It's been a decade of linear growth for eCommerce. Monocle and DHL are seeing how e-commerce era can drive a new wave of sustainability and efficiency.
Not a breaking news, but 2019 is coming to an end. Sorry to disappoint, this post is not a funny recap of the worst fashion trends of the 2010's and of the best of my Spotify Wrapped. In fact, let's talk about fashion, eCommerce and without a surprise: packaging.
E-Commerce: don't understimate packaging.
If you think about it, it's mad how fast and easy it became to find, order and get stuffs: your new socks are just 1 click away.
This online shopping super-growth implies a change in the role of packaging: it became a crucial touchpoint with the customer.
"Every retail product has two moments of truth in its lifetime: the moment when it is purchased and the moment when it is first used. The e-commerce journey inserts an additional moment: the moment of receipt. The delivery experience has become a potential magic moment in the e-commerce journey" - Extract of the trend report recently released by DHL
In theory, e-commerce introduced a brand new opportunity for the company to impress the customer, right?
Personally, my "magic moment" looks like this most of the time:
Get out of the unsustainable path!
The shipping standard took a unsexy turn: huge boxes filled with moutains of void-fill material. There is growing signs that today’s approaches to packaging are struggling to meet the changing needs of companies, consumers, and the wider environment.
For your own pleasure, look at tons of failed unpackaging experiences, so ridiculous it's almost laughable. Not the best experience from the customer side, and pretty costly for the company.
Not only a waste of money and a terrible customer experience, it's also an incredible waste of resources and it leaves a bunch of crap behind. People around the world are starting to get slightly annoyed at this non-sense.
2020's: Guess who's trendy now?
There's clear signs that packaging needs to change in order to meet society's needs. A survey by International Post Corporation found that 60% of respondents want parcels to use sustainable solutions! DHL reports 3 top priorities to rethink packaging:
Top priority #1: Introduction of eco-friendlier packaging materials
Top priority #2: Implementation of re-usable packaging solutions
Top priority #3: Adoption of smart packaging solutions
How companies can keep on keeping a certain quality of packaging, communicate their values AND be more sustainable?
To find out, Monocle traveled around the globe looking for solutions outside the box .
Take a guess, who did they find? 🖐️ In The Forecast 2020, it's a dozen brilliant packaging solutions from all around the world that are listed. Innovative materials & clever models, it's all there. Get your copy :)
First on the list? Repack and our reuse model, praising the closed loop advantages and the efficient use of resources. Yes!
In its report, DHL also highlights the real potential of Repack's solution:
"RePack has built a unique business model around offering a seamless returns service.
A customer can use the bag to send returns back to the supplier or simply fold the bag up and send it back empty through the regular postal system from anywhere in the world."
Besides forecasts and trend reports, listen to people who did try it. Repack just works!
Together, let's make the 2020's a trash-free decade, shall we?
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