Packaging has evolved beyond its traditional role of protecting and containing products.
In the competitive landscape of emerging markets, forward-thinking brands leverage packaging as a powerful marketing tool to add value beyond the product itself. By going the extra mile and providing additional benefits, packaging becomes a means to captivate consumers and create unique experiences.
Over the past decade, eCommerce has witnessed extraordinary growth, propelled by technological advancements, shifting consumer behaviour, and the growing demand for convenience.
Many consumers’ first physical interaction with the product they’ve ordered comes after the transit packaging has been navigated. But when cartons with no opening feature ranked as the second most frustrating packaging type in our recent consumer survey, how can we ensure that the protective outer packaging does not tarnish the consumer journey with the product? Perhaps even small changes to eCommerce packaging could generate positive feelings from the consumer and start this journey on the right foot.
Tear tapes represent a simple but effective way to improve the opening experience, which could turn occasional, sporadic customer transactions into long-term, continuous relationships – whilst maintaining operational efficiency. Put simply, it means you no longer need to decide between superior customer experience and cost.
At Filtrona Tapes, we don’t just talk about packaging solutions anymore. Our range of total tape solutions helps create tangible brand identities and memorable experiences. Creativity isn’t a choice. It’s a necessity for turning boxes into potent marketing platforms.
E-commerce: a kaleidoscope of innovation
The future of eCommerce is one of innovation, blurring boundaries and enhancing convenience like never before. As businesses adapt to these emerging trends, they’ll unlock new growth opportunities, connect with global audiences, and shape tomorrow’s retail landscape.
Given that we now do so much with the help of one digital device or another, it’s odd to think that, only a decade or so ago, we were all still spending our weekends trudging around the supermarket as part of an inescapable weekly routine because we had no other choice.
In the digital age, bridging the physical and digital worlds has become increasingly important for brands seeking to engage consumers in emerging markets. Packaging can serve as a conduit for connecting the physical product experience with the digital realm, creating a seamless and integrated consumer journey.
Consequently, an online retail environment requires packaging design that encourages excellent product and brand recall as the shopper scrolls through their chosen category or search results. Colour and graphics become more important, while clever design touches such as easy opening or re-sealable features are unlikely to influence a first-time purchase. However, when the product is physically in the consumer’s hands, it may be the pivotal factor in repeat purchasing decisions.
Survival of the fittest
To survive in today’s climate and create longevity for your business, we need to think of the customer journey from beginning to end.
A common misconception in business is that your job is done once you’ve made the sale. But what if we saw the completion of a sale not as an end goal but rather as a starting point? The sale is only part of the customer’s overall adventure. Once the sale is made, the real work of nurturing that relationship begins.
It’s increasingly difficult for CPG brands to reach new customers and retain valued ones. The marketplace is in constant flux. ECommerce is soaring, and smaller brands are becoming fierce competitors almost overnight. How can brands differentiate in this type of environment?
As businesses compete for customers’ attention and sales across multiple channels, developing effective customer engagement and conversion strategies is more important than ever. Whether you’re running an online store or a brick-and-mortar business, finding ways to connect with customers and encouraging them to buy is key to boosting your revenue.
Done correctly, packaging for eCommerce can have a hugely positive impact on the overall consumer experience, delivering many classic in-store elements, such as quality material and on-point messaging, right into their homes.
If executed poorly, however, it can kill any chance of repeat business.
Creating Opening Experiences
Packaging has always been a platform for consumer engagement, but with the rise of eCommerce and social media, unboxing experiences are now front and centre. Using tapes, such as Rippatape®, to facilitate opening offers quick, easy, and blade-free access to packaging to help navigate the frustrating opening experiences that 57% of consumers report as a top issue with packaging.
Packaging design plays a crucial role in customers’ first impressions. Experiential marketing companies are some of the biggest drivers of brands nowadays. They’re replacing old strategies with engaging, inspiring narratives.
With the trend of unboxing videos – in which reviewers show the original packaging of a product and then open it to reveal the contents inside – and other social media reviews, consumers highlight beautiful packaging but comment on damaged goods and the opening experience. ECommerce packaging must be multi-functional to meet these consumer expectations, and a video speaks a thousand words when it comes to ‘wrap rage’.
Packaging as a marketing tool enables brands to differentiate themselves in the market, stand out, and leave a lasting impression. By continuously leveraging consumer insights, like the frustration with opening, brands can adapt and refine their packaging strategies to align with local preferences, market trends, and shifting consumer behaviours.
Say Halo to Sustainable Opening
One consistent trend in consumer consciousness is sustainability. Consumers are growing more sustainability-minded with each passing generation. Millennials, currently the world’s biggest-spending age demographic, largely prefer buying products with minimal environmental impact. Gen Z consumers – about to inherit the mantle of leading spending power from millennials – are even more sustainability-minded.[1] And the early signs are that the following generation – Gen Alpha – is still more sustainability-minded.[2]
This is also true for packaging, with our consumer survey finding that 43% of consumers rank recyclability as a key packaging frustration.
Some may say this is no longer a trend but a – prerequisite.
For those who see the opportunity for packaging to play a powerful role in the world around us without losing functional benefits, Rippatape® Halo helps brands and converters around the world meet their environmental goals whilst delivering a positive opening experience.
This brand-new solution is the first paper tear tape in the Filtrona Tapes ECO Range, providing customers with more circular curbside recyclable packaging options. It is externally certified as recyclable with paper achieving an A+ level via the Italian National Recyclability Standard: UNI 11743 and MC 501: 2017 criteria.
With a tearing performance comparable to our market-leading Rippatape® 60, Rippatape® Halo does not compromise on the easy opening credentials of its plastic alternative. Crucially, Rippatape® Halo is recyclable along with paper and board packs, is fully reclaimable, eliminates the plastic film used in standard tear tapes, and focuses on fibre recovery.
Opening up the future
Packaging is a functional necessity and a powerful marketing tool that can enhance the consumer experience and drive consumer engagement in emerging markets. By leveraging packaging to add value, brands can create memorable moments, foster connections, and cultivate strong consumer relationships.
At Filtrona Tapes, we want to make it easy to enhance your packaging in whatever industry you are in. For over 100 years, we have provided solutions that Open, Close, Inform and Protect, enabling our customers to improve the consumer experience with packaging.
Market intelligence platforms play a crucial role in this process, providing valuable consumer insights that enable brands to make data-driven decisions and tailor their packaging strategies to meet the evolving needs of their target customers. By harnessing the power of these platforms, brands gain a comprehensive understanding of consumer preferences, desires, and behaviours, allowing them to design packaging that resonates with their target audience.
In a hyper-competitive market, the future of retail will be about building brands that consumers connect with. The ambition of omnichannel is to deliver the right message (for the customer) at the right time (for the customer), using the right mix of channels (for the customer), and there’s a real opportunity for the eCommerce industry to get to know their customers like never before
Predicting the future is hard, particularly when technology moves so quickly. However, we know that packaging will continue to play a major role in consumers’ online and in-store product choices.
Filtrona Tapes’ range of tapes enhances brand communication, authentication, and sustainability goals, bolsters consumer convenience, and contributes to an unforgettable opening experience. Its value is in its versatility, and that gives brands the flexibility to enhance their packaging in several consumer-friendly ways. Packaging can still be a conduit for consumer engagement, allowing brands to forge deeper connections and inspire loyalty even in an online transaction.
Your business wants to rest firmly in the knowledge that sustainable, creative, and frustration-free packaging will give you a competitive advantage. That’s why we’ve developed a whole suite of solutions for eCommerce products – facilitating the journey from warehouse to consumer and back again.
