IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CONSUMER: THE WAY TO A SUCCESSFUL OMNICHANNEL STRATEGY The omnichannel concept has gained traction in recent years. Certainly, the e-commerce side of retail has grown significantly, not least due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, while brick and mortar stores have also had to adapt. But what makes a good omnichannel strategy? What are the challenges involved, and what role can packaging play to ensure a smooth customer experience? Elisabeth Skoda speaks to Elin Li, Business Development Manager at Iggesund Paperboard, and Uwe Melichar, president of the European brand and packaging design association. Putting the product centre stage There is a big difference between what’s needed from an e-commerce pack and a traditional brick and mortar pack, as Mr Melichar points out. “In an e-commerce product features and benefits have already been communicated online and no further information is needed on the pack while in brick-and-mortar stores the packaging has to sell the product.” Well-packaged goods often have to be put in another box to make them ready-to-ship. “This is an exciting challenge from a design point of view. Protection is key but the right dramaturgy for the unboxing process is also important. If you open the package and the first thing you’re facing is the return voucher or the operating instructions, it’s the wrong message. The product is the hero and should be dramatized and staged,” Mr Melichar adds. A colourful and impactful package that stands out in the store could have its design ruined by adding a shipping label, or even a space for it. “This gives us a hint on the disadvantages of omnichannel packaging. If you are trying hard to make a beautiful package shippable you may ruin the design, and if you put a perfectly constructed e-commerce package on the shelf it’ll be invisible and dull. Sometimes it may be better to have two separate solutions. I can imagine modular hybrid packaging solutions, where we solve the problem of having a box in a box by adding a ‘light’ pack element to upgrade a shelf-pack for shipping.” Conversely, creating just one pack for all channels offers the advantage of not creating unnecessary SKUs, says Ms Li. “When you use the same packs for all your channels, you can ensure that you have a full crossover to support an omnichannel strategy, and thus
Elin Li
Uwe Melichar
are able to service customers whether they buy in the shop, place an order online and pick it up, or if they want to have it shipped home.” Another challenge is the difference in supply chains. “With e-commerce, the pack goes through many more touchpoints. The more handling the more risk – it’s often the last mile of the delivery process where damage occurs.” Ms Li underlines the challenge of keeping the product safe and points out that even if the product itself isn’t damaged, but the packaging is, it doesn’t leave a good impression. “It’s really about understanding all different touchpoints that packages go through. For an optimal omnichannel strategy, you are developing a pack strategy that works for all channels at each point, working with a lot of data, and implementing that into the packaging strategy, so that at the end you will have a pack that supports whatever channel you choose.”
Branding strategies There are a lot of things that brands can do to support the shopping experience and convenience, and one of them is connection and transparency, enabling consumers to see in advance whether a product is available in store or can be shipped, Ms Li says. “Another useful feature is to simplify returns, making sure that the box or bag can be reused. Consumers like a fuss-free experience. A good omnichannel strategy is about having the same brand experience throughout all your channels. For example, if a brand says that sustainability is important and talks about it in its branding, it needs to be shown in all of the packaging.” It can be useful for brick and mortar and e-commerce to learn from each other, and newer, less established brands lead the way. Packaging Europe | 13 |
