Amazon Think of a new way to deliver your packages – unboxed.

The e-commerce giant’s latest effort to improve delivery speed and efficiency is to reduce packaging, including the traditional cardboard box that most of its orders come in. Eventually, more shipments will arrive on doorsteps with manufacturer-only packaging. But while some worry that this change will mean an increase in package theft, maybe getting rid of the box will actually deter it.

Last year, Amazon reduced packaging in order to reduce costs, speed up deliveries, and meet its own sustainability goals. In 2022, about 11% of items delivered by the company were shipped without the Amazon-branded box and instead came in their original containers, according to Amazon Sustainability Report.

Amazon Vice President of Packaging and Innovation Pat Lindner told Wall Street Journal. “There is a great need for our company to take the next step in innovation around packaging.”

Amazon said that users will always have the option to add Amazon packaging to their orders at no additional charge at checkout, but the default is to ship without boxes. luck. However, some consumers worry that this change will lead to more of their packages being stolen.

In 2022, an estimated 260 million packages were stolen from all merchants, an increase of nearly 50 million from the previous year. CNBC mentioned. And although online shopping sales growth has slowed from pandemic-driven heights, it will account for nearly half of retail sales growth by 2027, according to Forbes.

The psychology of the “porch pirate”

Package thieves, or “porch hackers,” often commit crimes of opportunity, hoping small boxes will contain expensive items that can be resold, such as phones, video game consoles, or computers, according to ADT Security Services. Meanwhile, some criminals simply have the compulsion and steal for the thrill of it.

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Psychological research shows that our brains release dopamine in anticipation of a reward, and the unpredictability of that reward actually increases anticipation and therefore the amount of dopamine that is released.

“Many people think that dopamine is released when the brain receives a reward, but dopamine is actually released in anticipation of a reward,” according to Psychology Today.

The potential for a balcony hacker to steal a box that already contains a valuable item is unpredictable, especially when the item is hidden in a cardboard box. But only this unpredictability makes the thief’s “reward”—both the dopamine released in the brain and the perceived value of the item itself—much greater. If a thief can see that a shipped item isn’t worth much to begin with, he or she may be deterred from stealing it.

People will certainly continue to steal packages though, and it remains to be seen if Amazon’s change will increase or decrease theft. Either way, he left an expensive product, like a new pair of apple Placing AirPods on the doorstep in the manufacturer’s packaging is probably never a good idea.

“The vast majority of deliveries reach customers without issue,” Amazon said in an emailed statement. “If something happens, we work with customers directly to make it right. We have a variety of ways we work with customers to provide visibility and options for the delivery of their packages. Amazon Customer Service is also available 24/7 to assist customers with any matters related to deliver their packages.”

Re-subscribe to funds

Amazon hopes to create goodwill with its customers who have requested such changes by reducing the number of boxes they receive and throw away each week. The company — which has built its success on ease of use and practicality — saw overall customer satisfaction decline in 2022, according to Wall Street Journal.

Amazon said this change is the latest update to the company’s software, which has been around in various iterations since 2008.

Amazon added that the company would not operate without boxes for all products. Items that could be dangerous, such as those with sharp edges, are not included in the program for safety, nor are collectibles or intimate items, such as sexual health products, for privacy.

Whether other items can be shipped without a box is determined by tests that include item pressure, vibrations, and drops from various angles.

Along with incentivizing its suppliers to improve their packaging, the company helps its suppliers develop packaging that is “strong enough to ship on its own while not adding additional materials to undermine its entire goal of eliminating packaging,” magazine mentioned.

This story originally appeared on Fortune.com

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