The COVID-19 situation has resulted in a lot of challenges for customers and businesses. During this time, e-commerce has come forward as a more prominent industry. The unprecedented growth in e-commerce is driven by the rise in demands as people had to remain at home and order online for products they needed. According to an estimate, online ordering has increased by 50%, meaning that the number of people getting products at their doorsteps is the highest one at the moment.
Now, you may wonder what all this means from the perspective of product packaging. Most companies use containers for retail products. Traditional retail distribution involves several steps, from preparation at the production line to palletizing to transportation before the product reaches a retail store. At the retail store, employees place these products on shelves, from where customers pick them up and move towards the checkout.
An e-commerce journey, on the other hand, is quite a rigorous one. Whether you are shipping beverage bottles, household products, or food items, you will have to make sure that your products are ready to endure the harshness that they may be subjected to during transit. You will need to stay away from the use of packaging materials that are vulnerable to damage during the journey. For instance, not covering aluminum cans can result in dents on them and glass bottles are prone to breakage.
Another mighty challenge is the potential chargeback by companies such as eBay and Amazon. If you have to use bubble wrap to secure your product for the shipping process, Amazon will charge back the cost to you. Sometimes, those additional charges can end up wiping out profits.
Furthermore, retails receiving your products will want your product packages to pass rigorous tests. Such tests could include drop and edge crush. They will give the product package a passing grade if it is successful at protecting the product inside. It will undoubtedly mean you will need to add more materials to your product packaging to make it secure for harsh environments.
Another challenge of e-commerce packaging is the need to maintain an exceptional unboxing experience. With e-commerce, you get only the product delivery as an opportunity to let your customers look and touch your product. This touch point cannot go wrong, or you will have a lost consumer. To make sure that your product can convince your consumer about your brand, you will need to take help from several branded packaging supplies that not only deliver the brand message but also instill positive emotions into your consumers about your product and brand. This aspect of e-commerce packaging is as crucial as package durability.
So, if you want your e-commerce product to be successful in the industry, you will need to stick to the packaging best practices. A balanced approach towards making the product packaging secure and branded is the bare minimum you have to achieve.
If you are struggling with finding the right e-commerce packaging solution, you may need to discuss your requirements with a qualified packaging consultant. Such a person or service will give you details about the best materials and how to use those materials for your branding advantage.
