A Brief History of Packaging

A Brief History of Packaging

Packaging has been known since ancient human times. Primitive peoples used animal skins and grass baskets to accommodate the fruits collected from the forest. Then 8000 years ago,

the Chinese made a variety of ceramics to accommodate solid or liquid objects. The ancient Malays made containers from bamboo to store liquids. By the Middle Ages, packaging materials were made of leather, cloth, wood, stone, ceramics and glass. But at that time, packaging still seemed modest and functioned more to protect goods against the effects of weather or other natural processes that could damage goods. In addition, the packaging also functions as a container so that the goods are easy to carry during the trip.

For centuries, the function of a package was limited to protecting goods or making things easier to carry. Along with the times, functional value added and the role of packaging in marketing began to be recognized as a major force in market competition.

The role of packaging was only felt in the 1950s, supermarkets began to appear, where marketing had to "sell" products on store shelves. But even then the packaging only serves to provide information, inform consumers about what is in the package.

It was only in the 1980s when competition in the business world was getting sharper and producers were competing with each other to grab the attention of potential consumers, the shape and model of packaging was felt to have a very important role in marketing strategy. Here the packaging must be able to attract attention, describe product features and "persuade" consumers. It is at this time that packaging takes over the task of selling when buying and selling occurs.

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