This research investigated the role that packaging can play in reducing shrink. Adopting a case study methodology, the researchers followed products and identified types of packaging that created shrink because: it could not withstand the supply chain journey to the store; made it hard for retail employees to identify particular products; or made it very difficult to apply product protection interventions.
The report brought these findings to life with real world examples, and recommended that to improve packaging, there needed to be a collaborative and structured approach to improvement, with a focus on new initiatives where anti-shrink elements can be ‘designed in’, thus helping to prevent losses before they can happen and avoiding expensive retrospective application.