Packaging Europe Issue 16.4

Page 12

PRIMARY PACKAGING INNOVATION FOR E-COMMERCE

Elisabeth Skoda looks at just a small selection of notable developments of primary packaging geared towards e-commerce.

E

-commerce was on a strong growth trajectory even before the pandemic struck, but of course has been given an extra boost as more and more people turned to shop online while they avoided mixing with others in brick and mortar shops. In the context of this development, more companies are developing packaging solutions specifically geared towards e-commerce applications as the market expands further.

Wine that fits through the letterbox One of the companies that have centred their business model around e-commerce packaging is Garçon Wines. Its reimagination of the traditional glass wine bottle into a flat bottle that fits through a standard letterbox and is made from 100% recycled PET is custom-made for e-commerce. The company has come a long way since its beginnings in 2017. “When we first introduced the concept, we only had a handful of prototype bottles, but the interest it generated made us realize we had the opportunity to create a scalable packaging solution for the wine industry,” explains the

company’s CEO, Santiago Navarro. “Traditional wine bottles come from an era when products were moved by horses. We need packaging for an era that uses electric vehicles, and recycled PET fit the bill.” Shipping beverages is notoriously tricky, and there is an ever-present risk of leaks and damage. Wine itself comes with its unique set of challenges, but there are reasons why it can work particularly well in an e-commerce context, says Mr Navarro. “Wine is a truly global product that comes with an extremely complex supply chain with many steps between the winery and the dining table. Due to the big choice in the wine market, it naturally is a product that can work well in an e-commerce setting. Our bottle is lightweight, spatially efficient due to its design, and shatter-proof, while respecting the heritage and tradition of wine by looking like a wine bottle. It is low on energy and recyclable.” Garçon Wines is now planning to expand its model to other drinks. “We recently secured a major investment in our parent company Delivering Happiness Limited, and we will launch a dedicated, multinational cleantech packaging business arm for wine and other drinks, which will operate alongside their sustainable wine wholesale business,” adds Mr Navarro.

Laundry tablets through the letterbox Moving away from wine for a while, another company that centres its business model around letterbox delivery is smol, a UK-based start-up that delivers cleaning supplies such as laundry and dishwasher tablets directly to customers’ doors, cutting out the middle-man. “We wanted to radically improve different aspects of the products and packaging for cleaning supplies, but also design a business whereby we could sell direct to our customers and nurture an ongoing relationship,” explains Matt Gandy, creative director at smol. smol’s laundry and dishwasher tablets have been designed to be posted through the letterbox, and the product is formulated to be concentrated, | 10 | Packaging Europe


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.