COVID Pandemic = Innovation & Product Development

Whilst many news channels seem determined to report on all the negative impacts of the global COVID pandemic I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the positive work that has emerged as a result of it. Many industries have truly suffered however others have excelled, non-more so than E-Commerce. The surge in E-Commerce due to the current crisis is evident across all sectors and the beverage market is one that has seen considerable growth, estimated at around 34% in Europe.

However, this increase in consumer spending has also driven an increase in demand for durable, sustainable and consumer friendly packaging to protect purchases. For many consumers it is a new concept to buy beverages via an online platform, fear of damage is high due to damageability as well an increasing environmental concern for additional consumption of packaging.

As consumers push for environmental standards to increase it is great to see packaging organisations responding with new innovative solutions. Smurfit Kappa’s is one of them, their research found that 69% of customers preferred paper solutions and 59% wanted such packaging to be easy to open. So, have added to their product portfolio, increasing their eBottle solutions to ensure they are fit for purpose. They have also enhanced their packaging solutions and automated service propositions to ensure that E-Commerce challenges are overcome and yet meet the increase supply demand. This is just the latest development in their “Better Planet Packaging” range which is designed to be more sustainable and comes from renewable and recyclable sources.

Such innovation and flexibility to modify working practises to meet consumers needs is testament to industries spirit not to let any hurdle get in the way. When a problem presents itself there are innovators and entrepreneurs to find a solution.

In the case of the beverage market and as a consumer I can only demonstrate my thanks for this particular progression in innovation. Like many busy professionals I have taken advantage of E-Commerce during this pandemic and I am comforted to know that the safety of my products is being looked after and that our valuable environment considered.

Day to day when speaking with clients and candidates I hear of many great examples of innovation and flexibility put in place to deal with the challenges of COVD-19, to keep industry progressing and to keep work places sustainable I think that its important to celebrate these rather than simply focus on the negative impacts we face.