The retail behemoth that is e-commerce shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon and according to Statista, e-commerce sales are expected to grow 20% in 2018 to over £200 billion globally. Whilst the e-commerce industry has had a somewhat detrimental effect on the bricks and mortar retail experience; one industry that will benefit from the rise of online sales is packaging.

Brand identity is gradually becoming just as crucial as product and price thanks to the influence of the internet. Bloggers, social influencers and celebrity endorsements are becoming more prominent in a brand’s marketing plan; this type of marketing is image-heavy - the perfect opportunity for brands to flex their packaging design muscles.

Packaging is now prime real estate for brands. Global corporations such as Amazon and Disney even sport their own branded tape on packaging, as well as printed boxes, to ensure that everyone knows exactly where these parcels are from. Where e-commerce cannot compete with the bricks and mortar retail sector is the shopping experience in general. Brands are using technology to personalise websites from the start of the browsing process right through to package delivery to ensure that online is becoming more of a user experience - just more convenient.

It’s not just brand identity that is influencing packaging decisions either; the emergence of popular personalisation and subscription services means that packaging is no longer a ‘one size fits all’ business. Brands require personalised stickers, sizes, and designs and that, in turn, requires more control over the label printing and application process. High volumes of personalised packaging plus the expectations of super-fast turnaround times can take their toll on all business sizes when it comes to the packaging line.

The demand for personalisation is vital throughout the entire order process, particularly at the end of the production line. In the packaging process; personalisation is essential due to the variable and trackable data that needs to be considered such as address labels, QR codes, unique order barcodes and even branded returns labels.

Products like the ICE Vulcan Print and Apply Labeller offer the ideal solution for secondary packaging personalisation. Teamed with the CLARiSUITE software, the ICE Vulcan can print and directly apply personalised labels on-demand to secondary packaging; allowing brands to skip the manual print and apply process, reduce waste and increase production line efficiency.

For more information on how the ICE Vulcan can benefit your production line, get in touch on enquiries@uk.interactivecoding.com and one of our coding experts can help find the ideal solution for your business or download our guide on secondary beverage packaging.