The Four Pack Roles Framework: Entry, Routine, Upsize, Upscale

The pack roles framework assigns every pack in a portfolio one of four canonical strategic roles. Each role exists to serve a specific consumer target, shopper mission, and commercial objective.

Entry: The recruitment pack. Designed to offer an affordable out-of-pocket price that brings new consumers into the brand. It targets constrained shoppers, pre-family households, and impulse or routine missions. Typically a small format serving 2 people with a price index around 120 on a per-kg basis. Promo intensity is low -- EDLP is the preferred execution because Entry packs should always be accessible, not intermittently discounted.

Routine: The frequency driver. This is the core of the portfolio and the baseline for all price indexing. It targets cautious shoppers in family households of 3-4 people doing their weekly shop. Typically 4 servings, price index 100 per kg, and the most promoted pack in the range (Hi-Lo execution). The Routine pack is where head-to-head battles with competitors are fought.

Upsize: The weight-of-purchase driver. This pack rewards value-seeking shoppers with more product at a better per-kg price (index 70-85). It targets families of 4+ who are stocking up. Larger formats of 6-8 servings, available primarily through main estate grocery and online. The Upsize pack delivers the Triple Win: shoppers get better value, retailers get higher basket value, and the manufacturer triggers economies of scale.

Upscale: The premiumization play. It drives price per kg above the Routine baseline (index >120) by offering a "worth paying more for" proposition. It targets post-family, older, more affluent households or special occasion shoppers. Smaller formats (2-4 servings) with premium attributes. No deep deals -- promotional intensity is medium to low.

Pack Price Index = (Pack RSP/kg / Routine Pack RSP/kg) x 100

The Routine pack is always index 100. Every other pack role is indexed relative to it.

Target indices by role:
Entry: ~120 (higher per-kg cost due to small pack economics, but low absolute price)
Routine: 100 (baseline)
Upsize: 70-85 (the "incentive curve" discount that drives trade-up)
Upscale: >120 (premium justified by superior product attributes)

GP/kg by Role (typical frozen food):
Entry: Low-Mid (GM ~45%, but offset by higher per-kg cost of small packs)
Routine: Mid (GM ~38%, the workhorse margin)
Upsize: Low-Mid (GM ~35%, lower per-kg margin but higher absolute GP per transaction)
Upscale: Mid-High (GM ~48%, premium pricing creates margin headroom)

Trade Margin/kg by Role:
Entry: Low-Mid (TM ~55%)
Routine: Mid (TM ~50%)
Upsize: Low-Mid (TM ~45%)
Upscale: Mid-High (TM ~60%)

From a strategic PPA framework, the flagship Cod Fish Fingers range demonstrates a clear four-role architecture:

Entry -- 10 pieces (280g) at 2.70:
RSP/kg index: ~120 vs Routine. Targets 1-2 person households and constrained shoppers. High unit sales, EDLP execution. Entry share of portfolio: 12%.

Routine -- 15 pieces at 3.69:
RSP/kg index: 100 (baseline). The workhorse pack targeting family households of 3-4 on weekly routine missions. Highest unit sales in the range. Hi-Lo execution with regular promotional support. Portfolio share: 52%.

Upsize -- 28 pieces (560g) at 6.59:
RSP/kg index: ~75 vs Routine. Targets 4+ person households and value seekers doing stock-up missions. Low unit sales but high volume per transaction. Portfolio share: 15% (with XL stock-up >20pk at 22%).

Upscale -- not shown in the core Cod Standard range, but the playbook identifies this as a gap and opportunity. A premium "Omega-3 enriched" or "MSC certified premium fillet" variant at index >120 would fill this role.

The P&L profiles reveal the role economics:
Entry 10pk: GM 45%, TM 55% -- high margin per kg but low absolute margin per pack
Routine 15pk: GM 38%, TM 50% -- the profit engine by volume
Upsize 28pk: GM 35%, TM 45% -- lower margin rate but higher absolute GP per transaction
System margin split across the range: approximately 72% manufacturer, 28% trade.

Most companies already have a portfolio of packs. The problem is that nobody has explicitly assigned each pack a role. Without explicit role assignment, packs end up competing internally rather than serving distinct purposes.

The role assignment process from an industry PPA framework:

1. List every pack in the range with its weight, price, RSP/kg, and sales data.

2. Calculate each pack's price index relative to your most-sold pack (which is almost certainly Routine by default).

3. Check whether index positions match the framework: Entry around 120, Routine at 100, Upsize at 70-85, Upscale above 120.

4. Identify mismatches. The most common problems:
- Two packs doing the Entry job (cannibalizing each other at the low end)
- No pack in the Upsize window (missing the trade-up opportunity entirely)
- The Upscale pack priced at index 105 (not differentiated enough to justify a premium perception)

5. Conduct a Pack Roles Health Check as part of Step 1 of the company Six-Step PPA Process. This involves cross-functional alignment on which packs serve which roles and whether any roles are unfilled or duplicated.

6. Key rule: every role does not need to be filled in every channel. Discounters may only stock Routine. Convenience may stock Entry and Upscale. Main estate grocery should carry the full range.

Cross-lesson prerequisite — PPA Lesson 1 (Tiers):
Pack roles sit INSIDE price tiers — they are not a substitute for the tier diagnostic. Before assigning roles, the tier landscape must be mapped: Entry packs typically sit in the Value tier (PRI 0.7-0.9× category average) but with a high RSP/kg index (~120) within that tier; Routine packs anchor the Core tier (PRI 0.9-1.1×); Upsize packs sit in the Value or Core tier with the lowest NSV/kg in the architecture; Upscale packs sit in the Premium tier (PRI 1.2-1.5×). The NSV/kg measurement (not shelf price — see PPA Lesson 1 NSV/kg Tier Diagnostic concept) is what these indices apply to. A pack that "looks like" Entry on shelf price but has compressed trade investment may actually function as Routine on NSV/kg. Always check both lenses.