For years, e-commerce and packaging had been growing at a steady clip of about 4%—and then the pandemic happened, and that growth surged, reaching 30% in some national economies. In 2021, e-commerce accounted for 5.2 trillion US dollars around the world. And it looks like we’re only getting started. Statista forecasts that this figure will grow by 56% over the next few years until we’re looking at a market size of 8.1 trillion dollars by 2026.
Now, that there is no debating its significance, many retailers are racing to catch up. But what does packaging look like in this rapidly accelerating retail segment?
Are you brand new to the world of e-commerce? Are you pretty sure you’re going to need a corrugated box of some sort to ship your products? Here is a super-quick overview of the basics to help you get started.
It begins and ends with customer experience
When a customer orders your product via your e-commerce channel, what do they get? A plain cardboard box? Hopefully not!
Naturally, your e-commerce box gets your product from point A to point B. But it has another, equally important function: it delivers an experience. In fact, your box is the first physical experience the customer has of your brand. What do they see, feel, hear, smell?
When it comes to e-commerce boxes, these are the factors we know to make the biggest impact on customer experience:
- How easy is the package to open?
- What kind of special materials are inside the box (e.g., attractive inserts or fillings)?
- Was the shipping affordable?
- Are the instructions easy to find in the box?
Get repeat orders
When it comes to e-commerce, there’s so much you can do with packaging to encourage repeat orders. The rule of thumb is: to make the unboxing as memorable as possible. Some ways to make your packaging stand out include:
- Interior box print drives “wow factor”
- Beautiful folding cartons and retail boxes can create a luxurious feel
- Tissue paper and custom label enclosures add brand elements
- A custom message in your package with helpful information makes your customers feel special
- Additional information, such as adding a recipe with a food product, adds value
- Thank you notes, coupons, and samples also add value and something special to your package
Protect your product
To ensure your product arrives to your customer undamaged, always include product protective packaging. After all, the main job of a package is to protect the product. The materials must be durable enough to endure the whole supply chain and arrive at the customer’s doorstep looking presentable.
At GLBC, we have over 25 years of experience in helping our customers with packaging protection through our Shipping supplies and custom Protective packaging. Our in-house designed and manufactured protective packaging materials include:
- Cushion packaging, including custom protective foam packaging
- Paper-based honeycomb packaging
- Corrugated boxes, inserts & dividers
Our shipping supplies include:
- In house manufactured -biodegradable packaging peanuts
- Antistatic and recycled content foam rolls
- Antistatic and recycled content bubble wrap
- Kraft, newsprint & tissue packing paper
- Shipping Mailers (recyclable)
If you need to ask some questions about the type of packaging that best suits your customers’ needs, please reach out! We love problem-solving with e-commerce businesses.