
Why Channel-Specific Solutions Outperform Adapted Designs
With the focus of many e-commerce retailers still heavily on optimisation and sustainability, now feels like the right time to address a topic that has been a slow burning frustration for me over the past four years: adapted corrugated packaging solutions for e-commerce…
Understanding Adapted Solutions
Before diving deeper into my frustration, it’s important to understand what an adapted design or solution is. Adapted solutions involve taking an industry-standard design from the traditional retail supply chain and altering it to better suit the requirements of e-commerce. This could involve adding an easy return feature, inside print or including a tamper-evident seal.
However, as PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation) are starting to be agreed and many businesses focus heavily on optimisation, as well as sustainability, some adapted solutions are starting to show their weaknesses. Adapting a packaging solution from another channel for e-commerce typically leads to compromises or the need to add extra material to address inherent weaknesses. This is because these solutions were not originally designed to handle the unique challenges of e-commerce logistics, such as multiple handling points, extended transit times, and varied environmental conditions. As a result, businesses often find themselves making trade-offs in durability, security, and sustainability, which can impact overall performance and cost efficiency.
Adapted solutions emerged in the early days of e-commerce when nobody knew what was required as the channel was so new. A standard FEFCO 0201 was perfect for the job, getting products from A to B without damage. As businesses began to offer new products online and the sector grew rapidly, adapted solutions enabled many businesses to get to market quickly and were exactly what was needed in the early stages of e-commerce growth.
The Benefits and Limitations of Adapted Solutions
Cost-Effective: Leveraging existing designs often requires less investment in new materials or designs, making it a cost-effective solution for businesses looking to quickly enter the e-commerce market.
Speed to Market: Adapted solutions can be implemented more quickly than developing new packaging from scratch, allowing companies to respond swiftly to market demands and reduce time-to-market.
Incremental Improvements: Changes are generally incremental and focused on addressing specific weaknesses identified in the original packaging, such as improving durability or reducing damage rates during transit.
Over the past 10 years, I have spent every working day testing, designing, creating, researching, observing, sharing and understanding many different types of e-commerce packaging. Over this time and more specifically in the past three years, I began to see the growth of channel specific solutions. In 2016, I designed my first channel-specific design, the Secure ePack whilst I was employed by DS Smith. It went on to win the UK Packaging Awards in the e-commerce category and surprisingly only took 20 minutes to create! Why can’t those thoughts and solutions happen more often… but that is a whole different story.
An Example of an Adapted Solution
Consider the good old pizza box, or FEFCO 0429, 0427, and the new 0885 design variations. While millions have been used in e-commerce, there are significant issues to be aware of:
1. Material Efficiency: It generates a large amount of waste due to the T shape of the blank. While nesting the design can help, it means adhesive tape cannot be applied on the corrugator, requiring an additional machine operation for hot melt adhesive application.
2. Production Speed: The large amount of waste generated is difficult to cut and extract, slowing down production speeds.
3. Construction Time: Folding can become time-consuming, especially when the box is full, causing the side flaps to jam on top of the items contained inside.
4. Structural Weakness: Slots for the fold over ends tabs are engineered structural weaknesses and can split easily.
5. Back Panel Weakness: Particularly problematic in designs with a low depth, as the small flap scores that tuck under the fold over take all the impact from when the lid is hit during a drop.
6. Security Issues: Wide and flat designs allow the side flap to be pushed back in transit, so by bulging or arcing the top, items can be easily removed without affecting the front package seal.
Channel-Specific Solutions
Channel-specific solutions are designed and developed explicitly for the e-commerce channel from the ground up. These solutions are tailored to meet the unique demands of dropping, loose loading, protection from impacts and twisting, resistance to burst, and ease of return. They focus on optimising the entire customer experience, from order fulfillment to delivery and unboxing. These solutions include easy-open features, branded elements, connectivity, and thoughtful presentation that can help build brand loyalty and drive repeat purchases.
Channel-specific packaging often considers the entire logistics chain, from fulfillment centers to final delivery. This includes designing packages that optimise material usage and increase performance to reduce the environmental impact. These solutions may also incorporate sustainable materials and designs that reduce waste and improve recyclability, aligning with growing consumer preferences for more environmentally friendly products.
Structural Designs and Materials
Not only can structural designs be channel-specific, but materials can also play a crucial role. For example, 100% recycled papers are not always the silver bullet for sustainability in e-commerce. The design and material need to work in perfect harmony. Short fibers in recycled liners can cause adapted solutions to tear or fail quicker, especially where engineered fail points exist within the structural design. This results in heavier weight recycled papers being required to equal the performance of lighter kraft or kraft-topped recycled liners.
I have completed a number of testing programmes, that have shown clear differences between materials, with 100% recycled liners failing quicker in supply chain drop tests. This could result in shipping more material to the customer over a year and even paying higher EPR fees in the future. Kraft or virgin fibres are certainly not the answer to everything, but finding the sweet spot of recycled fibers and structural design that work for your supply chain and products is essential.
The Benefits of Channel-Specific Solutions
Let’s compare an example. A customer requires a box with internal dimensions of 300 x 200 x 100mm. For an 0885 solution, the blank size for a two-up is 678 x 1460mm, with 25.85% waste. The Secure ePack, however, has a blank size of 690 x 1408mm with only 9.21% waste.
However, there are even further benefits than just a 16% waste reduction:
– 19% faster in flatbed die-cutting due to less complex waste
– 50% greater performance in supply chain drop testing
I know your thinking, but why not nest the 0885 to reduce waste? While nesting the 0885 design can reduce waste and blank size, it requires an additional manufacturing process for hot melt glue and stronger board grade to equal the Secure ePack in testing, all increasing costs and material requirements. Concerned about the packing speed… a customer’s packer developed a method to pick, construct, and seal the design in just seven seconds!
While the Secure ePack is not perfect, it demonstrates that applying a channel-specific solution brings many benefits without the drawbacks that an adapted solution brings.
Summary of Differences
- Design Origin
- Adapted Solutions: Modify standard packaging designs
- Channel-Specific Solutions: Develop new designs specifically for e-commerce
- Implementation Speed
- Adapted Solutions: Faster to implement as they build on standard designs
- Channel-Specific Solutions: May take longer to develop as they start from scratch
- Cost
- Adapted Solutions: Generally more cost-effective initially
- Channel-Specific Solutions: Higher initial investment but potentially greater long-term benefits
- Customer Experience
- Adapted Solutions: Focus on functional improvements
- Channel-Specific Solutions: Emphasize both functionality and enhancing the customer experience
- Logistics Optimisation
- Adapted Solutions: Focus on improving existing weaknesses by adding material
- Channel-Specific Solutions: Comprehensive approach to optimize logistics and reduce costs
- Sustainability
- Adapted Solutions: May include some sustainable elements
- Channel-Specific Solutions: Often designed with sustainability as a core principle
The Frustration with Adapted Solutions
In conclusion, why do I express frustration with adapted solutions? It’s not that they lack benefits, they have their place in the market, but rather, there’s a need to understand the significant differences between adapted and channel-specific solutions. Many e-commerce packaging advertisements suggest that all designs are suitable for the complex supply chain, making it challenging for a buyer to grasp the true impact on their business. By being well-informed, you can better decide which approach aligns with your goals, resources, and customer expectations, ensuring you choose the right packaging strategy for your e-commerce operations.