Storecheck Italy: Product and packaging trends at Esselunga

When we visited the Salone del Mobile in April 2024, we naturally used our stay in Milan for a store check. We mainly looked around Esselunga, one of the largest and most important retail chains in Italy. In this article, we summarise the product and packaging trends that particularly caught our eye.

Focus on the shapes of the packaging

After we had previously taken a close look at industrial design at the spectacular Milan Furniture Fair, our focus at the store check in Italy was on packaging shapes. We analysed what manufacturers have recently come up with to make their products more user-friendly on the one hand and to make them appear even more inviting through their design language alone on the other. In addition to this “formal” check, we naturally also took a look at graphic elements, from colours to images and typography. We also kept an eye out for special products. Below are the highlights that we came across during our store check.

‘Smart’ – standing out with colour

Esselunga’s low-cost brand is called ‘Smart’. This is nothing unusual in itself; for example, the low-cost brand of the supermarkets and drugstores belonging to the REWE Group in Austria is called ‘Clever’. Customers are ‘smart’ when they buy the brand’s products because they save money. And to ensure that Italians can’t miss the smart products, Esselunga has opted for bright yellow packaging that can be recognised from afar.

The colour makes the Smart products stand out at the point of sale. Otherwise, their graphics are simple but effective: the front of the packaging features minimalist icons and the most important information in a clear font.

Uniform design scheme for branded products

The fact that Esselunga prefers to work with colour when it comes to packaging design can also be seen in the articles of its own brand of the same name. They come in a single colour, always coordinated with the respective product – for example, the red beans have red packaging, while the peas are packaged in green. Apart from the colour, however, the Esselunga products are characterised by a very uniform design scheme with simple images and clear, bold typography, so that the customer never has to search for the brand for long when looking at the shelf.

Maximum convenience for the consumer

The prototype of the modern consumer attaches great importance to convenience. Products and packaging should be quick and easy to use and handle. During our store check in Milan, we had a few foods in our hands that fulfil these requirements. Convenience can be realised in very different ways, for example through the shape of the packaging, which invites consumers to consume the contents directly from it so that there is no need for decanting; through the preparation of the food, which enables it to be prepared quickly; or through the quantity or portioning. Here are some examples of convenience packaging at Esselunga:

– Soup in packaging that resembles a clay pot
– Fruit jam in aluminium cups in a double pack
– Pre-cooked vegetables in vacuum-sealed packaging
– Tuna cans in a 4-pack in a paper sleeve
– quick-cooking portioned rice
– Pulled pork that can be cooked in 3 minutes, packed in a brown paper bag sealed with metal eyelets

Paper packaging on the rise

As in Germany, paper packaging is obviously also a trend in Italy. The ‘Sila Gum’ brand, for example, no longer uses transparent plastic containers for its loose gum sweets, but rounded paper boxes instead. Another example is the six-pack holder for mini Coca-Cola cans.

The fact that it is made of paper not only has ecological advantages: The communication surface is much larger here compared to the old version with plastic rings. We would also like to mention the recyclable secondary packaging made of paper that ‘Ferrero Kinder’ in Italy already uses for its snack cakes. The well-known confectionery brand seems to be represented there with a more extensive range than in Germany.

Stand-up pouches with punched-in handles

Brands such as ‘Esselunga’ are trying to reduce the amount of material used for liquid detergents and fabric softeners with practical stand-up pouches that have simple, die-cut handles.

Effective domed jars for jams and jellies

A highlight in terms of design language during our interesting store check in Milan were the curved jars for jam, yoghurt, mayonnaise and more. Their “curved” design makes the contents appear richer and creamier – and makes the consumer’s mouth water. The transparent jars with minimal labelling have this effect in particular: in these cases, the product speaks for itself.

Striking plastic packaging from ‘Felce Azzurra’

‘Felce Azzurra’ stands out from the competition with two unique selling points: on the one hand, it is easily recognisable thanks to its blue colour and, on the other, the grooved structure provides a special visual and tactile feature. The iconic containers for soap, detergent, fabric softener, etc. are a prime example of a recognisable packaging design with character.

‘Dispensa Preziosa’ – inviting transparency combined with functionality

The ‘Dispensa Preziosa’ brand wraps its nuts in transparent, resealable containers with sturdy, tamper-proof pull tabs. In this way, it ensures that the contents do most of the communication work by unashamedly presenting themselves to the consumer in their natural state. At the same time, the simple application principle of the packaging is convincing.

Other impressive food packaging

Here is an overview of some other interesting food packaging in Italian supermarkets:

– Saffron is a rare, precious commodity and correspondingly expensive. To protect the spice from theft and tampering, Italian brands such as ‘Zafferano 3 Cuochi’ and ‘Zaffy’ use tamper-proof packaging.

– ‘Calvé’ sets a successful accent with the transparent base of the upright squeeze packaging for mayonnaise – visually and also in terms of environmental protection, as transparent plastic is easier to recycle than coloured or even black plastic.

– The ‘Tenuta La Gemma’ brand sells its rice in a paper box that can be resealed with a lid, making it stand out clearly from the other rice packaging on the shelf.

‘Click and Grow’ for smart, convenient gardening

We started smart – and we end smart. The ‘Click and Grow’ smart gardening system caught our attention in the shop called Moroni Gomma. It is a device in which various crops such as basil, rosemary or strawberries, as well as ornamental plants, can be grown. The special feature of this device is that it automatically controls the amount of water and light supplied in order to promote optimum growth of the green beauties and more or less relieve the user of gardening work. All the hobby gardener has to do is insert their favourite pods filled with seeds and soil into the station, then fill water into the container provided and finally connect the plug. The “Smart Garden” does the rest. Recyclable refill packs are available for the main unit, each containing three pods.