Have you ever been excited to receive a package … and then fumed as you struggled to open it? Whether oversized, covered in tape, or in plastic casing that requires a licensed surgeon to open it, complicated packaging can lead to customer frustration and wrap rage.
Easy-to-open packaging is an essential part of the customer experience. Products with frustration-free packaging increase customer satisfaction and help you lower fulfillment costs and waste. Learn what frustration-free packaging is and why it might be right for your business.
What is frustration-free packaging?
Frustration-free packaging is product packaging designed to make your products easy to ship, open, reuse, or recycle. It uses minimal packaging materials and a simple eco-friendly packaging design to reduce waste.
Frustration-free packaging removes the excess found in many types of standard packaging, like wire ties, Styrofoam, plastic inserts, blister packs, extra boxes, or other bulky padding that can be harmful to the environment. For example, sustainable shoe brand Rothy’s uses a single biodegradable shoebox to store and ship its products rather than shipping a shoebox within another box, as many competitors do.
Amazon’s frustration-free packaging program
The term “frustration-free packaging” often refers to Amazon’s frustration-free packaging program, a set of guidelines for Amazon merchants to reduce packaging waste, lower shipping and packaging costs, and improve the customer experience. Amazon also refers to this program as Ships in Product Packaging (SIPP) and lets qualified sellers use custom-branded packaging without any Amazon branding to minimize the materials used.
To certify for the Amazon frustration-free packaging program, sellers must follow these guidelines:
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Be recyclable. Certified frustration-free packaging must use 100% curbside recyclable materials—items that customers can recycle in their household bins. Printed treatments must not affect the recyclability of the package.
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Follow FTC guidelines. In the US, packaging must follow the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides, which governs marketing about the environmental benefits of your products or services.
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Use minimal plastic. You can only use plastic film or bags for products that require abrasion and dust protection, contain small parts, or need barriers to maintain product quality or freshness.
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Limit twist ties. Twist ties are only allowed when managing cord organization. You can’t use them to secure packaging to the product.
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Keep packages easy to open. Customers must be able to remove a product from its package within 120 seconds—with minimal use of scissors or a box cutter.
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Avoid unnecessary packaging materials. Packaging must not contain blister packs, plastic inserts, packaging peanuts, shredded paper, or plastic clam shells.
These frustration-free packaging requirements can help sellers avoid fines, chargebacks, or removal from the Amazon marketplace.
Why ecommerce businesses use frustration-free packaging
Frustration-free packaging benefits your business and customers by lowering shipping costs, improving the customer experience, and reducing waste.
Lower shipping costs
With frustration-free packaging, you can use a minimal product box design lowering packaging weight, reducing shipping costs, and saving money on excess packaging materials like packing peanuts or plastic.
Because frustration-free packaging is generally less bulky, warehouse workers can process your shipments more efficiently. A tightly packaged box without extra room also prevents items from getting jostled in transit, protecting your product and lowering your returns and customer complaints.
For example, a minimally packaged product that precisely fits in a recycled cardboard box will cost less to ship than an oversized box holding a product encased in heavy plastic packaging and wrapped in a roll of bubble cushioning.
Improved customer experience
Frustration-free packaging aims to create an easy and enjoyable unboxing experience for customers. Customers care about the experience of opening a package, too: In 2023, videos with “unboxing” in the title received more than 25 billion views on YouTube, and nearly 40% of marketers have invested in unboxing content.
Packaging your products with a frustration-free design can even inspire your customers to create user-generated content of the unboxing experience. Elevate your packaging by including personal touches, like handwritten notes, cohesively branding the box or any inserts, and adding free samples or gifts.
Reduced waste
Frustration-free packaging principles help you reduce packaging waste and use eco-friendly alternatives, like biodegradable and recyclable packaging that can break down or be reused. If your target market embraces sustainability, you can also demonstrate your commitment and brand values by shipping products in frustration-free packaging.
Reducing waste can also make a difference to your bottom line; according to a 2023 survey, 77% of consumers between the ages of 35 and 44 considered sustainable packaging when choosing products.
Examples of frustration-free packaging
Here are some examples of ecommerce companies that implemented frustration-free packaging programs for their products:
Satya Organic
Founded in 2014, Satya Organic sells anti-inflammatory balms for eczema relief in fully recycled packaging. Entrepreneur and founder Patrice Mousseau expanded on Satya’s packaging design strategy with the Shopify team. “My paper is 100% recycled,” Patrice says on an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast. “It’s created by a woman-owned business. They use wind power offsets to actually make the paper. It’s all veggie and soy-based things.”
Satya Organics prioritized attractive and easy packaging designs using sustainable materials from the start. “Right from the very beginning, I had already decided the good paper I was going to use,” Patrice says. “I can’t express enough how important good design is for packaging and for products.” Products that are aesthetically pleasing, easy to open, and sustainable result in a better customer experience overall.
Wild
Wild is a natural deodorant company that uses refillable packaging. Customers can return as many as three cases at a time for refills. Entrepreneurs and co-founders Charlie Bowes-Lyon and Freddy Ward discuss sustainable packaging for their personal care products on Shopify Masters. “Everything from shampoo, conditioner, shower gel through to toothpaste and deodorant—people’s bathrooms are absolutely packed full of plastic,” Charlie says. “Not only did we want to reduce that problem, but we felt we could remove plastic and single-use materials completely.”
Wild uses sustainable materials throughout its packaging. “You get the case, which lasts for a lifetime and is made from aluminum, and then your refills,” Charlie says. “The packaging for refills is made out of bamboo pulp and can be composted.” Wild’s products come in a simple cardboard box with a lid that flips open; within, deodorant refills are nestled into slots for safe shipping and easy retrieval.
Pangea Organics
Pangea Organics sells soap online using innovative packaging made from fully recycled raw materials like biodegradable ink and fully compostable papers layered with spruce tree seeds. Rather than throw away the packaging, customers can soak the seeded packaging in water, bury it in soil, and grow plants from it.
“The sustainability in this product is more one of education and flipping expectations,” Josh Ivy, Pangea Organics’ lead designer tells The Packaging Cookbook. “Molded pulp offers sustainability gains over other paper packaging, as there is little waste in the process and waste pulp is just reformed into the next package, rather than cut off and discarded.”
Frustration-free packaging FAQ
Is frustration-free packaging cheaper?
Frustration-free packaging is typically cheaper than standard packaging because it uses fewer materials, which lowers packaging weight, reduces shipping costs, and saves money on excess packaging materials like packing peanuts or plastic bubble wrap. Because frustration-free packaging is generally less bulky, warehouse workers can be more efficient when processing your shipments.
How do you design frustration-free packaging?
You can design frustration-free packaging using a minimal design with recycled materials that lets customers open the package easily (using features like a tear strip).
Is frustration-free packaging safe?
Frustration-free packaging is safe for shipping your goods because it uses a tightly packaged box without extra room, preventing items from getting jostled and damaged in transit. It also doesn’t require customers to open packages with sharp tools like scissors or box cutters that can damage the contents.