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FEATURE


FASTENINGS & ADHESIVES


THERE’S No goiNg back oN E-commERcE


With E-commerce sales growing rapidly, the ability to securely seal yet easily open a package cannot be undervalued. Ian Beresford, head of marketing & development at Essentra Tapes, explains how the EASILINER and Rippatape products are the ideal solution


T


he retail environment has never been more exciting. It’s more competitive but also changing more quickly than ever before.


As the E-commerce market matures, new and more innovative forms of packaging are creating opportunities to make the online retail experience more engaging, targeted and less wasteful. Done correctly, packaging for E-commerce


can have a hugely positive impact on the overall consumer experience, delivering many classic in-store elements, such as quality material and on-point messaging, right into their homes. If executed poorly, however, it can kill any


chance of repeat business. As a result, E-commerce retailers are


continuously trying to create a better consumer experience to foster their growth in this competitive market. Increasingly, package design is driven by


what a retailer or brand is looking for and what customers demand. On-demand experiences, transparency, and legislative requirements on the origin of products, have all impacted the need to find practical solutions.


Packaging is often thought about at the end of


the product development journey, but it should be considered initially. As part of the customer experience, the E-commerce package is subject to the same rigorous consumer demands they carry in a brick-and-mortar store. E-commerce businesses should see


packaging as a way to replace the shop floor experience and extend brand messaging into the home. It is both a marketing opportunity and a consumer engagement tool. For decades, retail packaging designers


have meticulously crafted packages that pop on the shelf and create positive customer experiences. After all, what matters most is capturing a consumer’s attention in a split second they glance down a store aisle. That is the moment of truth: the first part of your product that consumers experience. E-commerce offers consumers a convenient,


at-home or on-the-go shopping experience, often with more product information than a consumer could learn from packaging in a store. That changes your packaging strategy


“Concern over the environmental impact of products is an established


phenomenon, but since 2017 there has


been a revived interest in sustainability, focused specifically on the packaging”


and how you approach your goals. Although brand recognition is essential, the


main job of E-commerce packaging is to protect the product as it moves through the supply chain to the consumer. In a retail setting, an employee will carefully place an item on a store shelf to be in good condition when the consumer first interacts with it. When products are shipped directly to consumers, they are dropped into shipping bins with other products, moved in and out of trucks, and experience temperature, moisture, pressure changes, shock, and vibration. Though the journey to the consumer is much more rigorous, consumers still expect their products to arrive unscathed. With the trend of unboxing videos – in which


reviewers show the original packaging of a product and then open it to reveal the contents inside – and other social media reviews, consumers are highlighting beautiful packaging but commenting on damaged goods and the opening experience. E-commerce packaging must be multi-functional to meet these consumer expectations.


3 DESIGN SOLUTIONS NOVEMBER 2022 0


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