The first impression of a shipping package counts

The packaging creates anticipation for the contents. Zalando shows the way.Especially during the Christmas season, many consumers order their gifts online, which saves a lot of time and nerves. But gifts are not only given at home, people also like to give pleasure to business partners. In the e-commerce sales process, the moment when the customer opens the package is the most emotional, as Patrick Rauber, Managing Director of Brieger Verpackungen, points out. The packaging not only transports the goods, but the first impression also counts here. Depending on how the shipping packaging is designed, the recipient involuntarily draws conclusions about the sender, explains Susanne Würstle, Media Manager at Rajapack GmbH.The shipping packaging indirectly becomes the extended arm of a digital service and virtually the material figurehead of the online store brand, adds Marcus Jenne-Siebert, Assistant of Management at Storopack. However, it is still a long way to the happy recipient. Packaging in e-commerce has to meet a wide range of requirements.Low logistics effortE-commerce thrives on speed. This has meant that packaging has also had to adapt and take on a new role. For example, new challenges have arisen in the area of protective and transport packaging.Consumers expect more than ever that their order will reach them promptly and, above all, undamaged. "Due to the short delivery times and the low willingness to pay additional costs for transport security, the packaging must be optimally adapted to the processes in the entire picking and shipping process," explains Jenne-Siebert. Susanne Würstle from Rajapack also sees this problem: "In order to be able to pack with extremely low logistics costs, the variable-height carton, for example, is a solution." Patrick Rauber mentions another solution with the use of self-adhesive closures.More returnsMore online orders also mean more returns. The requirements here are also the same: it should be quick and easy. That's why packaging that already has the option of returns integrated is clearly in vogue. "This includes, for example, packaging with an integrated protective and cushioning function, such as cartons with nap foam padding, paper cushioning or membrane packaging," suggests Susanne Würstle.Away from cardboardAnother packaging solution for Würstle is the film mailer. She sees a trend away from cardboard, especially in textile retail. "Clothing is not sensitive to breakage or impact, but it is sensitive to moisture," says Würstle. There would be no problems with the low-regarded value in this industry. The film mailing bag is also very easy to return, thanks to a double adhesive seal and without the customer having to use any of his own materials. The film envelope is also more cost-effective - even for the end customer, because the envelope adapts to the contents of the goods.The traveling advertising space"We are seeing a steady increase in demand for printed standard packaging," says Würstle. Rauber and Jenne-Siebert also agree. As mentioned at the beginning, first impressions count. "That's why more and more online store operators want to make their packaging distinctive with a logo, claim or web address," says Marcus Jenne-Siebert of Storopack. Packaging, whether cardboard or film, has a significant influence on a consumer's brand experience and is being converted into a traveling advertising space.At Brieger, the share of individually printed packaging accounts for 20 percent. "This allows the advertising message to reach the company's own customers with pinpoint accuracy," explains Patrick Rauber. He cites the online fashion retailer Zalando as an example. In one campaign, the customer receives the printed package, recognizes her order in it and screams with joy.Nevertheless, one aspect is also decisive with personalized packaging. "Confidentiality and security must be guaranteed," says Susanne Würstle of Rajapack. Not all products should be recognizable at first glance. Many well-known brand products are therefore packaged in such a way that the brand is not visible from the outside to prevent theft or tampering in the mail. In such cases, the packaging is branded on the inside.Ecological and economical it must beIn addition to good looks, however, the quality of the packaging is also crucial. "If an online store promises high quality, this quality promise should also be directly or indirectly visible to the consumer in the packaging," says Marcus Jenne-Siebert from Storopack. If the delivered package shows damage, the consumer is more likely to associate it with the shipper and less with the parcel service provider. "Transport and protective packaging can thus contribute to a company's good reputation," explains Jenne-Siebert. For example, an organic online retailer could gain credibility if it used 100 percent compostable cushioning products as a top-fill solution.The fact that packaging must meet economic and ecological needs is also confirmed by Patrick Rauber from Brieger. "Customers want packaging that can be disposed of ecologically. At the same time, the carton should be easy to flatten. Foreign materials such as plastic handles are a nuisance and must first be separated," says Rauber. In addition, Rauber recommends using packaging for smaller goods that fits well in the mailbox. This eliminates the need to pick them up at the post office.Thinking aheadRauber sees the future of packaging in e-commerce in the printing sector: "Printing will continue to develop in the future. Marcus Jenne-Siebert points out that it is important to think beyond the traditional purchase of packaging materials and to consider the entire packaging process individually. "This is how the online store achieves long-term success." Especially in e-commerce, where the decision to buy is made on the computer screen, people tend to forget that the message and the brand must already stand out there. "The buyer decides whether to buy the product on the basis of an image. The first 'haptic' contact with the ordered goods is actually the shipping packaging. A possibly unconscious but lasting conclusion is therefore drawn from the shipping packaging to the ordered goods before the customer actually holds the goods in his hands," explains Susanne Würstle from Rajapack.Author: Melanie Granados