What is eCommerce ready packaging on Amazon? Getting your product packaging certified as ECR, or eCommerce-ready, not only helps you reduce chargebacks, but also allows you to engage with converted customers and turn them into loyal repeat purchasers. Read on to see how you can get your product packaging eCommerce-ready certified today.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. What is ECR on Amazon?
2. SIPP Requirements
3. Benefits of Amazon ECR Packaging Certification
4. Is an ECR Certification Worth It?
5. Get Certified: Your ECR Checklist
6. How VASO Group Helps You Qualify for SIPP Certification
If you’re selling on Amazon and not investing in branded product packaging, chances are you’re leaving money on the table. A great advantage of selling on eCommerce platforms like Amazon is that you can engage directly with your customers through impactful content and imagery. But what if we tell you there’s another touch point after a conversion that you can utilize? Product packaging is often overlooked as an engagement vehicle, since it is present at a much later stage in the shopper journey (post-purchase). However, if you leverage your product packaging to continually convey your brand messaging and leave a lasting impression on your customers through the ECR program, you’re tapping into the gold mine of many, many potential repeat purchasers.
What is eCommerce Ready Packaging on Amazon?
Ecommerce-Ready Packaging is also known as the abbreviation ECR on Amazon. Also (possibly) known as SIOC (Ships in Own Container), it is one of the three tiers of the Amazon packaging certification program known as Ships in Product Packaging (read more about the SIPP program here). In short, SIPP started as the Frustration-Free Packaging program in 2008, aimed to eliminate packaging waste and allow brands to connect with their customers through branded packaging.
In January 2014, Amazon.com launched eCommerce Ready Packaging (ECR), a packaging certification program to validate items that can be shipped in their own containers. These products are optimized for e-commerce fulfillment to create supply chain efficiencies and improve customer experience. To be certified eCommerce Ready means you’re a partner of the SIPP program.
PRO-TIP: ECR is used *very loosely* interchangeably with terms such as SIOC, SIPP, or FFP (Frustration Free Packaging). This is thanks to the ever-changing naming conventions that Amazon assigns to this program. We will keep you updated on the program’s name as soon as it changes, and as often as possible. For now, one thing to remember is that Amazon has one packaging certification program with three certification tiers: PFP – Prep Free Packaging, SIOC – Ships in Own Container, and FFP – Frustration Free Packaging.
SIPP Requirements
There are three certification tiers to Amazon’s Ships in Product Packaging program (previously known as Frustration-Free Packaging program):
- Tier 1: FFP (Frustration-Free Packaging)
- Tier 2: SIOC (Ships in Own Container)
- Tier 3: PFP (Prep-Free Packaging)
If your product is (a) larger than 18″ x 14″ x 8” and/or (b) weighs 20 lbs or more, it must be designed and certified as Tier 1 (FFP) or Tier 2 (SIOC) within the program. Here are the requirements for each tier:
Benefits of Amazon ECR Packaging Certification
Whether you’re a 1P or 3P seller, getting certified in the Ships in Product Packaging program brings tremendous benefits. These mostly come in the form of reduced expenses – less chargebacks, lower packaging and transportation costs – but can also be intangible – higher customer satisfaction, enhanced brand awareness and equity.
For Vendors
1P sellers can expect lower to no Amazon prep chargebacks once they qualify for tier 3 in the SIPP certification (PFP). The perks have just begun: starting at tier 2 (SIOC), many other benefits become available, such as lower SIPP chargebacks, reduced packaging costs, reduced inbound transportation costs. A clear breakdown of how Amazon allocates perks for vendors by tier is available below:
For Sellers
3P sellers, specifically FBA sellers, are encouraged to take advantage of the SIPP program so they can enjoy lower fulfillment fees.
PRO-TIP: FBA fulfillment fee discounts for SIPP partners range from $0.04 to $1.32 per non-Apparel unit, and $0.06 to $0.58 per Apparel unit. See Seller Central article on FBA fees for more details.
Amazon lists these 3 advantages of the SIPP certification on their website:
In addition to the above perks, you can also enjoy other positives as a Seller enrolled in SIPP, such as:
- Decreases in packaging costs
- Happier customers and, thus, better reviews
- Greater Amazon search relevancy
- Additional messaging on product detail pages
- Separating you as a Seller from the rest (if you’re competing with other Sellers on the same listing)
Is an ECR Certification Worth It?
As mentioned above, being SIPP certified comes with many enticing benefits that help cut costs and enhance your customer experience/loyalty. At this point, you might be wondering if ECR/SIPP is something worth pursuing for your business. The process looks a bit different for Vendors versus Sellers, but the common steps are similar: design, test & evaluate, and enroll.
Design
Your packaging design must meet certain dimensional, weight, material, and component requirements.
- For rigid box packaging, minimum dimensions are 6” x 4” x 0.375” (152.4mm x 101.6mm x 9.5mm)
- For flexible packaging (think zipper bags), packaging must be bigger than 6” x 4” x 0.375” (152.4mm x 101.6mm x 9.5mm) but smaller than 18” x 14” x 6” (are 457mm x 406.4mm x 152.4mm), with a weight limit of 7 lbs (3kg) or less.
Read more about packaging requirements on Amazon Packaging’s guide.
Test & Evaluate
After coming up with both a compliant and attractive packaging design, your team must subject said packaging to a self-drop test or International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) 6 lab test. Once the drop tests have concluded, take note of any damage to both the packaging and the product within, then evaluate if your tested item qualifies for the program. If the answer is yes, proceed to document the results of your drop test in an evaluation form and keep it handy for the next step.
Enroll
Through either Vendor Central or Seller Central, enroll your eligible ASINs to the program.
If these steps haven’t scared you off, it’s time to get to business and learn exactly how to earn the SIPP certification.
Get Certified: Your ECR Checklist
Vendor SIPP Enrollment
Vendors’ road to SIPP is very similar to the process above.
- Design your own packaging according to Vendor SIPP guidelines.
- Self-test the durability of the packaging through a series of drop tests (retail Vendors with fragile products that weigh less than 50 lbs can choose to test packaging with the Amazon Packaging Lab instead of conducting self-tests).
- Fill out an Amazon Drop Test Evaluation form (view sample evaluation form for rigid boxes) corresponding to your packaging type, and include photos of the package before and after the drop test. This evaluation form serves as the basis of your enrollment application.
- Once all tests are completed, go to Vendor Central and enroll your ASINs to the program, following the instructions listed in the Standard Operating Procedure document for Vendor SIPP.
FBA Seller Enrollment
Slightly different from Vendors, the enrollment process for FBA sellers include an extra step in between Design and Test:
- Design your packaging according to Seller SIPP guidelines.
- Evaluate the ASINs that are eligible to be grouped and certified by a single test report. Eligible products should be grouped based on size, weight, material, packaging, product to packaging ratio, pack quantity with a few exceptions.
- Self-test the durability of the packaging through a drop-test, or conduct your packaging test through an International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) 6 lab test. Once the packaging has been updated to meet SIPP requirements, test the largest/heaviest ASIN in the group.
- Evaluate whether the package passed the drop test and document photographic results post-test (five photos of rigid packaging and six photos of flexible packaging are required).
- Enroll all your eligible ASINs to the SIPP program through the appropriate guide.
PRO-TIP: Amazon’s new machine learning program can now identify, test, and then certify eligible ASINS without any action from the seller. ASINs certified in this way will also qualify for the discounted FBA fulfillment fee when shipped to customers.
How VASO Group Helps You Qualify for SIPP Certification
Our skilled account managers are fully equipped to help you in this certification process. No matter where you are in the process, we have the knowledge and confidence to guide you through crafting your own packaging design, conducting your drop tests, and enrolling your items to the SIPP program.
Ready to take your packaging to the next level? Reach out to us at VASO Group if you want even more account management tips to cut costs and maximize profits.