Same box, different destination
Service design for the adoption of reusable packaging for online retail
D.J. Silva Valenzuela (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
L.B.M. Magnier – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
M.E.H. Creusen – Mentor (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
More Info
expand_more
Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download, forward or distribute the text or part of it, without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license such as Creative Commons.
Abstract
The growth of e-commerce has sharply increased packaging waste, and reusable packaging systems (RPS) are positioned as a circular alternative to single-use cardboard. Their environmental and economic viability depends on people's engagement, achieving a high return rate to complete the intended packaging cycles. However, these systems are not preferred by people since they are considered too novel, uncertain, and too much effort demanding in exchange for the perceived benefits.
This thesis, developed with Circular Shipping Company, investigates how reusable packaging systems for online retail can be designed to increase user participation and return rates. The research combined a literature review with two user studies. In the first, ten participants navigated recreated checkout websites to examine how packaging is selected in an online setting. In the second, participants received a real reusable box and returned it to an actual drop-off point, allowing real return behaviour to be observed. The studies identified several barriers in the system, which were then grouped and rephrased into four pillar requirements that guided the rest of the project: Value communication, sustainable education, Guidance, and Convenience.
An individual ideation phase, a co-design session with users, and a brainstorming session with the company were carried out, resulting in a service design with eight design interventions covering the full consumer journey. The proposal embeds packaging selection into the checkout flow, distributes explanations across touchpoints, locates returns to mailboxes in supermarkets, and makes the reuse cycle visible through a travelling character and its journey.
The design was validated through a survey (n=51) and semi-structured interviews (n=10). Guidance and convenience were achieved, while value communication and sustainable education were only partially achieved: environmental impact information continued to trigger scepticism, and participants struggled to perceive a personal benefit in using reusable packaging. Overall, the findings show that selection is mainly guided by anticipated effort, while return depends on routine fit.
Showcase video - E-commerce reusable packaging service design: https://youtu.be/lim6jWRxHkI?si=1DnBbaM_tyndfuWB