01SRP vs RRP: one idea, two names
ECR Europe's guide, written by retailers, manufacturers and packaging suppliers, uses shelf-ready packaging as its main term and says SRP is synonymous with retail-ready packaging (RRP) and with "ready to sell" (prêt-à-vendre in French). Its definition: a product that comes in a ready merchandised unit which is easy to identify, easy to open, can easily be put on the shelf and disposed of.
Some packaging companies draw a line between them. Smurfit Kappa, for one, says SRP is mainly about shelf replenishment while RRP also covers the supply chain before the shelf. You will hear both words on calls. What decides your design is the retailer's own packaging standard, not the label.
02The five requirements (the "five easies")
ECR Europe sets out five functional requirements. The first four serve store staff, the last one the shopper. Walmart's packaging director listed the same five in 2011 and credited the IGD network in the UK, which is why you will see them called "IGD's five easies" too.
| Requirement | What it means in the guide | What it means for your case |
|---|---|---|
| Easy identification | Product code, name, variant and best-before date readable, preferably on at least two sides | Print the SKU, variant and barcode on two faces of the case |
| Easy open | Opened without tools such as a knife, by one person | A perforated tear strip or knock-out panel that tears cleanly |
| Easy shelf | Goes onto the shelf in one move, without decanting single units, with no wasted air | Case sized to the shelf depth and height, product packed tight |
| Easy dispose | Flattens without tools, with as little material as needed | One material where possible, no plastic window glued in |
| Easy shop | Shopper can see and take the product; no technical labels or barcodes facing the shopper | Brand and variant on the shopper face, not plain brown board |
The guide also says 100% compliance with all requirements should not be a systematic target, and that the right answer depends on the product and the store. Treat the five as a checklist for trade-offs, not a pass or fail test.
03Formats
- Shelf tray or shelf-ready case: a corrugated case whose top or front tears away along a perforation, leaving a tray that sits on the shelf.
- Merchandising unit: a promotional display, dolly or full, half or quarter pallet that goes to the sales floor as a unit. Retailers set their own rules here; one US retailer does not accept quarter pallets at all. See PDQ displays.
- Reusable plastic tray: returnable plastic crates that are used again.
04What retailers ask for
Retailers publish packaging standards to vendors, some publicly and some only on supplier portals. Costco's 2010 structural spec, which is public, says packaging must be display-ready with no handling, merchandised on 48 x 40 inch pallets, and that non-compliant items risk deletion or a 2% chargeback. Walmart's public Supply Chain Standards (April 2026 edition) say its cases and trays include all RRP, SRP and PDQ style packaging; its private brands packaging director said in 2011 that the US had no formal public RRP position at the time, while Canada did.
If you are pitching a retailer, ask the buyer for the packaging standard in your first conversations, because it changes the case you quote. Ask about case pack (how many units per case), the shelf dimensions for your category and how they want the case opened.
05Does retail-ready packaging cost more?
Often the case does. ECR Europe's guide says SRP can in many cases add cost, through industrial investment or extra outer packaging: a custom die, perforations and print on more faces. The savings are in store labor and on-shelf presentation. The guide also reports that shoppers in an IGD survey of four European countries would not accept paying extra for it, so the brand and the retailer have to work out who carries the cost. Get two quotes: the shelf-ready case and a plain corrugated box at the same case pack, and put the difference into your landed cost.
06Who makes it
Corrugated box plants make shelf-ready cases; some also design them. Your product factory may source them locally and pack into them, which saves a step. The Vault in the Product Sourcing Secrets course lists packaging suppliers with contacts, and our packaging manufacturer list shows them by country.
07How to spec it with a supplier
A shelf-ready case is a dieline plus a case pack. Write these lines with the retailer standard in hand.
| No. | Field | What to write |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Retailer and standard | The retailer, the name and date of its packaging standard |
| 02 | Case pack | Units per case, and how they sit (facings, rows, layers) |
| 03 | Shelf limits | Shelf depth and the height the tray must stay under once opened |
| 04 | Opening | Tear strip, perforated front or knock-out panel, and which face opens |
| 05 | Board | Flute and board grade, white or kraft liner on the shopper face |
| 06 | Shopper face graphics, plus SKU, variant, barcode and dates on at least two sides | |
| 07 | Pallet | Cases per layer and layers per pallet on the retailer's pallet size |
Questions to ask the supplier
- What is your minimum for a custom shelf-ready case, and the price at two quantities?
- Do you test the tear strip so it opens cleanly by hand?
- Can you make a white sample we can load and test-open before print?
- Can our product factory source these locally and pack into them?
08FAQ
Q01What is retail-ready packaging?
An outer case designed to go on the store shelf as is: staff open it, often along a perforation, and put out the whole tray instead of stacking single units.
Q02What is the difference between SRP and RRP?
ECR Europe treats them as the same thing. Some suppliers use SRP for the shelf part and RRP for the whole supply chain. Follow your retailer's term.
Q03What are the five easies of retail-ready packaging?
Easy identification, easy open, easy shelf, easy dispose and easy shop. ECR Europe sets them out, and Walmart's packaging director credited them to the IGD network in the UK.
Q04What are examples of retail-ready packaging?
A cereal bar case whose top tears off to leave a tray, a tray of jars on a grocery shelf, a half-pallet display of a promotion, and reusable plastic produce crates.
Q05Does Walmart require retail-ready packaging?
Walmart publishes Supply Chain Standards for suppliers that cover RRP, SRP and PDQ style packaging. Ask your buyer whether your item must ship shelf-ready and which edition applies.