67% of Americans plan to increase online orders in 2021 and 68% favour brands that offer sustainable packaging choices at checkout
72% of Americans would be more likely to purchase again from brands that shipped sustainably says Ranpak/Harris Poll survey
A new e-commerce survey from Ranpak reveals the new dramatic demand for sustainable packaging. The poll shows that online shopping will increase in 2021, with 68% of US online shoppers more likely to purchase from retailers and brands offering plastic-free packaging.
The survey investigated e-commerce and packaging preference trends during the 2020 peak season, and showed that nearly all Americans had packages delivered home at 91% of respondents. Of these, 44% received more packages to their home compared to the 2019 holidays.
These trends are set only to grow, with 67% of Americans planning to do more online shopping in 2021 than 2020, with nearly half of Americans (46%) planning to order more food online.
There is an increasing focus on sustainability from consumers when it came to packaging. Over three quarters of Americans (78%) wish more brands used paper packaging (e.g. cardboard boxes, paper mailers, paper fill inside the package) instead of plastic packaging (e.g. plastic envelope, plastic pillows inside the box, bubble wrap), and 72% of Americans would be more likely to purchase again from brands that shipped sustainably.
This included many Americans looking for usage of the right sized box for the item being shipped. About a third of Americans noticed that the shipping/outer packaging was larger than needed given the item size (32%) for the packages they had delivered to their home for the holidays this year. In addition, 30% said that bubble wrap and/or other forms of plastic were used for protection inside the box more often than they had seen in the past for the packages they had delivered to their home for the holidays this year.
“Plastic protective packaging accounts for over one-third of the plastic packaging used in e-commerce. Additionally, COVID-19 is exacerbating an already bad situation,” said Omar Asali, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ranpak.