New DS Smith Survey Reveals 60% of Americans Received Damaged Goods from Online Retailers This Year

November 19, 2024 at 08:30 AM EST

Damaged deliveries dampen spirits ahead of busy holiday shopping season

With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, a new survey by DS Smith, a global leader in sustainable fiber-based packaging, reveals a common complaint for online shoppers: damaged goods. The online survey conducted by The Harris Poll found that a staggering 60% of Americans have received damaged goods when ordering online this year. Among those receiving damaged goods, about one third said the package was crushed (34%), torn (34%) or the product was smashed within the packaging (32%).

In the United States, an estimated 700 million packages are delivered damaged each year* worth approximately $48.5 billion.** As a major manufacturer of e-commerce packaging and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales expected to break records this year according to Adobe Digital Insights, DS Smith is committed to helping retailers deliver a positive online shopping experience and help shoppers feel less frustrated.

“Three quarters of Americans (78%) make online purchases that are delivered to their home and/or workplace at least once a month while almost half of those polled receive deliveries weekly,” said Steven Rose, Managing Director, North American Packaging, DS Smith. “Damaged packaging can be a big frustration for e-commerce shoppers as well as a pain point for retailers. The goal of DS Smith is to provide our customers with packaging solutions that ensure products arrive safely in their original condition, while using no more material than necessary.”

DS Smith’s dedicated innovation and R&D teams have employed cutting-edge, impact-testing technology to simulate the rigors of the supply chain, subjecting packaging to rigorous Drop, Impact, Shake, Crush, and Shock (DISCS) testing. This process allows DS Smith to identify vulnerabilities in existing packaging designs and develop innovative solutions to safeguard items being shipped. According to the study, online shoppers indicate that food, drink, clothes, and health and beauty (make-up, skin care, haircare) are the items most frequently damaged during online delivery.

Taking innovation a step forward, DS Smith attaches ‘accelerometers’ to packages to measure the G-Force levels experienced during transit. DS Smith research has shown that a typical online parcel undergoes G-forces measuring up to an astronomical 50Gs. This is more than five times the level of G-forces that would cause an experienced astronaut to lose consciousness and 10 times more G-forces than are typically experienced on a rollercoaster. This commitment to packaging innovation ensures consumers receive their purchases in the best conditions, enhancing customer satisfaction.

Survey Method:

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of DS Smith from November 7 - 11, 2024 among 3,071 adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.

About DS Smith:

DS Smith is a leading provider of sustainable fiber-based packaging worldwide, which is supported by recycling and papermaking operations. It plays a central role in the value chain across sectors including e-commerce, fast-moving consumer goods and industrials.

Through its purpose of ‘Redefining Packaging for a Changing World’ and its Now& Next sustainability strategy, DS Smith is committed to leading the transition to the circular economy, while delivering more circular solutions for its customers and wider society – replacing problem plastics, taking carbon out of supply chains and providing innovative recycling solutions. Its bespoke box-to-box in 14 days model, design capabilities and innovation strategy sit at the heart of this response.

Headquartered in London and a member of the FTSE 100, DS Smith operates in 34 countries employing around 30,000 people and is a Strategic Partner of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Its history can be traced back to the box-making businesses started in the 1940s by the Smith family. www.dssmith.com

* Statista - https://www.statista.com/statistics/872773/e-commerce-reverse-logistics-cost-united-states/

** Reverse Logistics Association - https://rla.org/site/about