Hip Lik Packaging Products Fty Ltd

Clear Boxes always speed up sales

Unaffected by the increasing bargaining power of big buyers and the decreasing profit margins, Hong Kong plastic packaging companies continue to secure greater demand in many end-user industries.

The Hong Kong-based Hip Lik Packaging Products Fty Ltd, a leading plastic packaging provider in the region, has been doing well from making plastic packages for many commodities, for example, cosmetics, perfume, wine, consumer electronics, chocolates, toys, and many other popular gifts.

"End-users increasingly prefer plastic packaging as it is safer, more convenient and flexible when compared with other packaging materials, like glass or metals," said Mr William Suen, general manager of Hip Lik, "Transparent package also offers the clear-at-a-glance advantage, which let shoppers know the exact content of the box."

Mr Suen continued to illustrate another "clear" advantage of transparent packaging. Shoppers often have the intuition to interpret products wrapped in a glossy, transparent box to be of a higher quality with a better image.

To prove this consumer psychology, he recalled a control group study conducted by one of his customers some years ago. Showcased on the same shelf, the same kind of products is divided into two halves- one being packed in transparent boxes with the other in paper boxes. After a few days, those in transparent boxes were emptied whilst those in paper boxes had encountered poor sales.

"This finding is noteworthy. It convinces sellers that a glossy, crystal-clear package can enhance product image and at last boost their sales," added Mr Suen, "Consumers are just too bored of those sealed rectangular boxes which, they regard, contain inferior and cheap stuff."

Of the three materials, PVC, PP and PET Hip Lik supplies, all are A-graded in contrast to the lower-graded materials from its competitors, although the company has to bear a higher cost as such. Yet Mr. Suen insists upon this was as its key strategy to attract and retain customers. In addition, these materials are scratch-resistant and impact-resistant, guaranteeing a longer-lasting life than other plastic materials form elsewhere.

And environmentally, PET and PP plastics are biodegradable and can be dissolved under soil in less than ten years; they are thus very suitable for environment-sensitive countries such as Japan, the US and Western Europe.

Hip Lik has just introduced a ground-breaking die-cutting technology, "SmartKrease (SK)", from Japan. By applying this technology, the packages are easier to be folded as creases are softer. This technology also enhances exterior of the box by firming its shape, adding more attraction to the product inside. Now SmartKrease plastic packages are particularly popular among department stores in Japan.

At the moment, Hip Lik possesses the exclusive right to manufacture SmartKrease plastic packages in Hong Kong, the Mainland China and Taiwan.

Choosing the right material and the right creasing is the first step, selecting a printing method being the second. Offset printing, as Mr Suen recommended, is by far the most vivid colouring method for plastic packages. Offset printing allows photo-quality patterns can be printed on PVC, PET and PP. If customers want to dress up their packages, they may consider adding gold or silver foil to the surfaces. When the budget is tighter, customers are still able to choose traditional silk screen-printed PVC boxes. Everything is subject to their needs.

"Sticking closely to what customers really need is our strategy to win a bank of loyal customers," told Mr Suen, "One of our long-time customers told me that "buying from Hip Lik is just like buying from a shop across the street". His appraisal has now become an impetus for us to perfect our services."

Mr. Suen said that his customers greatly appreciate their prompt production and delivery services. It takes one day for responding to a quotation, less than a week for sampling, and some ten days for the manufacturing process. Finally the ready-to-use packages will reach the customers in the US or Europe in around 17 days.

Not only can customers make most of Hip Lik's timely delivery, but also its one-stop services. Mr Suen said customers could just hand in their product sample they want to wrap, while his company would be able to do the rest, including making a "blister" tray, suggesting suitable designs, drawing up a prototype and undertake the actual production.

Looking a bit complacent, Mr Suen added: "Most of our new customers contact us because they heard of our brand from their partners; hence word-of-mouth is our most effective marketing tool. Regular presence at Kenfair's Mega Show and printed advertisements on trade magazines, like MegAsia, could also generate new customers' enquiries."

The demand for plastic packaging is growing stronger in Japan, the US a well as Western Europe. However, the demand from the east and west is somehow quite different. He said: "Western customers would like to have square and big packages, but Japanese customers require something more than that. They demand more on design. Hip Lik is capable of satisfying the both though."

Many customers especially consumer product companies looking ways to reduce cost at every stage of their supply chain demand innovative and attractive designs as design plays a critical role in influencing consumer perception.

Faces with persistent challenges, Hip Lik has been cultivating close working relationships with customers and developing innovative packaging solutions and ideas.

Thanks to theshortened product life cycle, even those newly introduced products are conferred with a short time span. It facilitates Hip Lik to roll out more innovative packaging designs, such as environmental-friendly and customised containers, to capture the fast-rising but varied demand from manufacturers.

"Hip Lik banks on three ways to stay ahead of fierce competition: Product quality, one-stop customer services and a well-connected networks in the overseas markets, in which other competitors are lacking," Mr Suen concluded.