A ultra fine mist sprayer device is an integral part of the end-user experience. Think of it as a brand equity investment.

　　So, what goes into choosing the competitive advantage that is a fine mist pump and its manufacturer?

　　Fluid Check

　　According to the "Insect Repellent Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2018 – 2026" report by Transparency Market Research, the global insect repellent market is expected to reach $7 billion by 2026.

　　One of the report’s findings shows that “there has been a change in consumer demographics shifting toward use of natural insect repellent products such as essential oils that have low toxicity and do not harm the environment.”

　　On its face, that finding is sort of shrug worthy. When it comes to getting those new ingredients out of the bottle and onto a consumer’s skin, things get complicated. The pump has to work with the new fluid formulation it is going to dispense.

　　Brands should also request samples from potential suppliers so they can do their own testing to ensure that all parts of the fine mist sprayer are compatible with their fluids.

　　Pump failure due to component swelling is not an option when brands are working to capture or maintain share of this growing market.

　　MBUs and Consistency

　　Heavy.com, a news and information portal reaching 35 million unique visitors per month, conducted a review of 10 makeup setting sprays, rating them on factors including how well the spray pump worked. Seven out of 10 products were knocked because of the performance of the fine mist sprayer. Negative comments included “Nozzle doesn’t reliably produce a fine mist” and “Sprayer nozzle needs frequent cleaning to keep it misting properly.” And the praise for those with better sprayer performance? “Delivers an ultra-fine mist that dries quickly” and “Pump delivers a nice fine mist.”

　　Product managers should also be asking about a pump’s "strokes-to-prime” and “prime retention.” Strokes-to-prime measures how many times a pump has to be actuated (pressed) before product comes out of a sprayer. Prime retention determines how long a product stays within a pump engine so that if a consumer doesn’t use the product for a length of time she doesn’t have to re-prime the pump to get product to come out the next time she wants to use it.

　　You can get some [sprayers] that will pump several times and spray nothing, and then you get spurts on stroke four or five. Then you have times where something sits and the fluid runs out of the pump and back into the bottle, and you have to re-prime it.

　　While there is no campaign for fine mist sprayers, it is important to recognize they are an engine by design. Sprayers may look similar, but some are more advanced in their engineering and manufactured to a higher standard.

　　Can You Deliver?

　　He gives a hypothetical example: A product manager may have selected a pump manufacturer to work with a current 6"-tall bottle, but the marketing team is creating something larger for consumers or a bulk size for commercial users.

　　You need to understand some of the additional capabilities of the pump supplier to say that if something changes, [you are] not going to be left with a supplier who can’t deliver,.

　　He gave as an example the hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico and the southern U.S. in 2017.

　　“Products are no longer on the shelves [at stores],” he says. “I need to suddenly refill that stock. How do I do that?” One of the remedies he suggests is to ask about the preferred supplier’s subcontractors and the approximate additional capacity they can provide in a time of stress. “Understand what [the preferred supplier’s] supply chain can provide, so that if you are trying to draw on it, you know what their capabilities are,” Egan says. He also suggested putting suppliers through what he calls a supplier verification program. It ensures a supplier can do what they promised when you agreed to work with them.

　　This is as easy as calling the supplier and asking them to reroute a trailer load of product to a new location. “I have heard that companies are proactive about doing that not as a way to find fault with the supplier, rather as way to say, ‘We said that we chose you in part because of your capabilities here. We need to know that both our internal system and your internal system are able to do this,’” he says.

     Fortunately, Foam Pump Suppliers has the packaging and expertise it takes to identify the best, most cost-effective packaging solution for your needs. Check out our available packaging products online and contact us today to talk to one of our experts about your next packaging solution.