5 Requirements for Shelf-Ready Packaging

Variety is the first thing you’ll notice when walking into any big-box, mass-market retail store. Thousands of SKUs line the aisles, each competing for your attention. With roughly 70% of buying decisions made in-store, retail-ready packaging is crucial for connecting with consumers and securing shelf space.

The most effective shelf-ready packaging solutions fulfill the industry’s “five easies” — a set of criteria that reduces manual handling, speeds up restocking and simplifies the shopping experience. Explore what these are and how to meet them to create packaging for immediate placement on store shelves.

1. Easy to Identify

Retail staff often handle dozens of pallets and cartons, and stocking slows down if they must stop and rotate every box to confirm what’s inside. That bottleneck can increase the chances of shortages on the sales floor.

Recognizable packaging allows staff to locate cartons at a glance. Streamlined identification can expedite restocking and improve inventory accuracy across the board.

Design elements for identification include:

• High-contrast graphics with bold, legible typography that make product names and variants stand out
• Multisided printing so brand, product name, size and count remain visible
• Consistent brand cues, such as logos and signature colors, that tie the outer carton to the packaging inside
• Visible case counts that allow staff to confirm quantities quickly

2. Easy to Open

When staff locate the appropriate carton, they must access its contents cleanly. Packaging that requires box cutters or awkward tearing delays the process and risks damaging the products inside. Easy-open packaging protects product integrity and creates a consistent experience for staff across all stores with features like these.

• Smooth-tear perforations
• Tear strips aligned with where staff naturally grip cartons
• A design that minimizes or eliminates the need for a box cutter
• Simple opening instructions through the use of icons or short text

3. Easy to Stock

An ideal stocking scenario for retail staff involves moving a prepared tray from cart to shelf in a few simple steps. If they must restack, reorient or manually transfer products one item at a time, stocking stalls and the risk of product damage increase. Quick-restock packaging that integrates into standard shelving dimensions is the gold standard.

Stocking efficiency relates closely to a key performance metric called on-shelf availability. Empty shelves equal lost sales, and packaging that speeds replenishment ensures products are available when shoppers want them.

Features to prioritize include:

• Packaging that can fit standard shelf depths and widths
• Structural stability that maintains its shape during handling
• Interlocking or stackable features that easily transport from the warehouse to the floor
• Directions that clarify how to orient products on shelves

4. Easy to Shop

Once the product reaches the floor, shelf-ready packaging converts into a display. It also overlaps with point-of-sale packaging, which aims to present products in a more conspicuous, attention-grabbing way.

Consumers may not consciously think about package design, but they notice when a display looks sloppy or inconvenient. That subtle friction can lead them toward a competitor’s products. In contrast, sales may naturally result from packaging that enhances visibility, encourages easy access and maintains a neat appearance.

Design considerations for grab-and-go packaging include:

• Maximum product visibility through low-front trays, cutouts or open-faced displays
• Effortless product access so consumers can remove items while keeping the display intact
• Organized presentation that keeps units aligned, rows tidy and shelves looking well-stocked

5. Easy to Dispose Of

Retailers should quickly flatten and remove empty trays. Anything complicated adds steps to what should be a streamlined process. Apart from labor, disposal can become a sustainability issue. Retailers and consumers want easy-to-recycle packages with minimal environmental contaminants and guidance on how to handle them responsibly.

When disposal is simple, stores save time, reduce waste and align with sustainability goals.

Essential design features for easy disposal include:

• Single material construction, such as 100% corrugated packaging
• Avoiding contaminants like plastics, overwraps, excessive glue or metal staples
• Packaging that flattens in a few quick motions
• Recycling symbols or instructions printed on the carton to guide staff

3 Types of Shelf-Ready Packaging Designs

The “five easies” come in various forms. The correct shelf-ready packaging format for your product line depends on your category expectations and retail channel requirements. Some brands may use a combination of these to meet specific guidelines provided by Walmart or other retailers.

Here is how three typical configurations support shelf readiness.

1. Retail-Ready Trays

Retail-ready trays are open-top, corrugated containers that hold multiple units and display product fronts. They are effective for beverages, canned goods and multipacks, and allow for quick replenishment. Trays slide directly onto shelves, simplifying stocking, while their open-faced design ensures product visibility and easy access for shoppers. Constructed from corrugated material, they flatten effortlessly for disposal and recycling.

2. Display Boxes With Tear-Away Panels

Some boxes protect products in transit, then instantly convert into shelf displays. Staff can manually open the prescored tear-away panels in a few simple motions. This format lends itself to snacks, candy and seasonal products requiring high-visibility branding. Tear-away panels create a clean presentation, organized shelves and effortless product access for shoppers.

3. Stackable Cases

Stackable cases have reinforced corners or interlocking features that allow them to move through the supply chain and onto the sales floor. Placing these cases directly on pallets or shelves saves staff time and effort. Shoppers can easily access products, and the corrugated design quickly breaks down for recycling.

Experience the Benefits of Shelf-Ready Packaging

The perfect shelf-ready packaging can make your products stand out in competitive retail settings. Adhering to specific design features ensures faster replenishment and gives shoppers a better experience.

Great Northern Packaging creates shelf-ready packaging that’s easy to identify, stock, shop and dispose of. We have over 60 years of experience helping brands design solutions that move through the supply chain and make an impact when they reach the shelf.

Our in-house International Safe Transit Association-certified technicians test and certify packages for strength and durability, while our manufacturing and printing capabilities deliver high-performance products. We also prioritize sustainability with recyclable corrugated solutions.

Learn more about our packaging solutions or fill out a contact form to discuss your needs today.