Can a Pump Head Make or Break Repeat Purchases?

Three hours, from gut feeling to hard data — that's how long it takes to turn packaging experience into a rational conversation.

In recent years, the role of FMCG packaging has quietly shifted. Being loud on the shelf is no longer the only priority.

Consumers now expect the entire journey from purchase to unboxing to feel right: Is the opening ritual satisfying? Does it fit comfortably in your hand? Is the flow of use smooth? Does the design signal quality at first glance?

It's not just a fantasy. Some of the biggest brands have already caught on.

In 2025, Lay's launched its largest brand overhaul in nearly a century: designers used actual potato slices dipped in ink to stamp natural textures into the logo — a visual story told through packaging. Estée Lauder teamed up with Ladurée, the French patisserie, turning makeup into collectible macarons, each package dripping with the luxury of high-end confectionery.

Packaging has evolved from a container into a medium for deep consumer conversations.

At the same time, compliance hurdles are rising, export requirements are getting more detailed, and sustainability standards are tightening. Packaging has to not only 'talk' but also 'follow the rules.' A 2025 McKinsey survey of over 11,000 consumers across 11 countries found a structural shift: usability and durability are gaining importance.

A frontline salesperson once noted, "Good packaging 'sells' itself. Whether a pump head is easy to press can also determine a product's repurchase rate."

Creativity must talk to technology. Aesthetics must meet engineering. Concepts must battle costs. It's in this complex landscape that a practical industry forum becomes essential.

On July 1, at the Guangzhou Airport Expo Center, the 2026 iPDF International Future Packaging Expo will host the "Design-Driven Experience Future: Creative Design for FMCG Applications Forum," tackling key packaging design challenges head-on.

Design's Inner Work: From Subtraction to Activation

In the first half of the forum, three talks all turned their attention to the 'internal battlefield' of design — the daily choices designers face: how to cut, how to interact, how to sweat the details.

In an age of information overload, consumers' patience for complex design is plummeting. But 'simple' doesn't mean cheap, and 'refined' doesn't mean cluttered. Lay's case proves that restrained visual language can carry a richer brand story.

Photo: Previous FMCG application forum

Zhu Wenhao, general manager of Jingzhi Group's Shanghai Ziya brand marketing, will dissect how to use minimal structure to convey maximum brand emotion within limited design space. Behind that lies the trade-off between material selection, printing processes, and visual language — and how to use logic and data to convince brand managers to subtract when they demand more.

Labels, once the quietest part of packaging, are now the best digital touchpoints. The technology is mature, but the challenge is to make labels functional without ruining the aesthetics.

Chen Chuang, market technology director at Zhejiang Heyu Packaging Technology, argues: "Labels can't just be 'stuck on' — they have to 'come alive.'" From materials and processes, he'll explore how to get labels to truly 'join the conversation' and connect brands with users.

Sun Liwei, innovation director at Shanghai Yingyu (Yingshuo) Packaging Technology, will focus on "The Devil in the Details: Success or Failure Hides in Design Nuances."

This is the 'smallest' yet 'heaviest' topic of the forum. The spring-back force of a pump head, the flow angle of a bottle neck, the damping torque of a cap — these barely perceptible parameters can influence a product's final verdict in the consumer's hand, directly or indirectly affecting repeat purchase rates.

Three talks, from the surface of packaging design to the muscles and bones that truly shape user experience.

A Blueprint for the Future: From Tech to Trends

If the first half was about digging inward, the second half is about looking outward.

How does technology empower experience? Which way is the global wind blowing? How do industry leaders weave these threads into a workable net? These questions will be unpacked in the final 90 minutes.

Photo: Previous FMCG application forum

The precision skincare track is hot, but what really holds back experience upgrades is often packaging's ability to handle complex functions like 'mix-on-demand' or 'compartment preservation.' Xi Dawei, general manager of Mansheng Future Technology (Shanghai), will present the "White Paper on Multi-Chamber Packaging Technology and Customized Formula Applications for Precision Skincare" — not just the technical routes, but also cost-efficiency trade-offs, a must-read for beauty brand product development teams.

Mansheng Group, a global packaging leader founded in 1970, provides the engineering backbone for this white paper. Notably, Mansheng Future will also exhibit at the iPDF show, joining international heavyweights like Anomatic and Selig Group.

GlobalData, the renowned data analytics and advisory firm, is a key reference for industry decisions. Elyn Gao, its Greater China business director, will follow with "Global Beauty Innovation Trends," drawing from macro data and shifting consumer behaviors.

What tech can do and what the market needs — innovation is never a single-dimensional breakthrough; it's the precise meshing of technical capability and consumer insight.

The forum will wrap up with a panel discussion, hosted by Guo Xiaojun, senior packaging development manager at Beiersdorf (owner of Nivea and Eucerin). Deep in frontline packaging development, he has a pragmatic view on how to smoothly transition design creativity into mass production. The pain points with no standard solutions might find their optimal trade-offs in this conversation among veterans.

From concept to detail, from tech to trends, and finally into a dense practical dialogue, the forum forms a complete cognitive chain. It doesn't promise a one-size-fits-all answer — just a fresh collision of ideas for every attendee.

July 1, Guangzhou Airport Expo Center, Forum Area 1. If you're stuck on a packaging design problem, or just curious to see how peers are breaking through, free up that afternoon. Maybe one small detail will change the trajectory of an entire product line. Click to register.