5 exciting eCommerce packaging trends for 2024
Augmented reality, eco-friendly materials and more – how will the world of eCommerce packaging develop in 2024? Join us as we read the tea leaves.
It's an industry truism that bears repeating: packaging is more than just a way to transport your products. It can form a key part of your brand identity, adding an extra splash of marketing as your parcel hits your customer's floor.
Whether you're creating custom-branded parcels or including marketing inserts, creative packaging can connect you with customers and make you stand out in a crowded field.
Given the importance of packaging to businesses of all shapes and sizes, it's no surprise that people are always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to package their goods.
So, as we near the end of the retail year, we ask: what does 2024 hold for packaging? We hope this handy guide will give you some ideas for your own deliveries.
Market trends
Smithers' marketing report
The Future of Global Packaging to 2024
makes some interesting claims about the coming year.
The headline is that the market will continue its upward trend – from $917 billion in 2019 to $1.05 trillion by 2024. Asia is the largest market, with Western Europe and North America in the rear.
The report goes on to make five predictions about the future of packaging – some specific and some more general.
- There'll be a continuing and deepening focus on sustainability, especially in Western Europe. This will see an increase in materials that are easy to recycle and easy on emissions – and a decrease in unnecessary films and wrappers.
- In Asia, spending on packaged products is on the rise – from food to cosmetics and everything in between.
- The market value of healthcare packaging is likely to outstrip packaging in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Sales of microwavable ready meals will increase across the globe, meaning more "convenience features" for opening and resealing.
- Traditional packaging like tins and jars will take a backseat as high-barrier films and stand-up pouches become a more common sight.
But this report is just the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to innovative packaging, it seems that the sky's the limit.
Other trends
Increasingly, packaging is about making experiences, not just pushing products. This is the thinking behind "interactive packaging".
Interactive packaging comes in different forms but is united by one attribute: multifunctionality.
If you can turn the box into a board game, that's interactive packaging. If you can scratch the label and smell the product, that's
definitely
interactive. And if you can plant your packaging after use and watch it turn into flowers or herbs, you're helping the environment as well as giving the customer an experience that may bring them back for seconds.
Innovations in packaging have always been tied up with technological strides – just think of plastic film and barcodes. Today, the packaging industry is embracing augmented reality.
As with interactive packaging, augmented packaging is a broad church. But at its most basic, it involves scanning a QR code on the product and being treated to a multisensory experience. This could be a discount, video, coupon, personalised message or unique animation.
Take Yeo Valley, the UK-based yoghurt brand. All its products feature SKU-specific QR codes that direct consumers to interactive content: recipes, brand information, green wisdom and more.
As well as engaging the customer, this augmented packaging also helps the corporation to gather data on their preferences – an innovative way to carry out market research.
If 2024 is a year of augmented reality, it's also shaping up to be a year that puts sustainability at the top of the tree.
Designers are always coming up with new ways to package goods that don't cost the earth but still catch the eye. This covers everything from now-familiar materials like recycled paper and card to biodegradable plastics and eco-friendly inks.
It even goes so far as to include packaging made out of mushrooms, seaweed and other organic matter.
The word "eco-friendly" might conjure up earthy tones and rustic vibes, but there's no reason why these sustainable solutions can't be bold and contemporary too.
As we go into 2024, we're also more likely to see "doypacks", otherwise known as stand-up pouches. These are a more and more common sight in supermarkets, corner shops and delis – but as well as packaging coffee, tea and nuts, they get used for products as varied as CBD oil and socks.
Doypacks are compact but robust and great for custom branding – so expect to see more on the shelves in 2024.
Finally, it's not just the packaging itself that's changing. It's also the design process.
3D printing has been around for a while – Thermos, for instance, has been using it to create prototypes since the mid-2000s. But it's only going to grow – and it manages to combine efficiency with sustainability.
How? With a 3D printer, you don't need moulds or other tools – just a design file. This means you can produce multiple prototypes with minimum waste – something that's good for creativity and for the planet.
How we can help
At Stowsafe Fulfilment, we don't just take care of order fulfilment. We can also get involved in your packaging journey – and help you to increase customer engagement and retention in the process.
Need your packaging to be branded or include a QR code? No problem. Need marketing inserts or other information slipped in with the product? We've got you covered.
We also offer custom labelling and relabelling. If you're shipping your goods via Amazon, eBay or another mega-platform, you'll know only too well how time-consuming it can be to print barcodes and labels in line with their requirements. Partner with us and we'll cross those t's and dot those i's for you.
In short, we offer a flexible, customisable service that can let your packaging sing.
Are you looking for a flexible
fulfilment company in South West England?
Get in touch today to learn how we can streamline your success.
