Products used by trade customers might not need the branding components that hook consumers in retail stores, but the package still has to function optimally. Avlon Industries, Melrose Park, IL, faced that challenge with one of its best-selling products, Affirm Crème Relaxer, used in salons.

Because the product is intended for salons, package design previously had not been a priority. However, it became clear that the product’s package was inhibiting proper use by salon employees.

“Traditionally, we had just taped the 4-oz plastic bottles of Protecto pre-relaxer conditioner to the 4-lb buckets of Affirm,” says Zohaira Rizvi, Avlon spokesperson. “But after the tape was removed, the pre-relaxer bottle often was misplaced and never used. We knew there had to be a better way.”

Working with TricorBraun, Avlon created the “kangaroo tub,” a custom, high-density polyethylene, 4-lb bucket. The bucket includes a molded indentation where the Protecto 4-oz bottle snaps in place. The small bottle tucks neatly into the side of the bucket to make shipping and storage more space-efficient.

“This package delivers in several important ways,” Rizvi explains. “It makes assembly quicker and more efficient, it makes the product easier to use at the salon, and it enhances our company’s image as an innovative industry leader.”