The most significant influence on protective packaging in 2019 is the e-commerce market and its ever-expanding assortment of players. While the growth in online purchasing drives changes from product design, to package changes, picking, fulfilling and shipping, product protection stands alone as the main issue, according to the E-Commerce: Think Inside the Box report by PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies. A package’s ability to safeguard against breakage becomes its most vital function.
Consumer packaged goods companies (CPGs) and brand manufacturers are exploring multi-channels to get the product to the consumer, adding more touch points and creating the need for packaging to protect a product more than promote it. Protection over promotion is a significant shift from packaging’s traditional role as CPGs foremost opportunity to draw consumer attention on store shelves. Customers are purchasing products digitally, and in most cases, making their decisions on items presented package free. Products not sent through traditional retail channels usually are not shipped on pallets, where padding and wrapping protect them.