ONLINE retailers are making ‘significant’ packaging improvements, new research has uncovered.
Glasgow-based Macfarlane Packaging’s seventh annual Unboxing Survey of UK consumers revealed that the improvements include reducing overpacking and damages, while providing sustainability and branding gains.
The survey asked participants to share their experiences of opening online shopping deliveries. More than 1,000 consumers responded, reviewing deliveries from a range of sectors including fashion, food & drink, home & garden, and health & beauty.
Macfarlane said the results highlighted a 25% reduction in excessive packaging compared to the first survey back in 2016. Consumers also reported that they consider 78% of packs to be sustainable and 81% easy to recycle. This means almost 20% more online retail packaging can be recycled now compared to 2020.
Almost 60% of respondents added that their parcels arrived branded – almost doubling in the last three years – while 40% confirmed that branded packaging encourages them to buy again from retailers.
96% of respondents said they prefer home delivery over click & collect or delivery lockers. Encouragingly, parcels that arrived damaged have dropped year on year to 7%.
Laurel Granville, marketing director of Macfarlane Packaging, said, “Responses to our unboxing survey this year demonstrate how retailers have been responding to consumer preferences and optimising their packaging so it’s more eco-friendly and less wasteful.
“At Macfarlane Packaging, we’re working to support retailers to further these improvements with tools like our Packaging Optimiser, which can help businesses review the effectiveness of their packaging and assess its impact on costs and the environment. We hope retailers find the insights from this year’s survey useful for their businesses.”
