When considering an online purchase, what’s the first thing you look at? If you’re like most consumers, user reviews are near the top of the list.
Ratings are so valued by shoppers that almost all e-commerce sites use them. Some of the biggest players like Amazon even allow you to sort products by average customer rating. One study suggests 93% of online shoppers are influenced by product ratings.
These ratings convey valuable information that encompass more than descriptions can. Reviews generally include details about a product’s performance and functionality, but many reviewers also share information about the delivery experience and packaging. To understand the value consumers place on packaging, view one of the countless “unboxing” videos on YouTube. While it’s true a terrible product in a spectacular box probably won’t generate a five star review, packaging absolutely plays a significant role in the overall score. That aggregate rating is the first thing many consumers see — and it can make or break your product.
Fortunately, it’s rather straightforward to ensure your packaging skews product ratings up and never down.
Consider the out-of-box experience
Packaging is the first interaction customers have with your product, regardless of whether they made the purchase online or in-store. And we all know the lasting impact of a good first impression. Think of packaging not as something to be peeled away as soon as possible, but an invitation to carefully lead your customers through the initial interaction with your product. That can be achieved with strategic “kitting” of parts and graphics to enhance the build experience and reducing wasteful material.
Packaging is the first interaction customers have with your product, regardless of whether they made the purchase online or in-store. And we all know the lasting impact of a good first impression.
Excess trash all over the floor and complicated instructions can discourage buyers. These problems are the subject of frequent complaints, and some customers admit in their reviews they reduced their rating because of them. Easy to open packaging that doesn’t make a mess is often praised and contributes to five star ratings.
Right size dimensions, weight and material types
There’s no doubt e-commerce has elevated the importance of optimized packaging. Customers start judging products upon delivery and looking at things like the quality of packaging materials, their sustainability and the build experience. Packaging is no longer merely a disposal product custodian; it is an extension of the product itself. Minimizing waste brings elegance to products, which enhances customer perception of brands and drives down costs.
Packaging dimensions play a key role in crafting this perception. Customers are immediately turned off when they open packages that are mostly full of air and dunnage with only a small portion occupied by the product. Not only does this appear wasteful and unsustainable, it also portrays laziness as it appears the shipper simply used whatever box was available instead of finding one that fit the product properly. Further, it costs shippers money because they are committing the cardinal sin of distribution: paying to ship air!
Protect from damage
Despite the expanding role of packaging, its primary purpose remains to protect products from damage. No packaging failure will lead to poor reviews faster than allowing items to break in transit. The initial disappointment of receiving a damaged product can spiral out of control quickly when customers have to deal with returns, waiting for replacements or refunds, or repurchasing. Potential buyers reading reviews take these complaints seriously, and high damage rates can create a domino effect of lost confidence and lost sales.
To avoid this issue, map out the delivery channels each product will experience. What possible hazards could they face on their journeys? Standard testing protocols exist to ensure against the most common threats, and custom protocols can be developed for unique circumstances. Test out real-world scenarios in a controlled setting to create packaging that protects contents from the dangers they are most likely to face.
Developing ideal packaging is the first step to keeping product ratings high, but it’s not a “set it and forget it” process. Read real customer feedback on products to gain insight into what is and isn’t working. Then, adapt packaging to address any shortcomings and changes to delivery channels to keep product ratings as positive as possible.
Alex Turner is a Consultant in the Packaging Optimization competency at Chainalytics. In his role, he provides end-to-end engineering support for packaging optimization projects, working to help our clients improve supply chain costs and reduce product damage.
