eBay Gets in the Branded Box Game
May 31, 2016
Boxes are, and have been, a part of the branding game for a long time. Even with online retail, the customer experience doesn’t end at checkout—it ends once the customer receives and opens the package. (Technically, even then the customer experience can go further with sustainable design solutions, but that is a Buzz for another time).
All facets of to-your-door packaging act as billboards for your product or brand. Even subscription boxes, like the one we designed for Snack Nation, are moving the packaging industry to further consider the customer experience.
When it comes to big online retailers, Amazon branding has dominated over other retailers—including eBay–with its illustrious smile.
Amazon has seized the branding opportunity on its packaging for quite some time—whether it’s been branded tape or even timely cross promotions with movies. As a result, when that box arrives on your doorstep with the Amazon logo printed in plain site, you think “Why can’t I remember what I ordered?” But then you think “Oh good. My Amazon package arrived … whatever it is.”
This is one reason why eBay recently announced a new program that will have eBay-branded boxes for shipments of…well, all the things that they ship (hint: a lot).
eBay is still perceived by many as the second-hand store of the online world while Amazon occupies both the new and used space. In fact, instead of just being a go-between for buyers and sellers, you can buy new products on eBay. They hope new packaging will drive this point home as buyers see the eBay logo offline.
