E-commerce returns are not only a logistics issue: packaging can also make a difference when a product has to make the reverse journey, from the customer back to the seller.
If the packaging used for delivery cannot be easily reused, the customer has to find another box, make sure it is strong enough and prepare the shipment again.
This highlights an aspect that is often overlooked in e-commerce packaging design. A box intended for online sales should not be designed only to reach its destination intact, but also with what may happen after delivery in mind.
For this reason, easy opening, the possibility of resealing the package and overall strength become just as important as protecting the product during the first shipment.
Considering the return process from the design stage therefore means looking at packaging as part of a broader system, one that does not necessarily end when the parcel reaches the recipient.
From the first journey to the second: the role of reusable packaging
This is the perspective behind GoBox, the box developed by Cartotecnica Moreschini specifically for e-commerce. One of its distinctive features is a double strip of silicone tape: the first is used by the seller to seal the package before shipment, while the second allows the customer to reseal it if a return is required.
The same packaging can therefore accompany the product in both directions, avoiding the need for the customer to use a different box. GoBox also features a tear-tape system designed to make the package easier to open.
It is a seemingly simple solution, but one that shows how much packaging functionality can influence the overall shopping experience.
The issue also concerns resource use. Reusing for the return journey a box that has already completed the first shipment can, when the packaging is still in suitable condition, avoid the need for a second package for the same transaction.
The concept of reusable packaging therefore becomes closely connected to reverse logistics: it is no longer only about managing the movement of goods towards the customer, but about designing packaging from the outset so that it can also support the return journey.
When returns become part of the customer experience
The ease with which a return is handled also contributes to the overall perception of the service. In e-commerce, the relationship between customer and brand continues after checkout and after unboxing: every subsequent step can either simplify the experience or add further complexity.
For this reason, packaging can also play an important role in managing e-commerce returns. A package that is easy to open and reseal reduces the number of steps required from the customer and makes preparing a return shipment more intuitive.
Functionality, however, does not necessarily mean giving up on communication. GoBox can be graphically customised on the inside, while the outer surface remains anonymous: a feature that makes it possible to integrate brand identity into the opening experience without making the contents immediately recognisable during transport.
This is where design and customer experience come together. Shipping packaging is no longer just what protects the product between the warehouse and the recipient, but a tool that can support different stages of the relationship with the customer.
Taking the possibility of a return into account therefore means designing the e-commerce experience in a more complete way. With GoBox, the box does not necessarily complete its task after the first delivery: it can be ready to make a second journey as well.
