A OnePoll survey revealed that 89% of American consumers are willing to pay the higher price that e-stores may charge for these items to avoid embarrassment.
Why? 72% fear that employees or fellow shoppers at brick-and-mortar establishments will judge them according to what’s inside their cart. This retail shame reportedly wanes only when shoppers hit their late 20s (19%) or mid-30s (18%).
The top 10 items US consumers are embarrassed to buy at physical shops include condoms (29%), emergency contraceptives (26%), bed bug spray (26%), head lice treatment (25%), hemorrhoid cream (24%), diarrhea medication (24%), pregnancy kit (23%), bladder leak or incontinence products (23%), menstrual products (23%), and cold sore medicine (23%).
More good news: brands can ship your order without any product identification or company name to prevent couriers or nosy neighbors from discovering what you bought from their store.
And that’s what discreet packaging is all about.
Discreet packaging uses plain—no conspicuous design or imagery—shipment boxes or mailers with minimal labeling to avoid drawing attention and ensure its contents remain confidential.
Ambiguous Exterior: “Masking” What’s Inside
Table of Contents
Thanks to e-commerce, items we’re ashamed to buy in-store are now available online.
A OnePoll survey revealed that 89% of American consumers are willing to pay the higher price that e-stores may charge for these items to avoid embarrassment.
Why? 72% fear that employees or fellow shoppers at brick-and-mortar establishments will judge them according to what’s inside their cart. This retail shame reportedly wanes only when shoppers hit their late 20s (19%) or mid-30s (18%).
The top 10 items US consumers are embarrassed to buy at physical shops include condoms (29%), emergency contraceptives (26%), bed bug spray (26%), head lice treatment (25%), hemorrhoid cream (24%), diarrhea medication (24%), pregnancy kit (23%), bladder leak or incontinence products (23%), menstrual products (23%), and cold sore medicine (23%).
More good news: brands can ship your order without any product identification or company name to prevent couriers or nosy neighbors from discovering what you bought from their store.
And that’s what discreet packaging is all about.
Discreet packaging uses plain—no conspicuous design or imagery—shipment boxes or mailers with minimal labeling to avoid drawing attention and ensure its contents remain confidential.
Ambiguous Exterior: “Masking” What’s Inside
Discreet packaging uses the following to keep its contents a secret:
1. Plain boxes or bags
You can use plain white, Kraft, or neutral-colored carton mailers, shipping boxes (full overlap or slotted), or bags with little to no branding.
2. Generic/White labels
Discreet shipping labels can feature only a tracking number, recipient’s address, and any legally required descriptions, depending on your product. You don’t have to include your company name or business logo.
3. Stealth packaging
Packaging materials with tamper-proof features aren’t easy to rip open, securing the quality—and quantity—of its contents. They may use special seals and tapes that need scissors or blades to open. This makes it obvious if others besides the recipient attempted to look inside.
Product Categories Requiring Discreet Packaging
Customers are most likely to request or expect discreet shipping for the following categories:
1. Medication and healthcare products
Some health conditions are considered too embarrassing or sensitive that your customers are secretive about them and may prefer discreet packaging for their medicine. Examples include:
- Digestive and urinary problems (diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, incontinence)
- Personal hygiene troubles (body odor, foul breath, excessive sweating)
- Hair and skin trouble (balding and acne)
- Snoring or sleep apnea
- Fungal or viral infection (toes, nails, reproductive organs)
- Pregnancy
Take InControl Diapers, for example. A YouTube video from InControl shows that the adult urine and bowel incontinence diaper brand delivers orders in plain packaging. The box only has a label with your shipment number, name, and address.
2. Vapes
The amended Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act (PACT Act) prohibits the shipment of vaping products, e-cigarettes, and similar devices with or without “aerosolized solutions” via the US Postal Service (USPS).
It also specifies the wording for packaging labels. “Permitted [cigarette/smokeless tobacco/ENDS] mailing—delivery only upon age verification” must appear in all caps on the mailpiece’s address side, based on its mailing guidelines.
VapeA1 boasts “extra discreet plain box shipping.” The company ships customers’ packages from any of its four warehouses with available supplies that are closest to them.
3. Cannabidiol (CBD)
CBD regulations vary by state but have common features. For instance, New York State’s Office of Cannabis Management and California’s Department of Cannabis Control require CBD retailers to use child-resistant and tamper-evident packaging that encloses the entire product.
CBD packaging shouldn’t contain elements—such as cartoonish or bubble-like fonts and bright colors—that can be confused with candies or snacks and may attract people aged 20 and below.
Also, the state expects CBD retailers to use packaging material that will protect the content from light and other contaminants that can lead to product deterioration during storage. Both states require graphic markers on the CBD boxes and packaging.
Overall, vendors should accurately indicate CBD levels on product labels to avoid getting warning letters from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
One recent agency study showed that only 31% of 84 CBD extracts sold online bore labels accurately listing the CBD content of their goods. The FDA has issued warnings to 12 firms marketing CBD-related products as of July 26, 2023.
Meanwhile, six companies received cease and desist letters from the Federal Trade Commission for using deceptive marketing for their edible goods containing Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol, another compound from cannabis sativa. The packaging resembled the designs of popular snacks, such as Doritos, Cheetos, and Nerds Rope Candy.
Utah-based WholesomeCo shows a discreet but not plain-looking packaging for its medical cannabis.
4. Adult products
Adult products include alcoholic drinks, lingerie, and sexual wellness products or sex toys.
New Zealand-based company Elusive Lingerie tells its customers to specify in the shipping “Notes” section that they want discreet shipping. Otherwise, they’ll get their order in a plain white but branded box.
Standard shipping procedures apply for sexy sleepwear, but for liquor and pleasure toys, consider the following:
Liquor
Like in CBD, state governments set rules for shipping liquor directly to consumers, including the allowable types, maximum amount, and required permit or license. In general, brands can’t send them through the USPS.
Eight states and territories accept D2C shipments of all spirits, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures website, which lists the details of each state’s requirements:
- Hawaii
- Nebraska
- Kentucky
- West Virginia
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Florida
- District of Columbia
In most states, shipments must be conspicuously labeled with these wordings: “Contains alcohol: Signature of person age 21 or older required for delivery.”
Labels on alcohol shipments for New York residents must also have the same words but must end with “Not for Resale.” Meanwhile, the labels on North Dakota-bound shipments don’t require the phrase “Contains alcohol.”