Why use clear plastic clamshell packaging? As one packaging engineer succinctly posted on a blog, “It’s durable, it’s cheap, it protects the product well, and it prevents theft from the packaging.”
Let’s clarify these benefits:
Clear clamshells provide the perfect showcase presentation for your product, giving you the option of making it visible from all angles. Consumers prefer to see the “real” item they are buying over just viewing a picture.
Clamshells can be molded into almost any shape so it can easily be made to conform to your product, minimizing space requirements. This low wasted space helps with packing density when shipping the product, which translates into lower cost. The retailer gets high display density as well.
Multi-purpose and self-contained: Other plastic packaging types may require 2 or more materials which adds to cost (adhesives, clear plastic covers, additional padding, partitions, etc.). With one-piece clamshells, you get ideal product visibility, product protection, and in-store security.
They’re durable. Their solid, plastic construction gives them an advantage over folding cartons which can get damaged. Consumers often reject a dented box even if the interior is not affected.
Versatility: clams can be designed to hang on a hook or stand on a shelf, or BOTH!
Comparatively low unit cost considering all factors: materials, simplicity of assembly, product protection, in-store security.
Avoid package rage: Every product packaging project has its own set of tradeoffs. You can make it easy or difficult to open a clamshell depending on your sealing strategy. Is customer convenience more important than in-store security? Does the value and size of the product mandate a tamper-proof package that deters shoplifting? The latter is the objective of the notoriously frustrating ‘rope seal’ around clamshells coming out of China. Closures can be as simple as a button snap or involve heat sealing, sonic welding, or glue systems for added security.