The UK internet retailers have the potential to further improve protection for their brand and customers, according to a new study conducted by UK's Macfarlane Packaging.
The company's 'unboxing' study involved assessment of the suitability of online sellers' packaging following which the Macfarlane Packaging ordered 119 items from internet retailers in a range of sectors including health & beauty, homeware, gifts, fashion and electronics.
The survey allowed the company to assess the suitability of online sellers' packaging, as well as some of the issues faced by internet retailers and their customers.
The study focused on size, durability, ease of opening, amount of packaging used, and recyclability.
Upon completion, the research found that almost 30% of parcels dispatched by the country's internet retailers could be unfit for purpose, with as many as 10% containing damaged contents as a result.
In the study, Macfarlane Packaging also found that more than 80% of the packages were judged to be clean and dry, while 15% were dented, 8% were crushed, 8% were ripped and 4% appeared to have been opened or tampered with during transit.
Macfarlane Packaging marketing director Laurel Granville said: "This study identifies some very important issues for online retailers and highlights the opportunities that exist for them to enhance their image, build their brand and reduce their costs while delivering an excellent experience for their customers."
Additionally, of the total evaluated packages, 24% were found to be difficult to open, 19% had too little packaging and 41% contained too much packaging material that would need to be disposed of or recycled.
Only 53% of the packs assessed used packaging materials that were fully recyclable.
Furthermore, the study found that 55% of packages had no information on how to return the item.