India E-Commerce Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

India E-Commerce Packaging Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The Indian e-commerce packaging market was valued at USD 13.8 million in 2020, and it is expected to reach USD 1109.26 million by 2026, registering a CAGR of 13.8% during the period of 2021 - 2026. Owing to the rising population, increasing income levels, changing lifestyles, and growing economy, the demand for e-commerce packaging is growing in India. The country is focusing more on sustainable solutions, which is increasingly becoming a business imperative. With the growing awareness, the requirement for eco-friendly and sustainable packaging is steadily on the rise. With several billion parcels delivered every year, the threat of packaging waste is increasing due to which, the need for recyclable packaging material is on the rise.

Key Highlights

• The growing proliferation of online retailing and the emergence of omnichannel presence drives the market. With the increase in the usage of the internet across the country, the penetration of online retailing is growing. According to IBEF, internet users in India are expected to increase from 665.31 million, as of June 2019, to 829 million by 2021.
• Furthermore, with rise of the omnichannel business model in the country, where one can shop both online and offline, has also boosted the e-commerce market. Omnichannel retailers, such as Shoppers Stop Ltd and Infiniti Retail Limited Croma, are experiencing growth in their sales. Moreover, they are providing faster delivery with lower shipping cost of packaging, as they can ensure delivery from their offline stores in the city.
• However, regulation pertaining to the use of plastic and lack of exposure to good manufacturing practices is challenging the market growth. The growth of plastic packaging in the e-commerce space is expected to be affected by the recent regulation on the ban of single-use plastics, which is expected to be enforced anytime in the future, once the discussion with all stakeholders concludes. The other factor that is affecting the growth of the e-commerce packaging industry in India is the lack of a packaging machinery manufacturing ecosystem in the country.
• Further, e-commerce sector will mark a tipping point for the adoption of ecommerce and mobile commerce platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the closure of most physical retail stores during lockdown, online orders are booming as retailers attempt to keep sales going. Other retailers who may not have traditionally had a strong online presence have also been forced to shift their business model to e-commerce to ensure survival. The requirement for e-commerce specific packaging is strong as a result.
• However, in April 2020, the Government of India said that e-commerce platforms would be allowed to sell only essential items during the lockdown extension. This led to the only demand coming from food essential items and no orders would be taken from other end-user sector products. This leads to the low demand of packaging materials currently until Government allows to sell all other sector products in future.

Key Market TrendsFashion & Apparel to Witness Significant Market Growth

• With media exposure, raising awareness, and increasing share of disposable income, Indian consumers are looking to get access to global fashion brands. The limited reach of brick and mortar retail outlets of brands in smaller cities provides an opportunity for online retailers.
• Corrugated boxes are very common and widely used packaging materials for the e-commerce industry in the apparel segment, as the material is very strong and highly durable
• For instance, Arihant Agencies provides a corrugated box (outer brown box) for the apparel sector in an e-commerce platform, which keeps the product safe and secure while storing and shipping. This secondary packaging is available in different sizes, styles, and with different specifications to choose from.
• Further, consumers are demanding more sustainable fashion products. Thus, brands have to imbibe this concept strongly in their business approaches, as the plastic used in packaging has no particular sustainable alternative that has been identified.
• In November 2019, the Walmart-owned e-commerce marketplace, Flipkart, rolled out a new initiative that focuses on creating awareness among consumers on the proper disposal of plastic packaging to make them active participants in its sustainability agenda. As part of this initiative, Flipkart is conducting a pilot project to collect plastic packaging back from consumers at select hubs across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, and Ahmedabad. This initiatives contributed to the growth of market.

Consumer Electronics Accounts for Significant Market Share

• According to IBEF, consumer electronics is currently the biggest contributor to online retail sales in India. In 2019, it contributed a share of 48% in India and with significant technology trends, the demand in the consumer electronic segment is expected to increase further.
• Protective airbags for sending mobile phones, accessories, boxes, etc. are widely used in the e-commerce segment, as these bags help protect goods from damages during transit. Companies, such as Vijay Packaging System, provide these types of packaging for the e-commerce segment.
• Further, EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam is widely used to protect and save electronic products during shipping. It helps fill the void spaces and offer other properties, like durability, recyclability, and lightweight. The products mostly used for packaging include televisions, bulbs, and other electrical appliances.
• Many e-commerce companies are focusing on sustainable packaging solutions to reduce plastic waste and move toward paper-based packaging. The trend is also expected to hit the consumer electronics segment, which is sensitive to external impacts, with better designing, in order to make packaging more robust.
• For instance, the e-commerce giant, Amazon, introduced the Frustration-Free Packaging solution to eliminate the additional shipping boxes. By December 2017, the company had avoided 360 million shipping boxes. Also according to Amazon, electronic accessories, gadgets, and smartphones are the top categories in the most-selling products, so it enhances the usage of packaging such as Tuck-in-Flap boxes, protective bags, etc.

Competitive Landscape

The Indian e-commerce packaging market is fragmented which provides rivalry in the market. Sustainable competitive advantage can be gained through innovation in design, technology, and application. The growing demand from the fashion and apparel and consumer electronics industries has led to the introduction of several innovations that provides the highly competitive position of the market. Key players are Packman Packaging, Oji India Packaging Pvt Ltd, etc. Recent developments in the market are -

• Aug 2019 - B&B Triplewall Containers opted for Corrugated Samadhan, an ERP solution specially designed for the corrugation industry. The Samadhan uses ERP framework Microsoft Dynamics NAV to create a solution, where the solution is sturdy, secure, and scalable.
• Dec 2019 - Storopack developed rEPS, a new material that includes 100% recycled ESP or PS from post-consumer goods. The product is anticipated to be used for packaging material in the future. It's an attractive solution for companies that wish to use eco-friendly packages.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support

Companies Mentioned

Packman Packaging
U
Pack
Ecom Packaging
Avon Pacfo Services LLP
TGI Packaging Pvt. Ltd
Kapco Packaging
Total Pack
Storopack Ind Pvt. Ltd
Oji India Packaging Pvt Ltd
Astron Packaging Ltd
B&B Triplewall Containers Limited

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