Has Amazon Hijacked Your Customer’s Brand Experience?
In the new world of e-commerce and the 24-to-48-hour delivery model, you can either let Amazon come up with a packaging and delivery solution or you can take back control of the end-to-end experience.
It takes years to develop, design and manufacture a skincare product. The package design consists of a carefully constructed bottle with soft lines that cue the product benefits complemented by gorgeous graphics to support the brand promise. On the retail shelf it sits poised to catch the attention of consumers. But, what if that same consumer buys it online? She waits with anticipation until the familiar brown truck pulls up. She then watches the delivery person flip the package off the truck, which lands with a thud on the concrete steps as she opens the door. The opened package reveals a leaking mess because the bottle was either not secured properly or it was packed with other items to keep shipping costs down. In that instant the brand promise is broken, and the consumer will likely decide that this will be the last time she orders the product.
According to a survey by Sealed Air Corporation, 58 percent of Americans say that if they receive a damaged or broken product from an online order they would either consider purchasing from a competitor or would not purchase from that retailer again. While retail packaging’s focus is on brand recognition and standing out on the shelf, e-commerce packaging is all about customer experience. The e-com package needs to be designed to withstand direct shipment while creating a memorable experience for consumers. We can control the brand experience in the retail environment with protective shippers and well-lit shelves lined with product, but how can we protect goods while offering surprise and delight in the e-commerce world? Even venerable brands such as Method are facing the same dilemma. As with any liquid product merchandised in a pump bottle, e-commerce retailers will find their own solution to prevent leakage/spillage. Heavy-duty tape around the neck and pump may do the trick, but it also completely destroys the brand image and gives the consumer another headache when trying to remove the layers of tape—and it leaves a sticky residue once the extra task is completed. Compare that to the rows of beautifully shaped jewel-toned soap dispensers a consumer sees on shelf.