Beauty Packaging’s editor-in-chief Jamie Matusow recently led the panel discussion, Beauty Beyond the Virus, about the impact of Covid-19 on brands large and small, especially the sudden and tremendous rise in online sales due to brick-and-mortar closures—and some of the ways to bounce back and revise practices from packaging to distribution, moving forward.

The panelists were Melissa Dandy, associate director R&D E-Commerce, Johnson & Johnson and co-founder of the new E-Commerce Packaging Council; Mona Maine de Biran, co-founder/CEO, Kierin NYC, a direct-to-consumer fragrance company; and Ed Delia, president of Delia Associates, a business branding and marketing firm.

Register to listen to the free on-demand webinar here.

A few highlights from the discussion are below.

How J&J is Responding to the Fast Rise of E-Commerce

Before the coronavirus pandemic, e-commerce was 7-8% of J&J’s total sales. “It was fast-growing – but that growth was still only in the single digits. Now, 25% of our sales are coming from e-commerce,” says Melissa Dandy, associate director R&D E-Commerce, J&J, during our video panel discussion.

How is J&J responding to the sudden rise in e-commerce sales?  “We’re looking at our supply chain, end-to-end, to see what changes we can make,” Dandy says. “For the past one hundred years, we have gotten really great at packaging and protecting products through supply chains intended for retail. E-commerce flips that on its head.”

Ensuring that products are protected from damage during transit, while also considering aesthetics and sustainability — is a challenge. “E-commerce exponentially increases the touchpoints through the supply chain. It’s a different conversation when it comes to design.”

Small Direct-to-Consumer Brands Already Have it Figured Out

While it’s a challenge for a global company to pivot, focusing more on e-commerce — smaller, direct-to-consumer brands seem to already have successful strategies in place.

Kierin NYC is a digitally native brand that launched in 2018. “Being small gives us a lot more flexibility, and we have split channels of distribution and manufacturing fulfillment,” says Mona Maine de Biran, co-founder/CEO, Kierin NYC. “For example, some of our retail partners may require cellophane,” she says, referring to wrapping fragrance cartons with plastic to meet overseas shipping requirements. “In our d2c, we don’t want to add that to our environmental footprint.”

Is Clean is the New Green?

During the discussion, Ed Delia, president of Delia Associates, predicts one way Covid-19 will affect beauty and e-commerce in the future — a new focus on cleanliness.

“Cleanliness above all else will be prized,” said Delia, mentioning products with antimicrobial properties and touchless packaging. “I envision a future with some type of standard or badge that verifies a product’s cleanliness and indicates it was ‘packaged safe,’ he says. 

The panelists discuss more in the free on-demand webinar: Beauty Beyond the Virus — listen here after registering.


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