Online shopping to ‘enhance packaging design’

The growth in online retail will help enhance packaging design, rather than kill it off, according to Clover Abbott, packaging technologist at Innocent Drinks.

Abbott will be part of the BIG Packaging Debate taking place at the next London leg of Packaging Innovations, alongside: Simon Oxley, a food packaging technologist at Marks and Spencer; Andrew Revel, commercial manager at Faraday Centre for Retail Excellence; ‎ and Pat Starke, creative director at Design Activity.

“Online sales will kill packaging design” is the topic they are to debate on the first day of the show, taking place October 1-2.

‘Online sales will continue to enhance packaging design,’ said Abbott. ‘Particularly in the areas of packaging being fit for purpose, reducing product damage and delighting/surprising customers.

‘Just because the packaging won't sit on a shelf selling itself, it still has a job to do and a real opportunity to engage the consumer, in their own home and tied in to the delight of receiving a delivery, so I see no threat from online sales to packaging design.

‘In fact, I see it as an opportunity for packaging designers to step up and create something wonderful, which complements any online activity being used to sell it.’

Kevin Vyse, managing director at The Institute of Packaging Professionals UK (IoPP) and chairman of the debate, said: ‘Undoubtedly, the growth of online sales will impact on an essential need for packaging and, as always, the industry will evolve to effectively support the branding initiatives that have worked so well on the retail shelf.

‘There may well be a twofold development.  Firstly, the visual element of packaging being exploited as consumers go to the stores less frequently and stores creating more theatre and purpose, refreshing their lines more often, to keep the visual impact high.

‘Online, the importance of packaging functionality will become more of the focus with the need to protect the product during the delivery process.’

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