Four-party e-commerce collaboration simplifies premium wine and spirits shipping
25 Jun 2020 --- Within the burgeoning e-commerce sector, brands are increasingly prioritizing durable packaging to reflect premium brand presentation. Addressing this demand, global logistics company UPS has initiated a four-partner collaboration to bring a new range of recyclable cardboard packaging specifically designed for shipping individual bottles of spirits and wine. Alongside Macfarlane Packaging, Sealed Air, Smurfit Kappa, the partnership will help producers in the UK and Ireland expand their markets and reach new customers.
“E-commerce presents a huge opportunity for drinks producers wanting to grow their businesses. We designed this new packaging to simplify the process and bring peace of mind that these fragile products will arrive safely at their destination,” says Mark Vale, President, UPS UK & Ireland.
“By combining this specialized packaging with UPS’s smart global logistics network, brokerage expertise and service coverage, distillers can focus on their passion and sharing their savoir-faire with the world,” he continues. Moreover, this packaging can offset damage costs and eliminate the need for custom packaging for different sized bottles or unusual bottle shapes.
UPS Spirits Pack A (Source: Macfarlane Packaging)Innova Market Insights has pegged “Packing an e-Punch” as its third top packaging trend for 2020. The e-commerce sector has been rapidly developing in the past few years, but coronavirus-induced isolation requirements and lockdown restrictions have encouraged at-home consumers to turn to e-tailers to access a myriad of products at their fingertips.
Notably, Macfarlane Packaging expects to see a surge in alcohol e-sales in the UK and Ireland, despite the initial consequences of the ongoing global pandemic. Our sister platform FoodIngredientsFirst reported in late April that in the wine sector alone, internal EU closures of restaurants and catering have led to diminishing returns from the high-end of the product range.
The “wow factor” of e-commerce packaging
Aiming to accommodate most of the wine and spirits bottles on the market, the partnership offers four customizable versions of the new one-bottle packs:
- UPS Spirits Pack A (245 x 119 x 112 mm): Small and bulky bottles, typically gin and whisky.
- UPS Spirits Pack B (270 x 175 x 90 mm): Bulky and flat bottles used for different types of spirits.
- UPS Spirits Pack C (355 x 108 x 96 mm): Fits fall and slim bottles for spirits like gin.
- UPS Spirits Pack D (318 x 98 x 90 mm): Fits the widest range of wines and spirits.
“Your bottle is elegantly suspended in transparent film, so it can be displayed in a shop, bar, boutique or sent to family or friends as a gift. You can easily customize and decorate an insert, which can replace point-of-sale packaging and improve the unboxing experience. Custom printed options are also available,” Macfarlane Packaging details.
UPS Spirits Pack C (Source: Macfarlane Packaging)Indeed, the Innova Market Insights e-commerce trend points out that the unboxing experience, or the “wow factor,” is becoming just as important as the safety and durability of the packaging material itself.
In recent years, the spirits market has witnessed a move toward a greater demand for premium and super premium products. According to a recent Innova Market Insights report entitled Premium and Super Premium Spirits Packaging, glass is the material of choice for the premium spirits markets, as glass packaging protects product contents and boasts an array of brand enhancement capabilities.
Likewise, in the wine sector, the Innova Market Insights report highlights that the dominance of glass bottles for wine packaging will continue over the next five years. Despite the current array of wine packaging innovation ranging from aluminum cans to PET bottles, the market researcher echoes that the significance of glass as the material of choice in the sector “must never be overlooked.”
Edited by Anni Schleicher
