Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging program adds new toy brands

Amazon.com, Inc. announced the addition of new toys to its Frustration-Free Packaging lineup, giving customers a broader selection of easy-to-open toys in time for the winter holidays.

Fisher-Price and Mattel, two of the first brands to join Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging program, together have added 10 top new toys, including the popular Matchbox® Mega Rig® Pirates Ship, Little Mommy® Walk & Giggle™ doll and Fisher-Price GeoTrax® Timbertown Railway™ track set.

"We know that when a child gets a new toy, all they want to do is rip right through the package to start playing immediately," said Matt Petersen, vice president of package design at Mattel. "Having this type of ready-to-play experience from the moment you open the box is very powerful. We’ve also been able to actively explore not only how to make packaging more consumer friendly, but also to be mindful of impacts to the environment."

In addition to the new lineup from Mattel and Fisher-Price, several other top toy manufacturers have joined the initiative, including LeapFrog, Melissa & Doug, Sprig, V Tech and Wild Planet.

“Packaging frustration is real – we hear about it from customers all the time,” said Sarah Wood, director of the Amazon.com Toys & Games Store. “Birthday parties and holidays should be as stress-free as possible for parents. Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging helps by eliminating issues some parents have with freeing toys from clamshells, wire ties and other packaging components. The Amazon Frustration-Free versions are ready to play right out of the box, which is a great thing for parents and kids.”

Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging initiative is part of the company’s effort to improve packaging, provide a better customer experience and create more environmentally friendly packaging options. Amazon introduced its Frustration-Free Packaging in November 2008 and the growing selection of its Frustration-Free products, along with the packaging feedback tool, can be found at www.amazon.com/frustration-free.

Amazon customers can also provide feedback on both Amazon’s and manufacturers’ packaging. For example, customers can rate Amazon’s packaging on a four-point scale ranging from “too small” to “way too big”; this information is then used to improve the way Amazon ships products to customers. Customers can also rate the ease with which they can open manufacturers’ original packaging, ranging from “very difficult” to “very easy.” Since these features launched in March, tens of thousands of customers have provided valuable feedback.

SOURCE: Amazon.com