Packaging Solutions That Help Beverage Brands Stand Out on Retail Shelves
By Kerrin Martin 23-06-2026 8
Walk down any beverage aisle today and you'll notice something interesting — there's a lot going on. Hundreds of cans, bottles, and multipacks compete for your attention within a few feet of shelf space. Brands spend months perfecting their flavor profiles, but here's the thing: if your packaging doesn't stop someone in their tracks, none of that work matters.
The retail shelf is the final battlefield. And increasingly, packaging isn't just about keeping your product safe in transit — it's a full-blown marketing tool.
Why Packaging Has Become a Brand's Most Important Asset
Think about the last time you picked up a drink you'd never tried before. Chances are, the can, label, or carrier caught your eye first. That's not accidental. Beverage brands know that first impressions happen in seconds.
The global beverage packaging market was valued at $157.73 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $222.08 billion by 2030. Behind those numbers is a simple truth — brands are investing heavily in packaging because it works. It shapes perception before a single sip is taken.
What's changed in recent years is how brands are using packaging. It used to be about protection and transport. Today, it's storytelling, experience, and shelf presence all wrapped into one.
The Role of Multipack Packaging in Retail Visibility
One of the most underrated packaging decisions a beverage brand makes is how it bundles its cans. The difference between a lone can sitting on a shelf and a crisp, well-packaged multipack is enormous — not just aesthetically, but commercially.
Multipacks take up more shelf real estate, which directly translates to more visual presence. A shopper scanning an aisle sees a 6-pack ring holding cans together as a unified product, a single brand moment rather than a loose cluster of containers.
That's where can rings and plastic carrier solutions come in. They've been a staple of the beverage industry since the 1960s, and for good reason. They're lightweight, cost-effective, easy to apply both manually and through automated systems, and they do something packaging designers rarely credit them for: they present the can art front-and-center, unobstructed.
Unlike cardboard boxes that wrap around cans and block the label, a plastic can ring lets the product's own design do all the visual work. Your artwork, your colors, your brand — all fully visible to the shopper without anything getting in the way.
Small Brands, Big Opportunities
Here's something worth knowing: it's not just the major players who benefit from smart multipack packaging. Craft breweries, independent soda brands, and emerging RTD (ready-to-drink) beverage companies are some of the biggest winners when they get this right.
The RTD category alone grew in 16 out of 20 monitored global markets in 2024, making it one of the fastest-growing beverage segments around. Many of these products launch in cans — and when they hit retail, how they're packaged matters enormously.
For a craft brewery or startup brand, every dollar in the packaging budget has to work hard. Can rings offer a practical advantage here. They're affordable at scale, universally compatible with standard 12-oz cans, and simple enough that small operations can apply them without industrial machinery. Yet they immediately give a product a polished, shelf-ready look that consumers associate with professionalism and quality.
Packaging, done right, levels the playing field. A craft beer in a thoughtfully packaged 4-pack can sit comfortably next to a major label and hold its own — because the consumer judges what they see.
Format Flexibility Is a Competitive Edge
One thing brands are learning quickly: different retail environments call for different packaging formats.
Convenience stores want quick-grab formats. Grocery chains want clean shelves with consistent multipack sizes. Specialty bottle shops want something that feels premium. A brand that can operate across all of these spaces needs packaging solutions that flex with them.
This is another place where can rings earn their keep. Whether a brand is moving 4-packs at a corner store or 8-packs at a big-box retailer, ring-based carriers adapt without requiring completely different packaging infrastructure. The same applicator machine, the same rings, different pack configurations. That kind of operational flexibility isn't glamorous, but it saves time and money at scale.
Sampler packs are also growing in popularity — especially in beer — as a way to introduce consumers to new SKUs while bundling existing favorites. Ring carriers make this easy. You can mix can variants within the same pack and hold them together cleanly, giving the shopper a visual cue that this is a curated selection, not just a bulk purchase.
What Shoppers Actually Respond To
Let's talk about buyer behavior for a second, because this is where packaging decisions really need to be grounded.
Modern consumers are making faster purchasing decisions than ever before. They scan shelves rather than read them. Bold colors, clean formats, and intuitive packaging design are what cut through. One industry study found that packaging's role as a brand differentiator has only grown stronger as beverage categories have become more crowded and blurred.
What does that mean in practical terms? A multipack that looks tidy, coherent, and easy to carry will outperform one that looks like an afterthought. Shoppers associate clean packaging with quality inside. It sounds surface-level, but it directly influences purchase behavior.
Ring-based can carriers also solve a consumer frustration that often goes unspoken — carrying awkward multipacks. Anyone who's ever tried to lug a loose 6-pack across a parking lot knows the struggle. Can rings with finger holes make the carry comfortable and secure, which matters at the moment of decision. If a shopper can visualize themselves easily carrying the product to their car, they're more likely to grab it.
Durability Matters More Than People Realize
A packaging format needs to survive more than just shelf life — it needs to handle the full journey from production to the consumer's fridge.
Plastic can rings are engineered for durability. They hold cans securely through stacking, refrigerated environments, and the kind of rough handling that happens in distribution. Unlike cardboard carriers, plastic rings don't warp or lose structural integrity when exposed to moisture — a real concern in coolers, wet grocery sections, and outdoor event environments.
This durability isn't just functional. It protects brand presentation. A waterlogged cardboard carrier looks defeated on a shelf. A plastic ring carrier looks the same whether it's been in a cooler for two hours or sitting on a dry shelf for two weeks. That consistent presentation is something brands can count on.
Photodegradable Plastic: A Practical Approach
The conversation around plastic in packaging is real, and brands are paying attention. But it's worth understanding what the innovation space actually looks like for plastic can carriers — because the story is more nuanced than "plastic bad, paper good."
Modern photodegradable plastic rings — like those offered by Mumm Products — are engineered to break down when continuously exposed to outdoor elements, reducing long-term environmental impact while maintaining full performance throughout the product's retail life. This is a meaningful development, because it addresses environmental concerns without sacrificing the practical benefits that make plastic rings such a reliable carrier format.
These rings are also compatible with automated applicators, which matters for beverage brands operating at volume. Efficiency in packaging lines translates directly to cost savings and output consistency — both critical at scale.
How Packaging Decisions Connect to Brand Identity
Here's a thought that doesn't get raised enough: your packaging decisions say something about your brand, even when you're not trying.
A brand that uses clean, durable, well-designed multipack carriers communicates that it cares about the consumer's experience end-to-end. It's not just about what's inside the can. The way those cans arrive in someone's hands — together, secure, easy to carry — is part of the brand experience.
Beverage companies that understand this invest in their packaging infrastructure early. They don't treat carriers as a commodity afterthought. They think about how the full package looks on a shelf, in someone's hand, in a cooler at a summer gathering.
The shelf moment is just one touchpoint. The carry, the unpack, the first impression at home — packaging shows up at all of them.
Practical Steps for Brands Looking to Upgrade Their Shelf Presence
If you're a beverage brand revisiting your retail packaging strategy, here are a few things worth thinking through:
Audit your current shelf presence. Stand in the aisle and look at your product like a stranger. Does it command attention? Is the multipack clean and easy to read at a glance?
Consider the full retail journey. How does your packaging hold up from the warehouse to the cooler to the checkout counter? Durability matters at every stop.
Match your pack format to your channels. A 4-pack works differently than an 8-pack in different retail environments. Think about where your product primarily lives and whether your current format serves that context.
Don't overlook the carry. Consumers notice when a multipack is easy to grab and carry. Ring-based carriers with built-in grip points make a practical difference that shows up in repeat purchase behavior.
Work with suppliers who understand your category. Not all can ring suppliers are the same. Suppliers who specialize in beverage packaging — and offer multiple ring formats, photodegradable options, and machine compatibility — give brands more flexibility as they grow.
Final Thought
The retail shelf is where all the work comes together. Years of recipe development, branding decisions, and distribution hustle all come down to a shopper glancing at a section and deciding in about three seconds whether to reach for your product or keep walking.
Packaging is what earns that reach. And for canned beverages, the multipack carrier — simple as it might seem — is one of the most powerful tools in that packaging toolkit.
Brands that take it seriously, that choose carriers built for durability, flexibility, and clean visual presentation, are the ones that show up well on shelf, every time.
