Choosing the Right Pouch Packaging for Your Products

⏱️Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

A comparison of stand-up vs. flat pouches

While packaging might not be the most thrilling aspect of running a business, its importance is clear. The right pouch does more than just encase your product; it protects, highlights, and can even drive sales. Whether you’re choosing food packaging pouches for coffee or small sachets for bath salts, the decision between stand-up and flat pouches goes beyond looks. It’s about convenience, storage, brand identity, and, most importantly, what effectively caters to your product and your customers.

So, how do you find the best pouch packaging for your needs? Let’s dive into the pros and and cons of stand-up pouches vs. flat pouches to help you discover the perfect solution for your brand.

Stand-up pouches: Durable, spacious, and ideal for retail display

Stand-up pouches offer a sturdy and flexible packaging solution that excels in both function and presentation. With a bottom gusset that allows them to stand upright, these pouches are perfect for products that need a strong shelf presence. Ideal for a wide range of food and non-food items, they combine practicality with visual appeal. They are a top choice for brands looking to stand out in stores and keep contents fresh.

The advantages of stand-up pouches

• Outstanding retail presence: These pouches stand upright on shelves, maximizing visibility and making it easy for customers to find your product.
• Enhanced storage capacity: With a gusseted design, these pouches can hold more product, making them perfect for coffee, tea, pet treats, and snacks.
• Resealable features: You can order your stand-up pouches come with zip closures to maintain freshness, ideal for perishable goods.
• Protection from elements: Constructed with barrier layers that help keep contents stay fresh and guard against contaminants.
• Room for branding: The larger surface area allows plenty of space for branding elements, product details, and compliance information.
• Flexible display options: Certain sizes feature hanging options, providing retailers with additional display choices.
• Best suited for: Coffee, dried foods, powdered items, pet food, snacks, granola, nuts, and products that benefit from resealable packaging.

Flat pouches: Compact, lightweight, perfect for single-use

Flat pouches, often called pillow pouches, offer a simple and effective packaging solution. Without a gusseted bottom, they lay flat, making them perfect for lightweight or single-serving products. Commonly used for samples or single-use applications, these pouches provide a cost-effective choice for businesses looking to deliver flexible packaging.

Benefits of flat pouches

Cost-effective: A wallet-friendly option for businesses aiming to reduce packaging costs without sacrificing quality.

Perfect for small or single-use items: Excellent for sample packs, seasoning sachets, or small beauty products, enabling trial sizes or portion-controlled packaging.

Convenient storage & shipping: Their compact design minimizes shipping costs and storage needs, making them ideal for e-commerce.

Sleek, minimalist appearance: An ideal choice for brands that want a clean packaging look.

Versatile sealing options: Can be heat-sealed for tamper evidence or fitted with tear notches for easy opening.

Retail-friendly display options: Certain sizes include hanging options for enhanced merchandising opportunities.

Best suited for: Spices, seasonings, sample packs, bath salts, small beauty items, condiments, and flat-packed food products.

Material options for pouches

Avery custom pouches are available in high-barrier materials designed for optimal product protection:

High-barrier white film: This white film creates a strong barrier, keeping your products safe from moisture, oxygen, and light. Its clean, stylish look not only protects but also helps your brand shine and stand out on the shelf.

High-barrier transparent film: This clear transparent film combines excellent protection with product visibility. It safeguards contents against moisture, oxygen, and light while allowing customers to see the product inside.

High-barrier metallized film: This metallized film delivers excellent protection against moisture, oxygen, and light, all while showcasing a sleek, eye-catching appearance that enhances your brand and boosts shelf visibility.

Hang hole options

If your pouch needs to hang on a display, there are two styles of hang holes to choose from. The 0.31″ round hole is a simple, versatile option that works well for many retail environments. For broader compatibility with display pegs, the 0.39″ x 0.98″ Euro hole offers a more specialized shape that fits most standard hooks. Both hole types are positioned 1/4″ below the top edge of the pouch for consistent alignment. The Euro hole however, isn’t available on a few of the smaller pouch sizes.

Seal options

Sealing options help determine how your customer interacts with the pouch. A resealable zip adds convenience and keeps products fresh, allowing customers to easily open and close the pouch multiple times. This is a great option for items used in portions or that need to stay protected over time. If resealability isn’t needed, you can opt for no zip, which creates a tamper-evident pouch that clearly shows if it’s been opened before purchase—ideal for single-use or safety-sensitive products.

Which pouch is right for your needs?

The choice between stand-up and flat pouches ultimately depends on your product type, branding goals, and how you want customers to experience your packaging. Whether you’re looking for food packaging or solutions for crafts, consider the following:

Showcase vs. shipping: If your product is meant for retail display, stand-up pouches offer greater visibility. For lightweight or single-use items, flat pouches may be the more economical choice as they allow for more items in a shipping container.

Cost & volume requirements: If your goal is to optimize storage and minimize costs, flat pouches require less material and can be a more budget-friendly option.

Display preferences: For hanging displays, both stand-up and flat pouches offer certain sizes with round hole and euro hole options for more merchandising opportunitites.

No matter which pouch style fits your needs, we have you covered with custom stand-up pouches and custom flat pouches to fit your brand’s unique requirements. We offer high-quality, customizable packaging solutions designed to make your products shine while keeping them protected. And if you need help along the way, our Care Team is available to help you out at (800) 942-8379 or chat at avery.com.

Ready to take your packaging to the next level? Explore our custom pouch options here.