Amazon launched “Frustration-Free Packaging,” a new initiative designed to make it easier for customers to liberate products from their packages. The initial focus is on hard plastic cases (“clamshells”) and those secured with a large number of plastic-coated wire ties, commonly used in toy packaging. (Disclosure: Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is an investor in 37signals.)
This initiative oughta make David Pogue happy: “Over the years, these sharp-edged, steely-hardened acrylic crypts have broken countless scissors, ripped flesh and wasted ridiculous amounts of people’s time.”
SH
on 03 Nov 08The big question: Is the new packaging happening at manufacturing level? Or are these toys sent to Amazon in their standard packaging, opened, repackaged and sold?
Answer, before the pitchforks come out: “Instead, we work directly with manufacturers to box products in Frustration-Free Packages right off the assembly lines, which reduces the overall amount of packing materials used.”
David Andersen
on 03 Nov 08An exceptionally good idea. The packaging on some of the toys is insane. I’ve taken 15 minutes to get one of those Fisher Price toys unbound. What a waste of time to package and unpackage.
George
on 03 Nov 08Being a father of two, I have to say this is the best news I’ve read in a while. Hats off to Amazon for finally doing away with this incredible form of modern-day torture and frustration. Anyone who has a child and struggled with this sort of packaging while an excited child waits impatiently for you to break the toys out of their prison, knows just how much of a push forward in consumer experience this is.
Not only should it reduce frustrations and make everything more eco-friendly, but the blister packs result in tons of emergency room visits from bad cuts that often require stitches.
Dennis
on 03 Nov 08Wow. Yet another reason to never visit a retail store!
sb
on 03 Nov 08Yay Amazon!
Spending Xmas morning with poultry shears and leather gloves always seemed ridiculous.
“Daddy’s mad at boxes.”
ratchetcat
on 03 Nov 08about time! you know, i always thought i would die at the… polymers… of one of these accursed clamshell packages. beyond the exciting potential for field amputation, they make products much more difficult to return—i mean, what if the item within the packaging is damaged by the circular saw or your precious blood liquids?!
Andrew
on 03 Nov 08Awesome, awesome, awesome. The best improvement in usability I’ve seen all year! Dad’s much happier now!
Vicky H
on 03 Nov 08Am I the only one who see’s the “real” problem here? The repackaging is interesting in itself, but who in their right mind would repackage a toy meant for little kids?
The consumer is that little kid who’s eyes will light up when he sees that toy through the see-through package! Then, parent eyes light up, cuz kid eyes light up, ect…
As a parent, I wouldn’t buy a package that not going to give my kid that intial WOW moment.
I’d repackage for adults… not a kids toy.
Tim Jahn
on 03 Nov 08I think it’s great that Amazon is taking this approach with packaging. There’s way too much unnecessary frustration right now with crazy packaging techniques. I swear they don’t want us to open these things!
But Vicky H has a great point…this new packaging definitely does not lend itself to kids toys (especially to the example Amazon has provided).
Jay Owen
on 03 Nov 08Thank goodness for this! Trying to break into toys on Christmas morning practically involves the jaws of life. Seems like a smart setup all the way around.
Michelle Hartz
on 03 Nov 08This is a wonderful idea!
I don’t think this is a problem for kids toys. The first thing the kid is going to do is take it out of the box, probably before they even realize exactly what it is. And then they’ll be holding the actual toy and able to play with it right away.
J
on 03 Nov 08Vicky: That makes sense when the product is on a store shelf. These products come from Amazon. The packaging isn’t part of the sale.
ratchetcat
on 03 Nov 08I’d repackage for adults… not a kids toy.
I’m not sure it really matters. A nice illustration on the outside of the box served pretty well decades and decades, right? Having the toy on display in a brick and mortar store might assist the parent in determining whether the thing looks sturdy enough to survive Christmas morning… but if you’re ordering online, you’ve probably already made up your mind.
The kid is going to be overjoyed if it’s remotely something in which they’re interested, I would think.
Vicky H
on 03 Nov 08It’s not just about the initial sale, but also about the total experience when your talking about kids. Those moments between the time they first see the toy, to they actually get the toy in their hands is the moment I think is missing.
Most parents I don’t think would make the trade.
Leila W
on 03 Nov 08As a parent, I’m excited about the new packaging. It’s less wasteful (which is a gift in itself to my daughter) and the fact that the box DOESN’T seem to have a picture of the toy means that the surprise/experience isn’t being stolen. It’s like it’s wrapped twice. =)
I’d rather give my child less plastic and less curse words at celebrations trying to open those d*mn boxes any day.
Nicole
on 03 Nov 08@Vicky H - If we’re talking about these as gifts, it seems the same steps still apply. If a toy is in a clamshell, it is usually put in another box and then wrapped as wrapping the clamshell product alone would make for a very awkward package. Thus with either approach, the child must unwrap the gift then open a box - except with the frustration free approach the child would then have his/her hands directly on the toy versus having to gaze at it through a shiny clamshell.
To me, that seems even better.
John
on 03 Nov 08As a parent of 3 small children, I think this is great. My wife insists that we open each box and “unpackage” the toy and then return it to the box before we wrap it for Christmas. Go Amazon.
Jeff
on 03 Nov 08At my house, those little plastic wrapped wires are called MacGuyver Wire because of all the things we end up using it for… hanging birdfeeders, wire ties, closing a bag of frozen vegetables, seatbelts for little plastic figures that won’t stay in the airplanes.. the list is endless.
But I’m overjoyed at the impeding death of the blister pack and clamshell packaging. Heck that stuff isn’t marked as recyclable either!
Natanya Anderson
on 03 Nov 08My family made a commitment this year to reduce our overall waste via recycling, use of paper products, and any other method we could think of. We’ve cut our weekly trash by 50% but toy packaging has been a challenge for us because so much of it is difficult to separate and recycle. In addition to making unpacking easier (I agree with LeilaW that it’s like a package is wrapped twice) it seems from the picture that recycling the packaging will be easier.
I can understand why this would never work in a brick-and-mortar store where packaging is part of the marketing, but on Amazon marketing happens in other ways. What the kids will loose in cool packaging they will make up for in easier access and less waste – a good story all around. Good for Amazon.
Lisa
on 03 Nov 08Vicky H – I would sooo make that trade. I remember when my daughter turned one and it took 6 adults over an hour to get her toys that she got out of the boxes.
JennG.
on 03 Nov 08All I have to say is – YAY!!!!!! We just got done opening b-day presents for my 7 year old and I was JUST saying “when are these companies going to wise-up on all this nonsense-impossible-to-get-through packaging?!”
Thank you Amazon!!!! Even more reason I will do my Christmas shopping with you this year!
olivier blanchard
on 03 Nov 08I once worked for a manufacturer years ago whose packaging was exactly like Amazon’s “frustration-free” packaging. The reason for it was simple: Cost.
It’s a lot cheaper to package your product in a standard brown box with basic one-color printing than having to purchase/produce a full color custom package for every product.
In the case of Amazon – whose products don’t have to compete for attention in a huge retail environment whose shelves are stacked with tens of thousands of pretty product packaging – choosing to go with ‘brown box’ packaging kind of makes sense.
1) Lower packaging cost = potentially lower price-point = increased sales volume
2) Lower packaging cost = potentially higher yield per sale = increased profit without fleecing the customer.
3) Brown packaging reduces waste – One box serves as the product package AND shipping package. More on that in a sec.
4) Brown packaging protects the product better than cutout retail packaging.
There is absolutely no reason why Amazon shouldn’t do this since they don’t have actual retail outlets where packaging helps sell products – except perhaps if the product, especially a toy, is intended to be a birthday or Christmas gift. (Packaging matters a bit more there.)
Calling it “Frustration-free” packaging may be a little short-sighted. Perhaps if Amazon had instead gone with an “environmentally conscious” packaging campaign, or told the story of how it intends to cut waste, save trees and be more environmentally responsible on their packaging and website, they could turn a purely financial decision into a PR coup in their favor.
Somebody missed the boat there for sure.
djd
on 03 Nov 08The clever thing to me here is that the business case for this behind the scene is related to reducing waste and cost of packaging material but Amazon has found a way of tying in a consumer benefit as well. Further, the old packaging was designed at a time where decision to purchase would largely be when you’re standing in front of a slew of toys in the aisle. That situation is gone with Amazon so why not rethink the previous assumptions of what the package needs to do. Now it needs to hold the item, protect it in shipment, and maybe look great when received for certain special cases as discussed above (gifts, kids, etc). There must be other assumptions that could stand to be rethought as well…
djd
on 03 Nov 08Looks like Olivier beat me to the punch!
I would argue the opposite conclusion from “Somebody missed the boat” however.
Amazon knows what they’re doing. They know how to eliminate waste. They get economy of scale. Right?
This is all of those things but marketed as an additional benefit / option to the consumer whether you care about the environmental implications or not. Not everyone cares about the environmental impact so they’ve found a way to make people buy-in by selling it in a completely different way.
I think that’s damn clever.
Vicky H
on 03 Nov 08I’ll take my brown box inside a nother brown box please.
Benjy
on 03 Nov 08I remember when I ordered my GorillaPod camera tripod online, their site allowed the choice of packaging. ..
While most of the comments here seem to be focusing on toys, this is a great move in general—it makes it easier to open a product and it’s better for the environment. While I guess I understand the marketing and theft-deterrent components to traditional packaging, this clearly isn’t required for eCommerce. And I’d love to see more manufacturers go this direction even for in-store products. These seem to be some of the lowest hanging fruit in terms of reducing waste without having to really adjust our behaviors. If only manufacturers would get on board…
Laura Christianson
on 03 Nov 08Maybe the plain brown box will create more suspense for the kiddo who’s opening the gift.
Makes it easier to wrap, too. I hate trying to wrap gifts that are part plastic, part cardboard, and mostly odd-shaped.
Amazon’s move is a definite plus for us parents who constantly injure ourselves (and feel like injuring the packaging people) when attempting to hacksaw through the ties, ropes, rubber bands, and industrial-strength, vacuum-sealed plastic these toys come sealed in.
The packaging on most toys should contain warning labels!
Laura Christianson co-founder, HeBlogsSheBlogs.com
charlene
on 03 Nov 08Isn’t the total experience improved when the child goes directly from wrapped gift to opening the gift to holding the toy in her hand to playing with the toy?
In the current scenario, the child opens the gift, sees the toy in another box, has the whole thing taken away from her while the parent struggles with removing the toy from the packaging, and then finally actually gets to play with it if she’s still interested at that point.
Ultimately what does the kid want? To find out what’s in the box and to play with the toy inside.
Stephane Grenier
on 03 Nov 08AWESOME!!! No more hour spent trying to unwrap the packages. And no more accidentally cutting my hands trying to unwrap the package. Awesome!
Snowflake Seven
on 03 Nov 08Excellent to see.
In a brick & mortar store the clear window sells the product but at Amazon you don’t need that packaging design feature.
Additionally, the box looks to be unbleached or possibly even post-consumer recycled paper. And using one ink instead of four-color process (possibly plus additional spot colors or varnishes) means less water used washing the printing press. It also eliminates the die-cut of the box and any other special finishing like an emboss or reflective foil.
And after watching the unboxing video comparison the above linked it gets even better. Only one smallish plastic bag of the loose pieces and a small cardboard piece for rigidity.
Efforts like this deserve more press coverage. Maybe even a Cooper-Hewitt “Noble Effort” Award to highlight less glamorous efforts.
Cheers to SVN for noting it.
David Smith
on 03 Nov 08Let’s remember that the impossible-to-open packaging is also a response to in-store theft. Since Amazon has your money before they ship, that isn’t necessary.
James | Dancing Geek
on 04 Nov 08@Olivier – I disagree on the “environmentally conscious” vs “frustration free” angle.
I think the latter makes much more sense as a retailer. The first is about appealing to your higher motives, the latter reminds anyone who’s ever had a bad experience with packaging (which must be pretty much every adult in the western world) of that negative experience and promptly shows how they’ve removed that to make your life easier and better.
The environmental impact is ‘obvious’ to those who are interested in that and therefore are used to looking at that angle as well. So that angle certainly isn’t lost – see the comments here for evidence of that.
Jen
on 04 Nov 08Fantastic news! I have been waiting years for such innovation. I’ve often wondered about the necessity of such medieval torture devices in packaging children’s toys. Let’s hope this trend travels outside of amazon to the mainstream.
Dennis Nestor
on 04 Nov 08They just need to add a big sticker to the front of the box.
Tom G
on 04 Nov 08Can they get rid of those damn stickers on the side of the CD/DVD jewel cases???
Jason Rhodes
on 04 Nov 08Vicky is right, in my opinion. Part of the joy of the gift getting experience comes from delayed gratification. Inevitably technologies develop to make everything easier, but as the “frustration” goes so does some of the experience with it.
I have fond memories of the adventure of opening those packages, and even of being the kid waiting for my dad to rip it open with his teeth. They’re ridiculously stupid, but I sort of like them that way. And no, I’m not even a cranky old man.
J
on 04 Nov 08Jason Rhodes, when you were a kid they were a lot easier to open than today. Today they require sharp objects and a towel so you don’t cut a gash in your hand.
Patricia
on 04 Nov 08Yay! My son just turned 5 yesterday so his birthday party yielded many toys as presents. I have only allowed him to open two, because, well, I’m tired of the packaging. And than the cars that require a screwdriver to remove the packaging. Sometimes he just plays with the cars with some of the packaging still attached because I cannot find a screwdriver (or too lazy to really look.)
I feel this experience of looking through the window is short-lived and hardly remembered. As for delayed gratification, he had that when he had to wait for his birthday to get new toys. I think 1 year is plenty of delay, let the kid have it now and let mommy rest without tearing up the house looking for a screwdriver.
Mark
on 06 Nov 08Uh oh, someone forgot the post title.
Greg Macoy
on 08 Nov 08This is brilliant. I hate terrible packaging, and was thinking about this exact thing today.
This discussion is closed.