Frustration-Free Packaging - Good riddance, clamshells!

One of the all-around best initiatives I've seen in the last few months has been pioneered by online retailer, who calls it "Frustration-Free Packaging." (Also, see the letter from the CEO on the subject.) They realized that most product packaging is designed to (1) show off the product in a glossy, eye-catching way, and (2) prevent theft. However, these priorities result in packaging which is wasteful and (by necessity for theft-prevention) extremely difficult to open. And since Amazon doesn't have a physical store, they don't need either eye-catching or theft-preventing packaging! Their redesigned packaging (see the comparison in the photo) prioritizes easy opening and less waste - resulting in a much, much, much better user experience. Since Amazon started the trend, there are reports that Sony, Microsoft, and Best Buy are joining the party. Let's hope it's only the start of something huge!


Dave Marcus said...

It is a great initiative and worth noting that it is a waste-reduction initiative as well as easy-of-opening. Wish it would expand faster. So far, Amazon has very few items that are a part of the program.

Bob said...

Yeah, it's a great initiative, and with the amount of stuff being sold over the internet these days you'd think it's actually cheaper for manufacturers to package a portion of their products this way.

Without the need for attractive packaging, IKEA for instance comes up with tons of ways to reduce packaging.

Oh, and it's good to have you back in the new year, Dave!