With customers’ increased dependence on e-commerce, the need to implement full-fledged omnichannel strategies skyrocketed in 2020. Millions of customers who were already acquainted with online shopping expanded their use, while many tried it for the first time to overcome limitations brought on by the pandemic. Nevertheless, this necessitated a quick acceleration in implementing new packaging solutions, and one of the prominent examples is corrugated boxes.

 

The Industry Statistics

Overlocking food, cleaning products, and home paper contributed to March’s 9% increase in corrugated box shipments. Shipments increased year-over-year in June, July, and September and achieved record highs in October, November, and December, which pushed total industry shipments up 3.4% in 2020—the highest annual growth since 1994. Finally, the industry ended the year with 407 BSF of goods delivered—the greatest amount ever recorded in history.

Corrugated Boxes and Rules of the Road

Over the course of a century, corrugated packaging has delivered goods from the place of origin all the way to the final destination, transporting anything from food to computer parts and machinery components. Throughout its existence, the corrugated industry has never stopped striving to enhance its product offerings to satisfy the ever-evolving needs of customers and the “Rules of the Road.”

With the rise of e-commerce, corrugated boxes have become more essential than ever. Before the advent of online shopping, these boxes had the primary and practical objective of transporting cases of goods from manufacturers and distributors to retailers.

On the other hand, brand marketing was normally reserved for main products, such as folding cartons, which were packaged within corrugated boxes, and then removed and placed on store shelves after unpacking.

Corrugated Boxes and Environmental Friendliness

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental effect of packaging, which is growing in response to increased public scrutiny and debate about plastics in the ocean. As a result of the versatility of corrugated boxes and their ability to do double duty as both a shipping and merchandising container, business owners have the chance to match the packaging with the values of their target consumers by placing the emblem for “Corrugated Recycles.”

The Gain for Brands

The use of corrugated boxes has been essential to the development of the e-commerce industry since they make it possible to ship almost anything, from books to frozen food, worldwide. Brands that can effectively adapt to continue selling products and provide pleasant experiences, regardless of the channels chosen, have an opportunity to move forward and gain loyal customers for the long haul.

The Final Cut

To conclude, boxes are a common part of ordinary life. While some box materials are criticized since they’re detrimental to the environment, corrugated boxes are a sustainable and biodegradable alternative to fossil-based products. Since the fast-tracked shift to online shopping during the pandemic has kept businesses on their toes, corrugated boxes are once again recognized as the backbone of the e-commerce industry and worldwide supply chain. Check out The Boxery’s corrugated boxes collection today.