In today’s fast-paced environment, consumers are increasingly eschewing the in-person shopping experience in favor of e-commerce. With the touch of a smartphone or the click of a mouse, shoppers can have products delivered to their doorsteps. There are a lot of factors that go into e-commerce fulfillment, as maintaining consumer confidence is a critical aspect of the buying experience. In an acknowledgment of this trending space, more and more companies are prioritizing e-commerce with their label printing.

“People like saving time, and online ordering saves time,” explains Anthony Constantino, co-founder and CEO of Sticker Mule. “E-commerce grew significantly since the pandemic. I buy everything, from my stickers to my favorite Atlantic salmon, online.”  

According to Statista, e-commerce revenue is expected to grow by 51% in the US between 2024 and 2029, with expectations to surpass $1 trillion. According to Adobe Analytics data, online spending grew 4.9% year-over-year to $222.1 billion during the 2023 holiday season. This trend was already on the rise prior to 2020, but the shifting dynamics of shopping have become a mainstay for modern consumers.

“Customers are now used to the many conveniences e-commerce brings – such as being able to shop from home, oftentimes with a bigger selection,” explains Craig Lombardi, director of sales, Packaging Solutions, RR Donnelley (RRD). “While most brands already had an online presence, the pandemic taught brands how to be agile and work on facilitating new communication channels with their customers.”

Sticker Mule has built its business model on the e-commerce shopping experience. Initially, Constantino and his co-founder recognized an opportunity to capitalize on the potential of print. “Sticker Mule was founded in December 2009 when my co-founder, who was then 72, got his first computer, saw the internet and decided we should build an internet manufacturing company together,” explains Constantino. “We settled on making stickers and launched three months later. We had 18 orders on our first day and realized immediately that Sticker Mule would be a success.”

Sticker Mule has created an innovative and simplified online ordering platform. Customers can order their labels – or other products – in 60 seconds, and the company will transform the designs and illustrations into custom stickers, magnets, buttons, labels and packaging in days. Sticker Mule also boasts free online proofs, free worldwide shipping, and fast turnaround times.

Sticker Mule is powered by a remote team across 17 countries, including the United States, Argentina, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. “Order in seconds and get your products in days. Free proofs, free artwork help, free shipping and fast turnaround are why people love us,” the company’s mantra states.

“We make it easy for people to buy and sell custom products online,” Constantino tells L&NW. “The key is hiring talented people to build your website.”

The model has been a successful one for SheetLabels.com (SLI), too. The company recently opened a new facility in Pflugerville, TX, in the Austin metro area. The move significantly expands SheetLabels.com’s capacity while enhancing customer service to clients in the south and western US. Equipped with redundant capabilities of its flagship location in New York State, the new facility houses both flexo and digital presses, including both inkjet and electrophotographic digital technologies. Label finishing and embellishment techniques on-site include embossing, hot and cold foiling, tactile and standard varnishing, and specialty film lamination. In addition, laser finishing is also available for prototyping and converting the most intricate of label diecuts.

Alan Etheridge, SLI’s senior vice president, comments, “We’re always listening to the unique needs of all of our clients and will continue to heavily invest in areas that provide benefits and services. Our expansion into Texas gives us needed manufacturing redundancy, specific capacity, and the ability to service our southern and western clients in an improved and meaningful way.”

SheetLabels.com has also installed new equipment to meet demand for the e-commerce market. The company recently added a Durst Tau RSC E. As one of the first assets purchased for the Texas location, the Durst Tau RSC E sets the trajectory for SLI’s future. “The time from press delivery to fully functional was the shortest of any digital asset I have purchased in my 26-year career in this industry. The installation, technical support, and service teams from Durst have exceeded our expectations,” remarks Etheridge.

RRD has also made significant investments in this market. The company has added two ETI flexo presses, which will be outfitted to vertically integrate face and liner paper to create PS labelstock. Plus, RRD has installed a Mark Andy P9 flexo press that will produce variable image labels, and a Mark Andy digital hybrid press that will allow the company to serve clients in a more fast-paced environment.

The market is constantly changing, and with our highly connected, global network we remain committed to investing in the right technology to meet our clients’ evolving label needs,” says Lisa Pruett, president, Packaging and Labels Segment, RRD. “Speed to market, high-quality products, and strong partnerships are important to our clients – we continue to keep those priorities top of mind.”

One key factor for the online experience is recreating an identical simulation of the product in a digital realm. When customers see a product on the shelf or on their phone, the product should be an exact replica in order to boost consumer confidence.


“Shopping is a multi-faceted experience – conversing with sales associates, browsing, learning about brands, weighing purchasing options, and departing with your purchased package in-hand,” says Andrew Palmer, director of sales, Labels and Forms, RRD. “During this time, customers form their opinions about brands. With a rise in e-commerce, packaging and labels take on the large responsibility of conveying a brand’s image and values. With no physical interaction with a brand ahead of purchase, customers’ shopping experience comes down to only one physical stage – the unboxing.”

Brands should maintain consistency in conveying their image and values regardless of the point of purchase, but considerations should be paid to how the customer experience differs through various channels.

“Brands focused on sustainability may look to decrease the amount of materials they use and increase the presence of recyclable materials, but structural integrity is paramount for e-commerce orders,” comments Palmer. “One of our customers in the baking industry has different packaging for brick-and-mortar stores than for e-commerce orders. Due to the nature of their products, which need to stay fresh and arrive intact and uncontaminated, more protective packaging is required when the product is shipped. Additionally, while customers can interact with a brand’s signage and assets in-store, they don’t have the same opportunity online, so heightened packaging with eye-catching enhancements and/or structures allows brands to create a similar impact.”

In an e-commerce environment, many of the same industry concerns exist – namely sustainability, quality, and speed-to-market. In 2023, RRD expanded design and printing capabilities with the EFI Nozomi C18000 Plus single-pass digital inkjet printer. This addition helped RRD maximize color and design options while delivering consistent print quality for an elevated and personalized unboxing experience. RRD has seen a rise in demand for variable imaged shipping labels, which cannot only be customized to represent the brand but can also change the way customers interact with the purchased products.  

“Companies have realized the importance of improving their e-commerce-specific packaging and are now opting for methods such as ship-in-own-container (SIOC) packaging, which aims to establish a personal relationship with customers,” notes Palmer. “Not only does SIOC packaging reduce waste by eliminating the need for additional packaging materials, when used in conjunction with CleanTac ultra-removable labels, it adds value when the consumer may need to repurpose the shipping container.”

The recent supply chain challenges have better prepared both converters and brands to serve the evolving e-commerce space. Brands are faced with the consistent challenge of keeping the right amount of supply readily available. Smart labels, including barcodes and RFID tags, help businesses keep track of inventory, monitor shipments, and forecast future demand.

“Beyond enhancing the overall customer experience, the use of linerless labels eliminates the paper backing associated with traditional labels, ultimately reducing waste,” says Lombardi. “As reported in RRD’s 2023 (Un)Packaging Reality Report, 90% of respondents found sustainability to be a key consideration in packaging and label decisions – it is clear brands are prioritizing sustainability, and small changes, such as implementing ultra-removable labels, will go a long way in achieving their sustainability goals.”

Lombardi notes there are a multitude of trends to watch for and monitor in the future. “According to the National Retail Federation, for every $1 billion in sales, the average retailer incurs $165 million in merchandise returns,” explains Lombardi. “Ultra-removable labels withstand the rigors of packages making their way through the supply chain and are able to be repositioned or removed easily and cleanly. This means if the customer needs to return an item, they can simply peel off the shipping label to affix the return label for shipment. RRD continues to develop tailored, innovative, and sustainable solutions such as this one for all our customers.”