By focusing on e-commerce, Johnson & Johnson has breathed new life into key products
Johnson & Johnson is taking a lesson from small, successful startups. According to a recent article in Packaging World, executives at the consumer product giant have recognized that online retailing is changing the shopping experience, with customers demanding more personalized experiences—and that has required them to change their operation in several key ways.
The e-commerce disruption has been driven by startups with nimble development teams, so Johnson & Johnson has put that model to work internally. They created small teams of research and development specialists who were charged with revamping product lines to focus on the online buying experience. A key aspect of that revamp has been packaging.
Quoted in the article, Melissa Dandy (associate director of R&D, E-Commerce, and New Business Models at Johnson & Johnson) said, “There’s unprecedented change in industry. We’re being asked to compete in a very competitive landscape where there’s very low barriers to entry. The classic months-long development process doesn’t work anymore.”
The company is focusing on creating teams of just five to seven people who can collaborate on creative solutions for short periods of time. Simplicity, they say, is key. This nimble approach allows them to get products to market faster than ever before.
One of the most critical aspects of shifting to an e-commerce focus is packaging. According to the article, an example Johnson & Johnson is particularly proud of is the recent launch of Listerine Ready! Tabs. Consumers were asking for a portable version of Listerine, and they delivered an e-commerce-ready package quickly and successfully. Packaging innovations like this are focused both on the consumer’s unboxing experience (which must be feel both simple and personal) and the sustainability of the materials. Reducing waste and eliminating excess packaging is a crucial goal for the company.
Read the full article about Johnson & Johnson’s development of e-commerce packaging here.
If you manufacture a consumer product, you need to be ready for the impact e-commerce will have on your business. Johnson & Johnson saw the value in creating small, nimble teams that can make decisions quickly, and AMGRAPH is a perfect partner for that approach—because our teams are small and nimble, too. We can turn around packaging projects quickly and economically, and we have plenty of e-commerce experience, too. You can trust us to advise you as you develop attractive, environmentally sustainable packaging that your customers will love!
