The e-commerce market has gone on to demonstrate robust growth in the years that have gone by, and to say its growing prevalence is going ahead and shaping packaging innovation like never before is no understatement.
Thanks to all the rapid advancements that are taking place in digital commerce, distribution, as well as print, packaging has become more footloose as well as fancy-free than before. Designers are empowered to build more unique and creative packaging due to the multiplication of smart devices that soak up all the once-required information that happened to stand in the way. They happen to be truly getting benefitted from the power of a blank canvas.
Because of this, the race to establish as well as cultivate partnerships along with producers that can manufacture packaging that is decent for business, needed by the consumer, and pretty good for the planet is one that not many can refuse to run.
It is well to be noted that when it comes to influencing customers’ purchase decisions, packaging is always going to be in the mix. And with e-commerce being in full flight, the barriers are well and truly off, to the extent that some observers go on to say that e-commerce packaging is around as significant as the product itself.
Hence, with packaging well and truly at the forefront and the requirement to invest in and come up with packaging that is shared as well as talked about on the merits of its design and that matches that emotional connection in a dominant virtual journey, what is halting us from going all out?
First never follows
In a fast-growing market that is saturated with competitors, businesses keen to adapt and adopt new inventions and also capitalize on trends will be successful.
When one goes on to combine strict regulatory needs with the rightly ambitious packaging objectives of e-tailers, not to mention the ever-rising consumer demand for sustainable packaging choices, packaging projects have gone on to become much more intricate but potentially rewarding terrain so as to navigate.
Then there happens to be the digital age that goes on to spur innovation within e-commerce packaging, with businesses of all types and sizes going all out and even experimenting with new materials, designs, as well as technologies.
The objective of brands has transitioned towards being more effective and sustainable, with significantly more stress when it comes to the customer experience. This much closer sync with the customer’s top priorities has not taken place all of a sudden, but one of the major takeaways from a learning curve that got kind of steep, quite quickly, in the years that have gone by is that the first or fast-mover advantage can indeed be massive.
It is worth noting that packaging continues to remain a golden opportunity to overtake the customer’s expectations. No longer does it happen that the product remains exclusive when it comes to consumers’ purchasing decisions, but rather eco-credentials, interactivity, as well as personalisation are consistently coming to the fore, and so much of all this does play out when it comes to product packaging.
As the bar goes on to remain high, innovation is going to be the key, and opportunities in order to connect and partner with industry leaders, innovators, as well as suppliers will go on to become more critical. One event that happens to be at the epicenter of all this progress is Packaging Innovations & Empack, an opportunity to dive into dedicated networking sessions as well as exchange ideas and insights with movers as well as shakers in the e-commerce space.
A sector that’s rising to many challenges
The e-commerce ecology of today, where virtually any product can be sold online, throws up a massive diversity of issues and requirements. From easy as well as reliable processing and safe and protective transportation to sustainable logistics as well as delivering an outstanding consumer experience, the push as well as pull of who thinks what works ideally can quickly go on to lead to bewilderment.
The fact that e-commerce packaging has gone on to morph from unpackaging a bland and regular box to successful brands looking to elevate their creative selves tells one all that needs to be known. Apparently, who would have thought the battle to come out strong and also retain customers would occur within the cardboard boxes?
Online retailers have gone on to quickly realize that they must gauge what the customer cares about most in order to elevate sales or maintain their present customers. It is indeed a compulsion from the offset in order to consider all the elements that make sure customers feel valued and, at the same time, get what they require from their experience.
Any prominent consideration will most likely lead brands to gauge how crucial it is to delight consumers with optimized e-commerce packaging. And when one goes on to consider that customers don’t depend on you, but rather that you are dependent on them, those who go on to fail to listen by-and-large have to pay the price.
The issue is that it is tricky to view success when it comes to packaging. It is even more challenging to articulate one’s vision beforehand in a boardroom. But, apparently, the fear of being left behind has gone on to cement its place on numerous business agendas as a point of discussion, at least.
The digital spectrum
Among the non-negotiables, such as safeguarding the product, elevating a customer’s experience demands more attention. It is not just about the operational aspect when it comes to preserving the product across the e-commerce supply chain; it is also about enhancing anticipation, excitement, as well as satisfaction as the product touches the point of the consumer. Because of this, more and more stress happens to get placed on the unboxing experience.
It is well to be noted that as digital screens and channels multiply beyond recognition, most of the brands tend to forget that their packaging happens to be their most powerful media.
It also goes on to create a distinct as well as easily recognizable identity, impart the value of a product, offer important information, and set consumer anticipation of a product.
Analysts go on to estimate that social commerce can go on to become a $11.1 trillion market by 2030; hence, meeting customers anytime, anywhere has gone on to rapidly become a reality. One just has to look at TikTok’s new e-commerce platform, named TikTok Shop, and how it helps the creators sign on to sell products right from the platform so as to witness first-hand the ratcheting up of pressure to pin the unboxing experience.
The role of packaging has evolved so much that it has even moved beyond unboxing. Videos of brands getting their boxes packed have become quite a thing. Unboxing and boxing go on to satisfy consumer curiosity and also create the level of emotional connection that many brands go on to chase.
The pack returns
As the market for e-commerce goods changes drastically and happens to be growing faster than ever before, so too happen to be the packaging methods as well as the customers’ values. E-commerce websites have gone on to become a prevalent choice when it comes to purchasing goods because of their convenience, which goes on to include direct-to-home delivery as well as easy product searching. Social media popularity as well as user-generated content have gone on to make them powerful tools, thereby offering a platform for discovery, customer engagement, and brand building.
But along with a rapidly progressing e-commerce sector comes elevated waste production in addition to the logistical needs for the millions of packages that are transported to customers regularly.
Due to this, packaging that seamlessly incorporates reverse logistics, which enables retention, reduces shipping costs, eradicates intricacies, and also makes operations seamless, happens to be highly sought after.
Apparently, as we all know, the only constant is change. But making sure that these changes are understood is indeed paramount. Which is where checking in on the growth of more than 400 exhibitors at February’s Packaging Innovations & Empack can go on to prove invaluable.
It is well to be noted that packaging will require to be crafted to leave a lasting impression on consumers, and there are numerous new ways to change people’s perception of a brand as well as spark dialogue. That is why it happens to be increasingly significant to partner with a packaging supplier who happens to design tailored solutions that go on to work in the supply chain and at the same time provide sustainable as well as fit-for-purpose packaging solutions. 
