Amazon is planning on fulfilling orders without packaging its products in the company’s classic brown boxes to appeal more to customers that are put off by the number of packages they receive and discard weekly. The new program also includes incentives for Amazon vendors that are able to cut down on the extra layers of packaging they use for shipments.
The company said eliminating extra packaging will create more goodwill amongst its customers, according to The Wall Street Journal. Already, roughly 11% of all Amazon deliveries arrive without extra packaging.
But, new issues could arise under this plan. Amazon vendors must ensure that the packaging it offers is sturdy enough for individual shipping without needing extra materials. Also, other people can now see some of the items that are being shipped to homes, eliminating privacy and putting people at greater risk of having their packages stolen. Moreover, these boxless items make it harder for shipping labels to be put on products, which could lead to delayed delivery times or unfulfilled orders.
Pat Lindner, Amazon’s first vice president of Packaging and Innovation, said nevertheless that the new plan was needed if the company wanted to continue evolving. “The recognition by a number of senior leaders was just that this is becoming more and more important. There is a significant need for our company to take the next step to innovation around packaging,” he said.
Amazon has been revamping its logistics operations over the last 12 months, with the goal of making faster and more efficient deliveries. It has cut the distance products travel from fulfillment centers to customers by 15% while decreasing the number of times a package is handled by 12% since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
