Retail Ready Packaging Toolkit - Edition 3

Recently the retail trade have reinvigorated and escalated the introduction of shelf ready packaging (SRP) formats within their respective businesses. SRP being the term used for transit packaging which can be used to display products on a shelf without removing the product from the container.

The ECRA Board endorses this updated and streamlined toolkit, focusing on shelf ready packaging.

Click here to download your free copy of the Toolkit

Click here to download SRP checklist

Click here to download Instore Audit checklist

Click here to download Financial & Sustainability Business Case Tool

Click here to download Financial & Sustainability Instructions

Click here to download the Trouble Shooting Guide for Shelf Ready Packaging

Global Protocol on Packaging Sustainability released

The Consumer Goods Forum announced the release of the Global Protocol on Packaging Sustainability (GPPS) to enable the consumer goods industry to better assess the relative sustainability of packaging. The aim of the GPPS is to help companies reduce the environmental impact of their packaging by providing a common language to address a range of business questions about packaging sustainability either within a company or between business partners.

The GPPS was designed collectively by a diverse group of retailers and manufacturers, aided by packaging material suppliers and packaging manufacturers and led by a steering team that included representatives from Wal-Mart Stores, Target and Tesco, and Kraft Foods, Procter & Gamble, Nestlé and Unilever. It is based on earlier packaging sustainability guidelines developed by the European Organization for Packaging and the Environment (EUROPEN) with ECR Europe and similar work on metrics for packaging developed by GreenBlue’s Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC). Use of the GPPS is free of charge from the project website- click here to access.

Data Crunch Report

The Impact of Bad Data on Profits and Consumer Service in the Australian Grocery Industry

In a report for the retail grocery industry prepared by GS1 Australia in conjunction with IBM and supported by AFGC and ECRA the data from three leading Australian retailers and four key suppliers was crunched.

The study suggests retailers are working with data that is inconsistent well over 80% of the time and the estimated cost of bad data is $1.035 billion over the next five years. Bad data has a severe impact on the industry in three main areas:

• Cost of manual workarounds to source missing data and correct errors 4%
• Administrative shrinkage costs in areas such as ordering and invoicing 31%
• Lost consumer sales through shelf stock outs 65%

The report highlights a number of data fields where error rates are problematic; draws conclusions on current industry work around practices; and most importantly delivers a call to action for the industry to adopt the Data Quality Framework (DQF).

The report supports an industry call to action to:

• Review the GS1 Data Quality Framework and employ it throughout your business.
• Develop capabilities to check and publish master data  though GS1net and using tolls available from GS1net certified partners.
• Work off a single repository that feeds all sales channels.
• Ensure proper security and governance as set out in the DQF.

The DQF can be downloaded from the GS1 website here.  

Click here to download the Report.

Getting the Best out of Pallet Labels - Toolkit

In a study conducted during 2010, 44% non compliance in pallet labelling was identified across the industry.  This significant level of failure is being seen by the retail trade as the biggest emerging issue in their respective supply chains.

To assist the industry understand and address this issue GS1 Australia in partnership with ECRA developed a toolkit of useful information, Getting the Best out of Pallet Labels. The contents of this toolkit suite are:

• Logistics Labels 2010 Status Report
• Getting the Best Out of Logistics Labels
• A Short Video on Label Positioning and Application
• Supplier Considerations for Pallet Label Quality 
• GS1 Logistics Labelling Service      

The toolkit can be downloaded free of charge from the GS1 Australia website here. 

Winning in January Toolkit

The Winning in January Toolkit is intended to provide guidance for improving product availability and delivering improved shopper satisfaction in the summer period generally and January in particular. It should be viewed as an adjunct, not an alternative, to the detailed internal and trading partner planning and deployment for January.

Use this report to:           

• Develop a January Calendar for planning key milestones
• Analyse products/categories that are particularly susceptible to poor performance
• Engage with trading partners on the demand, supply and delivery planning  
• Assessing performance

 Click here to download the Toolkit.