E-commerce packaging to reach USD 116.1 billion by 2029

The latest research by Smithers provides a global outlook for the corrugated board and containerboard market. The packaging formats used for E-commerce deliveries are corrugated board, flexible packaging, protective mailers, and protective packaging. Corrugated is forecast to retain this position over the forecast period and will increase market share, with sales rising at a CAGR of nearly 10%. It is popular due to its versatility, sturdy and robust nature, and low environmental impact.

Some of the world’s largest markets for eCommerce packaging can be found in the Asia-Pacific region, in countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea. The largest single market outside Asia-Pacific is the US, with a share in value terms of almost 24% in 2024. While this figure is relatively unchanged since 2019, it is forecast to increase to over 26% by 2029.

Meanwhile flexible packaging remains the primary choice in certain sectors – notably apparel – owing to its versatility, light weight, and low cost for brand owners and retailers. Flexible packaging is the second largest sector in eCommerce packaging, worth over USD 11 billion in 2024, with a CAGR of almost 8% forecast for the period to 2029.

In contrast, protective mailers and protective packaging tend to be limited to a few key end-use sectors, hence their smaller market sizes.

The eCommerce end-use sectors covered in the Smithers report are food and drink, personal care goods and cosmetics, electrical goods, books and digital media, apparel (clothing, shoes, and jewelry), toys and sports equipment, and house and garden furniture. All sectors experienced growth in market value during the period between 2019 and 2024.

In value terms, the apparel sector remains the market’s largest, with sales worth over USD 21.8 billion in 2024. It is forecast to be the most dynamic performer between 2024 and 2029, with annual growth averaging nearly 12%.