The 'Big Squeeze'

Consumers who love squeeze bottles say that they work really well and do everything they are supposed to do.

"Squeeze bottles are just great for catsup, mustard, mayonnaise."

"Upside-down bottles are a great idea, much better than shake and maybe pour."

Other consumers see (and squeeze) differently:

"Guldens Mustard- half the mustard stays in the squeeze container."

"French's mustard--you squeeze the bottle and the printing on the front slakes off on your hands."

The squeeze-lovers see squeeze bottles the package of choice for all liquids! The squeeze haters, who feel they only work well at the beginning and make messes once they are half empty, would have fits at this idea!

In addition to the written messages, squeeze bottles carry unwritten messages that say "Easy" and "Comfy-Squeezy." These are desirable messages to be sending today's shoppers, because anything that eases some of the stress in today's world has an extra measure of appeal.

Besides their sensory and touchy-feely appeals, most squeeze bottles do most of the things that shoppers have been asking packages to do--and do it well and without a lot of fanfare. They are generally: Easy to grip; Easy to grab; Easy to open; Easy to reseal; Easy to control; Easy to pour; Easy to squirt; Easy to keep clean; Easy to read; Easy to store; Easy to carry; Easy to use; Easy to purse or pocket; and Hard to break!

Notwithstanding the "big squeeze" title of this column, the squeezes that satisfy aren't all big. Little squeeze bottles are pleasing shoppers just as much as big ones. Shoppers are pleased with squeezers in a range of categories including: Baby bottles; BBQ sauce; Body care; Cough syrup; Dish detergents; Eye, ear, nose drops; Face care (Olay); Hair care; Honey; Ketchup (both upright and upside-down bottles); Kids' drinks (Belly-Washers); Mayonnaise; Medicines (Pepto-Bismal, Kaopectate); Milk Chugs; Mouthwash/Toothpaste combo; Mustard; Oils; Salad Dressings; Sauces; Scrubs; Sunscreen; Syrups; and Vaseline.

In 2005, squeeze packages sound soft and tender, almost as good as hugs. The squeeze experiences take us 20 years back to John Naisbitt's Megatrends, the book which introduced the concept of balancing an increasingly high-tech world with high-touch products. With so much going for them, squeeze bottles may be an important part of the high tech/high touch or yin/yang balance for the 21st Century.

Have you given your consumers something to squeeze today?

The author, Mona Doyle, is the CEO of The Consumer Network Inc., an organization that regularly takes the pulse of consumers on packaging issues. She publishes The Shopper Report newsletter. Contact her at 2401 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 2A4, Philadelphia, PA 19130 Phone: 800-291-0100; E-mail: Mona@ConsumerNetwork.org

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