product while in the package, also influences patronage of consumers' choices for products. The forgoing positions packaging as a purveyor of food product retail marketing mix that influences conventional marketing variables such as products, price, promotion, and place. The forgoing may have instigated Wells et al. [41] to associate packaging with marketing mix; even as Smith and Taylor [42] cited by Draskovic [4] regarded packaging as a silent salesperson that helping to inform consumers of a given brand, highlighting unique selling propositions/unique benefits (USPs), and providing friendly tips on usage. This function guides consumers to choose alright amidst increasing availability of similar brands of products in the market.

The power of branding in the marketing of food products, is seemingly the workings of food packaging designed to distinguish products from different organizations in the food industry. Fill [43], stated that packaging is a means through which buyers, especially in consumers' market, can make brand choice decision, while Draskovic [4] considered food packaging as a brand communicator. It distinguishes products according to different industries producing foods products for the patronage of consumers, though the products are the similar. For instance, it provides information on cocoa food drinks from different companies like Cadbury and Nestle Foods to enable consumers choose according their interest or appeal. Thus, any competitor having more innovative packaging that is increasingly appealing to consumers will control or determine the swing of the market. The ability to present an outstanding packaging gives organization an edge in brand competition. This assertion agrees with the reports of Löfgren [44] and Löfgren et al. [45] that stated that the tendency of a consumer to choose one brand over the other at the point of purchase significantly rely on packaging and its ability to persuade the consumers. It promotes sales of products by providing prerequisite information consumers need about the products, every place and on the shelf, thereby acting as an advertising instrument. For example, such promotional information like free extra products, uniqueness of the products, gifts, reduction in price with bulk purchases are provided through food packaging to persuade consumers to patronize the products.
