The number of buyers on the global ecommerce marketplace Etsy has doubled since 2019, from 45.7 to 92 million active buyers, and the platform has experienced a 270% growth in active sellers since 2017, indicating that small businesses selling on the platform are thriving.

How can all these ecommerce sellers stand out from the competition? Eye-catching, branded ecommerce packaging, enabled by digital printing, may well be the answer, as Ben Ginesi, European Sales Manager – Digital Corrugated Packaging at Domino, explores.

Unboxing: Why packaging matters

A recent Mondi survey into ecommerce trends and customer attitudes to packaging in Europe has shown the importance of packaging within the unboxing experience, with nearly two-thirds (61%) of consumers considering the shape, material, appearance, and personalisation of packaging. Detrimentally, over one-third of consumers (34%) would reconsider future purchases if they consider the packaging to have adversely affected a buying experience.

The unboxing experience also takes centre stage in another ecommerce segment favoured by younger generations: subscription services. Myriad subscription services provide regular deliveries of curated selection boxes, whose users cite enjoyment (44.4%) and convenience (20.1%) as the key deciding factors in choosing their retail product subscription. The subscription approach enables them to try new products in a category they will enjoy – without the need to choose from an overwhelming number of available products. Subscription boxes and one-off hamper boxes – curated by trusted experts and brands – are now available in categories to suit the whole family – from beauty products to craft beer and artisan chocolate to children’s creative crafts.

Beauty boxes containing a mix of full- and sample-sized make-up and personal care products are particularly successful, as illustrated by the millions of beauty product unboxing videos on social sharing platforms. With this much exposure for the packaging and its contents, having boxes with a distinctive, memorable packaging design can be key to standing out from the competition and encouraging potential subscribers to take a closer look.

Digital printing: delivering unboxing with a personal touch

For the majority of small, home-based ecommerce sellers, partnering with a packaging provider using traditional printing methods is unlikely to be an option. Minimum order volumes are too high, and sellers often need more storage space for large numbers of boxes.

However, with digital printing, small ecommerce businesses and their customers need not miss out on the unboxing opportunity. With a growing number of service providers dedicated to digital printing, businesses of all sizes can now commission short runs of eye-catching, even personalised, packaging designs to suit their carefully curated ecommerce wares.

Digital printing for packaging offers low minimum order quantities at a reasonable cost, unlocking the opportunity for small businesses to build their unique brand and enhance the consumer experience with boxes as unique as the product itself.

Some sellers add finishing touches, such as digitally printed labels, to their packaging – this can be a low-cost option for creating their own branded ecommerce packaging. Even micro-businesses operating beyond the ecommerce sphere, selling their products at craft fairs and farmers’ markets, can benefit from the affordability and accessibility of digital printing for packaging.

Beyond personalisation, opting for non-generic, digital printed packaging also allows brands to unlock further benefits: including QR codes as part of the packaging design, for example, can help brands to drive traffic to their website, enhancing consumer engagement and prompting direct repeat purchases without the high selling fees common on many ecommerce platforms.

Taken a step further, the inclusion of variable data QR codes – an option only with digitally printed packaging or late-stage customisation – can enable one-to-one consumer interaction to nurture those all-important relationships and provide a stepping stone to secure future retail listings on other platforms.

Branded ecommerce packaging: an opportunity for converters

Converters looking to respond to the growing demand for branded ecommerce packaging should partner with a trusted digital printing provider who can support them in making the most of their investment.

Digital printing is an excellent option for branded ecommerce packaging. It is also increasingly used as a cost-effective option for producing short and medium runs of variable packaging designs, such as promotional, seasonal, and limited-edition retail packaging. Adding variable data such as regional language versions or serialised QR codes is a key application of digital printing for packaging and offers converters opportunities to engage with larger brands who, likewise, wish to capitalise on the hyper-targeted, personalised consumer trend.

With both the ecommerce and personalised packaging markets expected to grow over the coming years, now is the time to look into how digital print can support vendors in delivering the ultimate unboxing experience.

¹ Smithers, The Future of Digital Printing to 2032

² Dynata. (2022). Benefits of e-commerce among global consumers as of February 2022. Statista. Statista Inc. Accessed: June 12, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1308162/online-shopping-benefits-worldwide/