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8 Packaging Trends Shaping the E-commerce Landscape

New e-commerce study reveals the importance of sustainable packaging and consumers’ preferences around inner packaging components and gift-like attributes in purchase decisions.

Among packaging factors, sustainable packaging, at 42%, is the factor most likely to compel online shoppers to be a return customer.
Among packaging factors, sustainable packaging, at 42%, is the factor most likely to compel online shoppers to be a return customer.

In its seventh-annual e-commerce consumer study, order fulfillment provider Dotcom Distribution found the biggest takeaway was the tremendous impact sustainable packaging has on consumer purchase decisions and brand affinity.

Following are five consumer preference trends in sustainability that the report says are shaping the e-commerce landscape, and three consumer trends related to gift-like and inner packaging for e-commerce:

1.    Sustainability emerges as a major driver of purchase decisions and brand affinity: Among packaging factors (e.g., free samples, gift-like packaging, personal messages), sustainable packaging, at 42%, is the factor most likely to compel online shoppers to be a return customer. Likewise, among environmental factors (e.g., ethical sourcing, fuel-efficient transportation, product ingredients), sustainable packaging was reported as the most attractive feature, at 45%.

2.     Paper beats plastic: Given the choice between receiving an online order in a box or a film bag, 82% of all respondents prefer boxes. Twenty-eight percent of that group credited their preferences to boxes providing better protection in transit; 27%  said boxes are more eco-friendly; and 24% said they reuse the boxes.


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