How India’s booming ecommerce market is spurring a packaging makeover among FMCG companies
booming ecommerce market is spurring a packaging makeover among consumer goods makers, as they chase the growing number of online shoppers. Companies are seeking to make their products more robust to survive the rigours of shipping, with some saying they have already seen results, in the form of fewer returns.
ITC, for instance, changed the cap of shower gels to prevent leakage even when there is no scotch tape. This is one among changes in the packaging design for most of its fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Parle Products is adding protective layers for its `30-80 biscuit packs, which mostly sell online. It has also introduced a separate outer packing for bundled biscuit packs to be sold online, to ensure they are not broken.
Goods sold online change hands more times than offline, often being roughly handled by delivery personnel, company executives said, adding that the chances of leaks or transit damage increase while shipping individual units.
ITC personal care products business chief executive Sameer Satpathy said ecommerce-friendly packaging provides a relative advantage since consumers want full value from their purchases. A damaged or leaked product fosters discontent.
Parle vice-president Mayank Shah pointed to the increasing sales via quick commerce of FMCG. Most FMCG companies have been reporting an improvement in ecommerce’s share of total sales since the pandemic.
This is led by a change in shopping behaviour and the rise of quick commerce in large cities.
Researcher NielsenIQ shows online
