A conceptual model of packaging design for E-commerce.

Packaging is a "salesman" which is used as a marketing tool to assist product sales and deliver product information and attract consumers in conventional marketplaces. It also gives producers a voice in the retail environment. Since the introduction of E-commerce in the 1990's, these functions of packaging have not yet been reproduced in the virtual environment for products sold online. This research explores the meaning by which "online packaging" can be designed and implemented. Many researchers have identified that consumers find it difficult to buy online, due to poor product presentation and insufficient product information. They can easily obtain these functional advantages from physical packaging. Thus, the aim of this research is to explore a design guideline of online packaging for designers to better apply packaging thinking for products sold online. This research starts with practical work which contains five tentative studies and a final "laboratory online shop" providing a continuing process of development and evaluation of the research questions and engaging design principles. Rapid ethnographic methods were employed for the data collection. The data analysis and the practical design of online packaging were informed by the theory of Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). The result of the "laboratory online shop" is mainly consistent with the ELM's prediction and the research has resulted in design guidelines for online packaging, providing a framework for designers of online packaging. The guidelines integrate packaging thinking, the rapid ethnographic approaches and applications of the ELM theory, offering an opportunity for designers to apply the functions of packaging to products sold online. The approach helps designers to collect relevant background information before they design and evaluate developing designs. The guidelines influence designers to have a dual consideration of messages for consumers informed by the ELM's concept of "involvement" during the development of online packaging. Finally, a successful design of online packaging will not only depend on the designers, but retailers and manufacturers will also need to establish the infrastructure of an online shop, so that designers can apply online packaging to eCommerce.