**7. Enhancing organizational market shares through food packaging**

As afore-mentioned, market share is an important consideration in promoting growth and development of organization. The desire of organizations to remain in business is tied to processes that instigate market share and, food packaging is one of the most important operations that influence organizational market share. The position of packaging system in promoting market share of food products was elucidated in the report of Sarka and Aparna [17] which stated that packaging is not only a means of presenting a product but a way of inducing customers and influencing their decision to patronize the products. The manner in which packaging induces and or attract customers to patronize products, according to Selke [49] include the design of appetizing pictures on the package, use of distinctive brands and the transparency of packaging materials which allow them view the product inside.

The use containers usable by customers for other purposes after utilization of the product, is recognized in the literature as one of the ways packaging convinces consumers to buy food products. The review of the roles of food packaging in promoting productivity of food industry indicated that it promotes sales of food products and the volume of market shares that incidentally follows the sales.

In protecting the products, the package assists both producers and the middlemen in making sales associated with distributing the product to consumers in many locations; thereby promoting products/organizational market share. The report of

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

Himanshu and Bindu [3] agreed with the forgoing by stating that packaging performs many function like protecting the product from the point production through to the point of consumption. The protective function also enhances sales of the products and the market share by increasing the product's shelf-life to give producers and middlemen more time to sell the products as well as to market more of the product. By enhancing longevity of the products' shelf-life, packaging system encourages more sales which favors increase in the market share of the products.

Similarly, packaging not only reflect organizational ingenuity/creativity and innovative potentials but creates a new image to differentiate/distinguish the products from similar products in the market. This referred to in the literature as branding influences inclination of consumers toward products from already known sources, which possibly results in increasing sales of the products and the attendant market shares. The report of Himanshu and Bindu [3] indicated the potential of food packaging in promoting sales through many ways including self-supporting service, consumer affluence, company and brand recognition and innovation opportunity. Products that characterize new package design and new innovation tend to flow or align with dynamic change in the demands of consumers.

Also, the contribution of food packaging in increasing sales of food products and market share is indicated in the literature of how packaging entices consumers to purchase product. Hence, it is regarded as the 'silent salesman' by Judd et al. [50]. According to Himanshu and Bindu [3], the understanding that packaging as silent salesman, has led to its use as a marketing tool deployed to create convenience for consumers and promotional values for the producers and the middlemen. Its increasing significance in marketing, is the reason for its adoption as a major factor in gaining customers to boost sales and hence, market shares. The expectations of consumers could be met through well designed package and this boost their increasing interest in a product and the marketing of such product. Fill [43] alluded to the forgoing by reporting that packaging is an instrument through which buyers makes significant brand choice decisions.

Furthermore, packaging remains a major avenue to communicate important messages to consumers or potential customers at the point of purchase of a given product. It provides potential customers information on their expectations from the product. Underwood [51] reported that the marketing messages are made through structural and visual elements, including a combination of brand logo, colors, fonts, package materials, pictures, product descriptions, shapes and other elements that provide brand associations. The marketing messages are well designed to encourage sales and its aligned market share in a given marketing environment. Draskovic [4] mentioned some of the ways packaging passes marketing message to include packaging shape or design; packaging size; packaging color; packaging material; carried information; graphic applications (brand logo, fonts, images. Through this ways, packaging increases market shares for organizations through increased sales of products.

The attempt to ease the burden of utilization of food products for the consumers through packaging, has indirectly increasingly determined their interests in the products. This act considered as convenience function of packaging system by the literature, is enhancing sales of products and possibly assisting organizations to compete for market share using creative innovative package designs. Design architecture, material constituents, the communication of information potentials and other features that entice consumers, are according to Draskovic [4] ways packaging contribute to sales and hence, gaining of market shares. He further mentioned few of the packaging feature that allure consumers for increased sales to include resealing feature which

enables consumers to use the product as and when needed and, good closure systems that simplifies utilization of products. According to the literature, convenience or the ease with which a product, is removed from the package and utilized, is one of the variables that dictates consumer behavior toward making purchasing choices, and hence, enhances marketing or sales of products [4]. A well designed package that makes it easier for more segment of population, the elderly, youth and children, to utilize the products also boost sales and guarantees the organizations increasing portions of market shares from the food products. The example of 'easier opening packaging system' is the 'tear strip' at the end of biscuit pack. While Bota and Petkovic [52] mentioned typical packaging system that has 'tear strip' opening system designed to enable people with limited motion and strength to utilize products with ease; Fain [53] reported similar packaging system that makes opening easier for people with arthritis. The literature alluded to the potential of convenience packaging to facilitate increasing interests of all segment of population, on products especially when such packaging system guarantees tamper proof. Usually, the more the segments of population are inclined to a given product, the more they purchase the products thereby giving opportunity to the manufacturer to have an edge over the competitors, not only on the sales but also in gaining market share. The report of the literature indicated that the strip should be durable enough to resist tendency to collapse during transportation and logistic runs, and to ensure a 100% opening success rate.

Similarly, the efforts of food producers to communicate with the consumers through packaging system have been observed to help in increasing sales of food products and the market share accruable to the products. This communication disposition of packaging system encompasses marketing strategies of organizations. The role of packaging in marketing is referred to as marketing function of packaging by Dascovik [4] while Fill [43] in referring to it as marketing communication; mentioned color, shape, package size and the inscribed information; as dimensions or elements that communicate to consumer. The communication dimension of packaging passes information of all packaging characteristics or features designed to draw the attentions of consumers. The successful passage of these information promotes sales and incidentally helps organizations in gaining market share. Food packages with alluring features designed into them, distinguish product on a crowded shelf, pass instant information to consumers to decide on their choice in few minutes, connect consumers emotionally; to boost sales and enable organizations have edges over their competitors. Hence, the overall efforts to design packages to perform communication function, are seemingly attempts to increase sales, enhance marketing and promote the organizational market share in the prevailing market. The use of features such as brand logo, colors, fonts, package materials, pictures, product descriptions, shapes and other elements that provide brand associations as communicators; distinguishes organizational products and boosts their sales to enable the organization gain market share.

Furthermore, food packaging can be considered as culmination of organizational creative and innovative efforts toward making products available to potential consumers or a purveyor of organizational efforts to gain market share.

The nature or design of packages for food products is, most of times, prodded by instinct to market the products. This is the reason the package is designed according to the expectations of the potential consumers or as a reflection of organizational marketing strategy. This assertion is agreement with definition of food packaging, by Coles [5], as 'a means of safely and cost effectively delivering products to the consumer in accordance with the marketing strategy of the organization'. The forging indicates that food packaging is an instrument of marketing of freshly or processed

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

food products and a constituent of organizational strategies to outdo competitors to gain more in the market share. Thus packaging system, according to the literature, aligns with clearly defined marketing and manufacturing strategies that are consistent with the corporate strategy or mission of the business [5].

Also, it is unarguable that packaging system is an instrument of improving sales and heightening products cum organizational market share. The designing of packaging to cover multi-dimensional roles is an attempt to meet the dynamic demands of consumers and, a marketing strategy to increasingly gain market share. This assertion aligns with the report of Coles [5] indicating packaging as an important instrument the manufacturers of food products and or the retailers use to pursue competitive advantage. The relaunching of food products, most of the times, is carried out by redesigning of existing package in an attempt to meet the dynamic demands of potential consumers. Coles [5] also mentioned the forgoing as one of the essence of packaging and proceeded to add the idea of its use as instrument of adding value to the existing products to woo consumers. The marketing orientation of packaging is buttressed by the report of the literature that it stands as the face of product, exposing product and convincing consumers to purchase. Hence, distinctively and innovatively designed package according to Marsh and Bugusu [1], enhances and differentiate product from competing with similar products in the market to boost sales in competitive environment; and possibly increase organizational market share. Usually, designing packages to cater for the need and wants of the consumer, opening up new distribution channels, providing a better quality of presentation, enabling lower costs, increasing margins, enhancing product/brand differentiation, and improving the logistics service to customers, fulfill marketing demands of packaging for products [5]; which incidentally enhance the take of organizations from market share.
