Packaging and e-commerce: consumer trends and requirements | RAJA

Today’sconsumers are willing to use greener products to reduce energy use and protect the environment while saving money. Because of this change in mentality,companies are facing new consumer demands.

How the packaging industry and e-commerce companies must adapt to meet these demands? The new demands of the packaging sectorWhile online sales are exploding, growing by about 14% per year, the global packaging market is being challenged. Current environmental issues are forcing the industry to reinvent itself, and to communicate more on the components of their packaging.As the use of eco-packaging becomes a societal issue, it’s also a new way of

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• Annual increase of 14.3% in online purchases;
• Average amount of a transaction: €65.50;
• A French person orders on average 33 times a year on the Internet.

les ventes m-commerce (réalisées via un Smartphone) bondissent également de 38 % entre 2016 et 2017 [source: FEVAD]

Des modes de consommation qui évoluent, donc, et qui galvanisent le marché de l’emballage carton.

Des enjeux émergents pour l’industrie de l’emballage

L’industrie française de l’emballage se chiffre en 2018 à 23 milliards d’euros.

L’Hexagone est par ailleurs le troisième exportateur mondial, mais sa production reste majoritairement plastique.

Le carton représente pour sa part 31 % de la production industrielle d’emballages.

Le marché du cartonnage en France est donc solide, et devrait permettre de répondre non seulement à la demande des clients en termes de qualité, mais aussi aux réglementations en vigueur visant à défendre notre environnement.

Selon un sondage mené par nos soins :

65 % des clients en ligne estiment qu’un bon conditionnement est une preuve que le commerçant leur accorde une grande importance

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• The aestheticquality of the packaging;
• The safety of the packaging;
• The use of eco-packaging.

the new challenges for packaging in 2018

The challenges of 2018 are paradoxical. Consumers want to be delivered quickly, and to be able to order all types of products online – increasing the number of parcels to be produced. On the other hand, we are entering an era of more responsible and environmentally friendly consumption.The e-commerce packaging market in France must therefore focus on developing sustainable packaging solutions, while not denying its primary mission: to protect shipments.

Protecting products and people

Guaranteeing the integrity of the products that you deliver to customers is an essential part of your business as a carrier. Your reputation is at stake. In this respect, professional packaging must have two essential qualities. It must allow

• Fight against external aggressions (theft, shocks, light);
• Guarantee optimal product preservation (sterilisation, modified atmosphere).

at a time when more and more people are buying food on the internet, it is necessary to actively combat food waste and to think about innovative packaging solutions. It is clear that these requirements will increasingly affect all packaging, including shipping packaging. For the time being, and as we have already discussed, the market share of plastic in the packaging industry remains high.

Environmental protection

A major issue in 2018 and in the years to come: environmental protection.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that 32% of plastic packaging waste ends up in the environment.Fortunately, it is possible to reduce your company’s environmental impact

• Switch to eco-packaging! There are many recycled and recyclable solutions (such as cardboard or kraft), which also encourage reuse by the customer (DIY).

using cardboard pallets, for example, is a good way to reduce your impact on the planet(find out how to choose the right pallets)

• Review your supply chain to optimise the transport of packages: reduce the distance between your warehouse and your customers (Ship From Store).

communicate on your packaging and your products

As mentioned above, customers now want to know where the materials come from.This applies to the products they order as well as to the packaging that covers them!Using eco-packaging can have a very positive impact on your communication!

• The customer will immediately recognise your “brand”;
• Guarantee product traceability;
• Generates confidence and reassurance;
• Develops brand image and conveys positive values.

packaging for international shipments

The FEVAD report mentioned above shows that 59% of shoppers have used a foreign website. This is also a challenge for the packaging industry, which must be able to provide adequate packaging for international shipments. In order to handle this situation without stress, it is important to consider the following points

• Packaging your parcels: secure packaging is essential for exporting a product.
• Transporting your parcel: think about the weather conditions, which are not necessarily the same by boat as by plane.
• Storage of the parcel: take into account the conditions in which the products are stored and the constraints linked to the preparation of orders.
• Delivery of the parcel: optimise transport times! The customer must be able to collect his parcel as quickly as possible.

if the e-commerce sector is booming, the packaging industry is even more so. Put to the test by the new challenges posed by environmental constraints, the global packaging market needs to reinvent itself, and make more room for green solutions.The luxury packaging market is not exempt from making these efforts, and the French industry would do well to moderate its investment in the plastic packaging market.

The three key points to remember

• In 2018, a customer places more small orders, generating a large number of parcels to manage.
• Customers not only want parcels that are well secured, but also environmentally friendly.
• Cheap parcel packaging doesn’t have to mean plastic, eco-packaging solutions exist and can have a beneficial impact on your brand image.