Simon Astrop, Design Centre Manager for VPK UK & Ireland talks through why brand impact for e-commerce packaging is so important. 

How can corrugated packaging give the wow factor?

The growth of the e-commerce sector offers huge potential for the corrugated market and an eye catching printed box is now part of increasing brand awareness. With the ongoing pandemic, shopping online cuts out the instore purchasing experience, but it doesn’t mean that brands have to lose the wow factor.

The pandemic has seen a massive increase in the use of e-commerce, but what other reasons have enabled growth in this sector? 

YouTube’s ‘unboxing’ phenomenon involving excited consumers unwrapping and opening packages and capturing and uploading the experience on the web, brand owners are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of great e-commerce packaging. 

What kind of corrugated concepts help with brand impact? 

Corrugated  e-commerce packaging has to be able interact with the customer at the point of contact. If the box is decoratively printed inside it also helps brand owners and e-commerce retailers to visually compensate for any transit damage or creases that can occur to the outside of the box during the transport process. During the design process we can incorporate product protection with the added benefit of greater visual impact. Our inside printed boxes can currently be produced on B and RP flute corrugated for greater product protection, but still offers the customer numerous possibilities to promote their brand.
 

Over-packing is a concern. What can be done from a design perspective?

The sector is often criticised for ‘over-packaging’ products. There are bad news stories about unnecessary packaging, but overall with structurally engineered corrugated packaging over-packing is being eliminated and matching the packaging to the product will become even more pertinent as the e-commerce market continues to grow.  

What about building environmental considerations  into e-commerce design?

Environmental considerations are also pushing the demand for fibre-based e-commerce packaging solutions and offers brand owners and retailers a sustainable and easily recyclable way to differentiate themselves while acquiring market share. Corrugated offers an ideal solution for e-commerce – a sustainable but impactful opportunity to sell – and send a product.