By BCI
19 January 2023
When the Covid-19 pandemic shut down malls and department stores, the world turned to ecommerce to satisfy their retail appetite. Overnight, consumers revolutionized how they ordered products online, blasting ecommerce decades into the future.
Suddenly, blasé brown packages went from standard fare to anticlimactic. Products that failed to arrive in one piece went from mildly frustrating to downright unacceptable.
The pressure was on for brands to find new ways to nurture authentic customer relationships and differentiate themselves from the pack.
Today, savvy brands know that ecommerce packaging isn’t just about the container. Instead, packaging designs are evolving into opportunities to create an experience and forge relationships with customers in innovative ways.
So what packaging trends are ruling ecommerce as we head into the new year? Here’s what brands can expect to see the competition doing in 2023.
@juleskalt♬ original sound – Julie
Think of how our grandparents’ generation used to experience a day of shopping. The purchasing journey began when they walked into the store and ended with a smiling clerk at the checkout counter.
But the massive surge in online purchasing heralded a new era for the buyer’s journey. Now, the journey begins online and ends once the customer unboxes their package in the comfort of their home. Their journey with your product hangs in limbo as they wait for their parcel to arrive on their doorstep.
But once it does, their journey with you resumes, and innovative brands are getting creative when it comes to making the most of it.
Expect to see more brands experimenting with packages featuring QR codes and promotional offers that engage directly with customers. For example, QR codes can link customers directly to informational videos and social communities, while surprise offers invite customers to keep coming back for more.
Packages are becoming an important chapter in how brands tell their story. Your packaging signals everything from your values and identity to the kinds of experience you want customers to have with your products.
With more customers looking to minimize their environmental impact, opening a package made from non-degradable plastics will water down the experience. Using minimalistic, corrugated packaging made from recycled materials is an increasingly popular way to let your audience know you care about the environment.
Corrugated packaging doesn’t just help the earth — it enables you to flex your brand’s creative muscles, too.
We love the story this package is telling!
Digital printing offers endless possibilities for the colors, imagery, and messaging your brand can include on its packaging. Brands are taking visual narratives to new levels by including customized messaging and eye-catching graphic designs.
Just be sure your creative efforts serve to enhance your products rather than distract from them.
Don’t get it twisted—your package exists, first and foremost, to protect what you sell. Form must meet functionality for your eCommerce package to get the job done right.
Show respect for your products and customers by investing in high-quality packaging that ensures your products arrive as intended. If inferior packaging results in a slew of damaged product complaints, the effect can devastate your brand’s reputation.
Well-crafted packages protect your products and your brand, so choose materials that help you tell your brand story AND preserve your reputation. For example:
Double sided printing makes anything possible with these popular ecommerce subscription boxes!
You take a lot of pride in your products—we do too. That’s why we design our packaging to be an extension of your brand. Corrugated packaging protects your products in transport and allows you to customize your packaging, so it always represents your unique brand perfectly.
Learn more about how BCI can help you create beautifully branded ecommerce packaging today
