With consumer segmentation accelerating, the target audiences for food and beverage brands are more diverse than ever—spanning generations, lifestyles, and value systems, with increasingly refined demands. Against this backdrop, how can packaging precisely resonate with the aesthetics and value orientations of distinct consumer segments? In the instant interplay between rational choice and emotional impulse, how can brands compel different groups to pause and engage? Grounded in consumer insight, brands can systematize color, structure, and cultural codes to build packaging strategies tailored to varied demographics and consumption contexts. 

Ten years ago, American Design Management Institute launched a decade-long study on the relationship between design and business performance. The results revealed a striking insight: design-driven companies such as Apple and Nike outperformed the S&P average by 211%. Design, therefore, is not just about aesthetics. It’s a form of productivity. Through real data and brand case studies, this session will uncover how integrating design into business strategy can transform creativity into brand momentum and sustained growth.

Research shows that purchase decisions made in front of the shelf are rarely the result of rational analysis. In fact, within just 0.3 seconds, the brain forms a subconscious judgment. Color, shape, material, and the way information is presented all influence how consumers instinctively perceive taste, quality, and trust.

This session explores packaging design through the lens of neuroscience, revealing how the brain processes visual cues, forms instant impressions, and drives purchase behavior at first glance. By analyzing popular packaging cases on the market, it uncovers what they get right at a perceptual level, while also highlighting "counter-intuitive" design pitfalls that can trigger instinctive resistance. Through this training, brand and design teams will learn how to communicate taste and value more effectively, making packaging work harder with less effort.

Nestlé is harnessing digital packaging to balance speed, cost, and personalization. Through digital twin technology, it builds 3D packaging models that can be instantly adapted for markets and campaigns, cutting photo-shoot costs and accelerating product launches. By 2027, Nestlé plans to create over 10,000 such models. Meanwhile, AI-powered QR codes transform packaging into an interactive gateway, delivering personalized recipes, product recommendations, and traceability. Packaging is no longer static—it becomes a dynamic interface between brand and consumer, and a new digital touchpoint for retailers.

According to the 2025 Emotional Consumption Trend Report, China's emotional consumption market is expected to surpass RMB 2 trillion by 2025. Consumers are no longer satisfied with material ownership alone—they seek self-expression, emotional resonance, and a sense of connection, and are willing to pay for experiences that bring joy and recognition. This shift is also shaping packaging design. From IP collaborations and dopamine-inspired color palettes to cultural motifs and traditional crafts, packaging now adds playfulness and emotional layers to everyday eating and drinking. 

McDonald's TableToGo turns the inconvenience of eating on the go into a playful interaction: with a simple fold, a stable table can be set up on roadside poles for a comfortable dining experience anywhere. Packaging shifts from mere container to functional tool, enhancing the mealtime moment. The concept boosted sales during Milan Fashion Week, went viral on social media, and won a 2024 D&AD Award. Starting from TableToGo, this session explores how interactive packaging can balance function and fun while generating lasting commercial value.

(Image source: Leo Burnett)

Make the product the main character, give it expressions and a setting, and hide a "tiny" bit of detail, then illustration can bring food to life. From HBAF nuts to SAJO’s 365.24 series, Korean designer Jung Eun captures brand personality through her human-touch illustration style. Within these cartoon figures, you can almost see the flavor, ingredients, even the making and eating process of the food itself.

(Source: HBAF)

In today's crowded shelves and visual overload, it has become increasingly difficult for brands to leave an instant impression. To overcome "visual fatigue," beverage brands like Minute Maid and other brands have introduced scented packaging with prompts such as "rub to smell." A burst of fruity or floral aroma matching the flavor delivers a moment of delight that embeds itself in consumers' sensory memory.

From scent selection to interactive cues, from shelf engagement to social sharing, this session explores how packaging transforms fragrance into a golden touchpoint that drives purchase, connection, and repeat sales.

Food is a natural bridge between cultures. Regional flavors, local ingredients, and craftsmanship inspire brands to tell cultural stories through packaging. Designers translate these influences into typography, color, and form, while brands explore shapes and materials to make culture tangible. From purchase to use, consumers can feel the warmth of culture and the soul of the brand in every detail.

Since its launch in 1971, Nissin Cup Noodles has sold over 50 billion units worldwide and generated $5.04 billion in revenue in 2023. Its packaging strategy combines series consistency with high recognition: a unified cup shape, logo placement, and core visual layout ensure instant shelf identification, while color coding, illustrations, and playful elements differentiate flavors and inject freshness. From localized designs reflecting cultural tastes to limited editions, Cup Noodles has evolved into a collectible icon. This session unpacks Nissin's design framework, showing how systematic yet creative packaging can deliver both global recognition and emotional engagement across diverse consumer groups.

(Image source: Nissin)

In membership-based retail like Walmart and Sam's Club, Retail Ready Packaging (RRP) and Products Display Quickly (PDQ) are standard. Growing twice as fast as conventional formats, they follow the "5 Easy" principles: easy to identify, open, shelf, shop, and dispose—streamlining stocking while boosting sales. This session explores why shelf-ready design is favored in global retail, what structural and informational elements matter most, and how RRP/PDQ packaging satisfies logistics, display, and marketing needs at once. 

Between 2022 and 2024, the share of innovative private-label products grew from 11% to 26%, making it the fastest-growing segment worldwide. From Sam's Club, Costco, and Aldi to Freshippo and Pangdonglai, retailers are rapidly building their own private-label portfolios. This session explores how packaging—through both materials and visual design—can help retailers establish private labels as trustworthy, recognizable, and competitive brand systems.

As product launch cycles accelerate and SKUs expand, packaging has become a key factor in both competitiveness and time to market. At FBIF 2026, in collaboration with the China Packaging Federation, brand owners and packaging equipment and material suppliers will discuss how co-creation, quality control, and technological innovation can improve the execution of packaging innovation and accelerate industry-wide progress.

Topic 1 | R&D Efficiency and Quality Control

As packaging innovation accelerates, balancing development speed with quality stability has become a critical challenge. How can brands shorten development cycles while building robust internal systems to reduce variability between pilot production and mass manufacturing?

Topic 2 | Co-Creation Across the Packaging Value Chain

Effective co-creation helps bridge the information gap between brand needs and manufacturing capabilities. By enabling packaging suppliers to understand real brand scenarios earlier and more deeply, collaboration can shift from passive response to proactive participation, improving solution relevance, response speed, and the overall pace from concept to mass production, while enhancing system-wide efficiency across the value chain.

Topic 3 | Technological Innovation and Intellectual Property Protection

As packaging structures, materials, and processes evolve rapidly, protecting innovation while maintaining open collaboration has become increasingly complex. Striking the right balance between knowledge sharing and confidentiality directly impacts R&D investment willingness and long-term competitiveness.