You may be wondering why packaging is so vital for the success of your business. Shouldn’t the product be your main star? Not necessarily.
While a great product is essential and will keep customers buying from you regularly, your packaging plays a crucial role in their purchase.
Excellent packaging has multiple uses, from representing your company’s brand to improving customer relations and decreasing transit damage. And the packaging is the first thing that customers see.
This article will cover some of the most common shipping blunders, along with how they may affect your business.
Packages can suffer damage during production and shipment. However, your customer will appreciate neither reason, and customers generally don’t care why they got a damaged product.
No matter who is at fault, product damage directly spoils your brand’s reputation.
Inadequate product packaging has significant implications on a company’s revenue. You may save cash and generate more profit in the immediate future using cheaper packaging, but this will be temporary.
If you opt for lousy packing materials, customers will almost certainly start sending back their orders. These charges will be on you, costing you the money you were trying to save in the first place.
Transit is rough on packages. George Yarusavage, Principal in Fortress Consulting, says in an interview, “Assume that whatever you ship via any carrier will be tossed, kicked, dropped, shoved, stacked, and generally roughed up.”
Packages are shoved, thrown under other heavy boxes, and jostled on the way to the customer. Your packaging needs to be consistently sturdy to withstand the shipping process. Manual labor, by its nature, is inconsistent. Invest in automatic packers to make your packaging process fool-proof.
There are a few tell-tale signs that your packaging isn’t appropriate for your product. Here’s how to tell if your product packaging is inadequate.
Frequently, a package will be delivered in an inadequate box or wrapping when a business offers free delivery or when a buyer chooses affordable delivery instead of a lengthier waiting period.
If you ship products in packaging too small for the product, it’s either challenging to remove from the box or with other products. They might break due to collisions during transit.
On the other hand, if the package is significantly larger than the product, it has several downsides. Dimensional pricing may hike up the price of shipping, costing the customer a higher sum. They may even have to go to the post office to pick the product, which will cause them inconvenience.
If you ship goods in mailing paper or another non-boxed packing, the package will tear during transit, exposing the contents to the outside environment. That is especially dangerous if the product is biodegradable, as it may mold.
Sizing your package according to the product has several benefits for your organization.
Reserve more oversized packaging with protective material for very fragile products, and shift to right-sizing wherever you can.
That means using an appropriately-sized box with the most minimal amount of extra space that still protects your product.
Adopting a company-wide right-sizing policy on packaging will help reduce overall waste, reduce your carbon footprint, make transportation more manageable, and count towards sustainability by customers.
That said, right-sizing is not an easy feat, especially if you have products that vary significantly in size and shape.
If the task is too complex for you to consider, consider outsourcing your packaging decisions and inventory, saving you money and hassle.
If you opt for cheaper and damage-prone raw materials, it’ll be evident to your customers. Weak cardboard, defective sealing materials, and outdated machinery will lead to an unimpressive product package. It won’t survive the rough and tumble of the shipping and delivery process and leave the customers disappointed.
Soft raw materials are awful for liquid, biodegradable, and fragile products. Since machines handle most shipping processes, stamping a fragile label on the box doesn’t count as sufficient protection.
Contact us today if you’re ready to invest in an excellent packing machine and source the best raw materials available. Think about the materials that suit your products the most, offer the highest protection, and be relatively more environmentally friendly. For example, while plastics are not eco-friendly, they provide better water resistance than paper packaging.
Decide your preference between plastic and paper, basing your decision on all these factors to optimize the raw materials in your packaging process.
Contact us today if you’re ready to invest in an excellent packing machine and source the best raw materials available.
Lousy packaging will cost you money and damage your company’s brand image. Here’s what will happen if you cut corners on your packaging process:
For example, cheap and damaged packaging will inevitably lead to customer complaints. You will spend money on hiring customer reps and training them to handle angry calls.
It can also cost the company the price of refunds and returns, marking a significant loss in profits. It also stops you from expanding and retaining your customer base.
You might even have to replace products to appease customers, costing you even more money.
Mike Stolzer, VP of Sales, Packaging, and Fulfillment for Veritiv, said in the May 2015 issue of Internet Retailer, “While speedy fulfillment is important to customers, it means nothing if their orders arrive damaged…When a package fails, it usually leads to a return, and processing returns is a big cost for retailers.”
Negative reviews on social media, blogs, your website, and word-of-mouth advertising will hurt your sales significantly and put your company at a loss.
The good news is, avoiding these dire consequences is straightforward. When working on your products, consider packaging as a core element and treat it that way.
Invest in the best packing machinery, buy the best raw materials, and keep updating your packaging based on industry research.
Robotics is better, faster, and more efficient than ever before. If you have the budget, think about automating your packaging and sealing process. It’ll save time, money, protect worker health and gray hair! Allocate your manual labor to better tasks.
Buying the best raw materials means you won’t have to worry about your package not holding up under stressful shipping conditions. It’ll have much greater chances of reaching the customer safely, reducing returns or refunds, and improving your brand image.
Industry trends are constantly evolving for the better. Read trade magazines to stay up-to-date on innovations in packaging, particularly in your industry. Test out new packaging materials in small batches to see if they’re better than your current method, and upgrade your process when necessary.
That’ll ensure your customers get the best product possible, both inside and out.
Cheap product packaging can seriously harm your reputation, cost you money, and disappoint your customers. If you’re looking to revamp your packaging process, look no further! Contact us today for a complete packaging solution.
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