Amazon Strives to Make Packaging More User Friendly

I’m all for making product packaging easier, given my fingers and hands are not as strong as they were 20 years ago, when I could unwrap a Polly Pocket ensemble package in less than 20 seconds.

Those were the days I could also read the small print on painkiller containers without having to reach for my "reading" glasses.

So when I read that Amazon, the leading online e-tailer, had advanced its "frustration-free packaging" initiative, which it launched just about a year ago, it piqued my interest.

As a longtime Amazon customer, I have found some of the product packaging a big irritating. But to be honest, I never blamed Amazon, since it clearly knew how to bundle books for easy access -- though it always seemed to go a bit heavy on those plastic peanuts.

Amazon has now beefed up its on-site features to get more insight and feedback on how better to package products from its partners and manufacturers.

Customers can now rate packaging on items on a four-point rating scale, from being "too small" to "way too big." They can also now rate a vendor’s packaging approach on a scale of being "very easy" to open to being "very difficult" to open. The goal, according to Amazon’s press statement, is to improve the way Amazon ships products to customers.

It’s also spurring partners, such as electronics maker Kingston, to adopt more customer- and environmentally friendly packaging.

“Kingston strives to be as eco-friendly as possible and we’re proud to be a part of Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging efforts," said David Sun, Kingston's co-founder and chief operating officer, in the release. “The majority of Kingston memory products that are sold on Amazon.com come in easy-open, recyclable cases that are just slightly larger than the products themselves, and we’ve even reduced the size of the product guide to fit this smaller package.”

The list of Amazon's 67 frustration-free products includes its popular e-reader, the Kindle.Photo courtesy of Amazon.com