As online shopping flourishes, nearly half of consumers say they have received a rain-damaged cardboard package, according to a national survey by paper and packaging leader DS Smith. Following the recent pandemic-fueled e-commerce spike, 44% say their cardboard box deliveries were spoiled by rain.
The problem in the U.S. is expected to be widespread, given that the nation’s top 70 metro areas record rainfall an average of nearly every four days, and the popularity of e-commerce remains high post pandemic. Half of those polled say they already are getting deliveries weekly or several times a week, and more than half say they expect their online buying to increase going forward.