5 Reasons Reclosable Packaging Will Make Consumers Love Your Brand

Reclosable packaging isn’t a new concept—people have been using it in various forms for more than a century. Think of the Mason jar, introduced in the 1800s, or the classic cork that’s sealed wine bottles for generations. These early solutions speak to a longstanding consumer need: the ability to help preserve freshness and protect products after opening.

For modern packaging solutions, we’ve known reclosability is important to consumers for decades. A New York Times article from 1982 cited a study indicating how shoppers viewed the lack of reclosable packaging as a “major problem.” Even then, consumers were voicing their expectations for packaging that supported convenience and product longevity.

Fast forward to today, flexible packaging continues to see impressive growth thanks to its lightweight, space-saving, and resource efficient benefits. As more consumer-packaged goods (CPG) brands switch from rigid to flexible packaging formats, the demand for easy-to-use reclosable features also increases.  

Reclosable vs. Resealable Packaging: What’s the Difference?

While the terms “reclosable packaging” and “resealable packaging” seem as though they could be used interchangeably, there is a very important difference. Resealable flexible packaging implies a method in which a package would be able to be hermetically sealed again after it’s been initially opened. The hermetic seal on a flexible pouch provides the ability to maintain a modified or protected atmosphere—but once the package is opened for the first time, it loses that ability.

Reclosable flexible packaging, on the other hand, implies that a pouch can be reclosed through the use of a zipper or slider. A quality closure helps slow the exchange of air and moisture, but it cannot revert the package back to its original atmosphere before the hermetic seal was broken. Even without providing a hermetic seal, reclosable packaging delivers impressive benefits in product protection, convenience, and source reduction.

If you’re still on the fence about whether investing in reclosable packaging for your CPG brand is worth it, keep in mind that your consumers expect it. And when they find packaging that makes their experience better, they’ll remember it—and your brand.

Here are five reasons why customers value flexible packaging with added reclosablility:  

1. Reclosable Flexible Packaging Helps Extend Product Shelf Life

What consumers see as the biggest benefit of reclosable packaging should be no surprise. People love how it can help keep their food fresh, preserving it and potentially extending its shelf life.

For food items that are typically enjoyed over multiple servings, a zipper or slider can help protect food quality by keeping the package closed between uses. Even for products that already have a long shelf life, like chocolate, consumers may perceive reclosable flexible packaging with increased freshness.

Closures like zippers and sliders are commonly found on products like deli meat and cheese. They are also ideal for standup pouches. However, as more sectors adopt reclosability, consumers will start to expect this convenience on all sorts of products. Reclosable packaging can help keep cereal and chips crispy instead of becoming stale, prevent frozen food from getting freezer burn, and help keep dog food fresh.  

2. Reclosable Packaging Reduces Waste

Americans create a lot of waste. The EPA estimates the typical person generates about 4.9 pounds of waste per day. In terms of food waste, the National Resources Defense Council estimates that approximately $165 billion of food gets tossed each year due to passing expiration dates and loss of product freshness.

At the same time, many consumers have a growing awareness of their impact on the environment and want their purchasing decisions to support their belief in cleaning up the planet. This is especially true among Millennial and Gen Z shoppers, who are more active than older generations when it comes to addressing environmental impact.

Reclosable packaging not only helps reduce food waste at home by slowing the exchange of air and moisture, it can also help reduce time and waste by eliminating the need for additional storage containers.

The Fresh-Lock team believes in reducing waste for a greener planet. That’s why we introduced our reusable Zipper Spool Program, which allows manufacturers to easily reuse or recycle Fresh-Lock^® zipper spools once the closures have been used up. We do this without creating a cost burden for converters.  

3. Reclosable Packaging Adds Value

Don’t forget, your packaging is an essential part of your product. A well-desgined flexible pouch can help convince consumers that what you’re offering is worth their hard-earned dollars.

Reclosable features are consistently recognized among the most important attributes of flexible packaging. As the market has grown, so have consumer expectations for functionality like reclosability, product protection, and ease of opening—all of which are benefits that the right type of closure. can deliver.    

4. Reclosable Packaging Sets Your Brand Apart from the Competition

If you’ve taken a walk through a supermarket lately, you know that consumers are facing an overwhelming number of choices. People encounter so many varieties of nearly every type of consumer-packaged goods it’s mind boggling.

So how does your brand get noticed amid all the noise?

A feature like reclosability could easily give your brand an edge over competitors’ products sitting next to yours on the shelf. Consumers may not be able to taste, smell, or feel the product inside the package until they buy it. However, when they notice a convenient closure, they know they’re getting specific benefits right away. A reclosable package is also a hint to consumers that there’s a higher quality product inside. Calling out this feature on the package can help catch their attention and influence the purchase decision.  

5. Reclosable Packaging Helps Make a Homeowner’s Life Easier

Your customers are busy. We’re all busy. Sometimes small conveniences can save time and make a big difference. Searching through the cupboard for a matching top to that plastic container and trying to find a chip-clip or twist-ties in the junk drawer can be frustrating. When a package has its own closure, there’s no need to search for anything.

The Fresh-Lock team makes zippers with audible and tactile sensory features. The Fresh-Lock® Click ‘N Lock® zipper makes a slight popping noise, which lets users know when a pouch is opened and makes them feel confident it is securely closed. That’s a simple way to help make sure they seal in freshness and avoid spills.   Sliders are also a convenient option, especially because they could make your products even easier to reclose than traditional press-to-close options.  

A New Benefit – Child-Resistant Flexible Packaging

Of course, there may be times a consumer doesn’t want a package to be easy to open. Sometimes consumer safety is an issue, especially when it concerns protecting small children.

We’re proud to be the first to provide a child-resistant slider to the packaging industry. In 2014, we launched the groundbreaking Child-Guard^® technology at Pack Expo International. Child-Guard^® can help keep curious kids out of packages containing things that could be potentially harmful. Watch the animation below to see how the closure works:  

How the Child Resistant Child-Guard^® Slider Works

One of the most common applications for Child-Guard^® is laundry SUDs (soluble unit doses). Child-resistant closures have the potential to impact many other product types. Possibilities include lawn and garden, pool chemicals, nutraceuticals, and medicines that use flexible packaging. Review all of our child-resistant applications.

View the complete line of Fresh-Lock® offerings or contact our team today to learn more about the difference reclosable flexible packaging can make for your brand in driving consumer loyalty.

This blog was originally published on 9/22/2016 but updated and refreshed on 7/24/2025.