Even before the COVID-19 outbreak pushed online ordering to unanticipated new heights, e-commerce was rapidly gaining ground as a popular alternative to brick-and-mortar shopping. Data cited by AICC, The Independent Packaging Association, indicate that e-commerce sales reached $549 billion in 2019, representing 11% of total U.S. retail. E-commerce's share of consumer packaged goods volume, moreover, is growing at five times the rate of conventional retail. Like store merchandise, shipped goods need to be packaged. But, because e-commerce differs from the retail channel in structure and logistics, packages for e-commerce need features that suit them for the different path they follow to their recipients. These features, packaging professionals say, are evolving both practically and creatively as brands and consumers come to expect more of cartons and boxes whose ultimate destination is the doorstep.
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