"In economics and marketing, product differentiation (or simply differentiation) is the process of distinguishing a product or service from others, to make it more attractive to a particular target market. This involves differentiating it from competitors' products as well as a firm's own products.”

Differentiation comes in a variety of forms. Some companies relay on brand loyalty. The customer buys from the manufacturer because they deliver consistent, quality packaging at fair prices. They have built their company with a strong reputation of taking good care of their customers and in turn their customers keep coming back.

Others focus on design. They are the ones that create better mousetraps. Mousetraps that are aesthetically eye catching and offer high functionality with a better visual approach to the product.

Price is another differentiator. This can be the riskiest. Buying customers loyalty can become a race to the bottom. The lowest price often wins, and often the one who wins loses. The farm is given up to get the business, only to discover that the work you did may have kept your people and equipment busy, but ends up becoming financially a losing proposition. This isn’t the biggest problem, once you agree to be the lowest, it now becomes an expectation. In jest, you have become a non-profit organization. If you don’t meet what’s expected, the business goes to the next guy willing to do it for less.

Want to increase profits? Do things differently. Try different shapes, papers, coatings, surfaces, designs, materials, and anything that you can to get your packaging to stand out. So when your customer say’s, “Well I can get that same product for less”, you can say, “with all due respect, we’re different and it’s not the same product.” It becomes an “apples to oranges” comparison by even making the smallest of changes. Because you are doing things different, you are able to charge more for your goods, and your “apples” will be profitable. We’ve done this.  We can help you. It works.