Retail ready packaging — sometimes called shelf ready packaging (SRP) — is one of those areas where the gap between what brands design and what retailers will actually accept can be significant. I've seen businesses get to the artwork sign-off stage before discovering their design doesn't meet the retailer's specific RRP standards.
Here's the ground-level view.
What Retail Ready Packaging Is
RRP is secondary packaging — typically a corrugated shipper or tray — designed so the entire unit can be placed directly on shelf without repacking individual items. The outer carton becomes part of the display.
The commercial logic: retailers reduce shelf-filling labour. Brands get branded secondary packaging visible at point of sale.
The Five Retailer Tests
Most major UK grocery retailers assess RRP against five criteria, often called the "five easies":
- Easy to identify — clearly labelled on all sides, including the top, so warehouse staff can find it rapidly
- Easy to open — perforations, tear strips or a scored opening that requires no tools and can be performed cleanly in seconds
- Easy to shelf — dimensions that fit standard shelf bays without overhang or modification
- Easy to shop — the opened tray allows customers to see and access product without obscuring adjacent lines
- Easy to dispose of — the tray should be collapsible, ideally single-material for recycling
If your design fails any of these, expect it to be rejected at buyer review or at trial store level.
Retailer-Specific Requirements
Every major retailer has its own RRP specification document. Tesco, Sainsbury's, ASDA, Ocado and the major discounters all differ in their requirements for dimensions, opening mechanism, minimum product visibility percentage and print area requirements.
The biggest variable is the opening mechanism. Some retailers want a straight tear-off top; others require a specific U-shaped or T-shaped perforation that leaves a lip. Some want the front panel to remain partially intact to act as a price-ticketing area.
If you're going into multiple retailers, you may need different RRP designs for different accounts. This is common and worth accepting early in the design process rather than trying to design a single unit that compromises to meet everyone.
Minimum Quantities and Cost
RRP almost always requires litho-laminated print (glued paper print onto corrugated) or flexographic print. Both have setup costs and minimum order quantities. For most printed shipper/trays, the economics don't work below around 2,000–3,000 units per run.
If your volumes are below that, a plain outer box with a printed insert card (tucked under the product) can achieve similar shelf-facing effect at lower cost, though it won't pass a retailer's RRP assessment as true shelf-ready.
The Design Sign-Off Process
Before any tooling or print plates are committed, ensure you have written confirmation from the buyer or the retailer's packaging technologist that your design meets their current specification. Requirements change — what was acceptable two years ago may not be now.
Always request the retailer's current RRP guide directly. These documents are not always publicly available but buyers should be able to provide them. If a buyer can't or won't supply it, that's a risk flag for the relationship.