As your packaging production ramps up, so must your processes.
Yes, while it may have been feasible to manually complete some tasks when you were growing the company and working with small amounts, automation is often necessary to streamline efficiency as operations grow.
Though it may seem like an afterthought, one piece of equipment that can achieve time savings and maximize productivity is a strapping machine. Continue reading “Strapping Machines: An Underrated Ally for Your Packaging” »
Simply put, industrial packaging keeps products safe on their way from the producer to the next point on the path to a consumer—say, from a ballpoint pen manufacturer to a retail store.
Retail packaging makes the product attractive to the consumer using compelling design and strong messaging. In other words, the primary reason for industrial packaging is to protect. For retail packaging, it’s to sell.
Damaged goods don’t sell, and they cost manufacturers time, money and goodwill.
So what can be done to protect products once they leave your facility on their journey to the consumer? Continue reading “15+ Must Have Industrial Packaging Materials” »
Throughout the years, different styles of marketing and selling have evolved and secured their spot at the forefront of the minds of both sellers and buyers.
From door to door sales, to visiting retail stores and spending hours at the mall — the growth of selling products has shifted once again and is now making a change towards eCommerce.
Online businesses have boomed over the past several years. However, the stress of holding an inventory, packaging, and shipping are no longer a key consideration for savvy sellers who opt for online exchanges. This is all thanks to dropshipping.
In the past, if a retailer wanted to sell their products online, they would have to handle everything themselves. This included: investing in a mass amount of inventory, stocking their warehouse full of it, packaging the equipment when it was ordered, and shipping it when ready.
Dropshipping has eradicated this cumbersome and inefficient method of eCommerce, and has instead replaced it with a more streamlined system that benefits the seller (and the customer, too).
The dropship model works like this: a customer places an order from the retailers store online. The retailer then sends this order onto the supplier, and pays the wholesale price for the item. The supplier handles the packaging and shipment of the item, and the customer receives it in a timely manner.
Retailers don’t have to invest and tie up money in inventory. They instead purchase products from the manufacturer or wholesaler when customers place the order.
While of course saving time and money is all the motivation needed for many to switch to drop shipping, there are other important benefits as well:
With the old method of shipping ,business owners might be stuck investing $15,000 in inventory they aren’t sure if they will sell.
With dropshipping, the profit margin might be lower, but you don’t have to invest until a customer purchases a product. Not having to worry about purchasing a varied inventory, storing, shipping a package is the advantage that dropshipping is adding to eCommerce and online businesses around the world.
There is no denying that the rise of online business, or e-commerce, has changed the face of shipping. Gone are the days of mail-order catalogs or TV call-in orders when companies could give a vague “four to six weeks for delivery” and there wasn’t anything customers could do about it, including even track their package. But now, things have changed and we have – along with package-tracking – faster deliveries, better options for returning a package, more streamlined shipping services and even drones delivering packages with optimum efficiency. So what does this mean for your online business? Mostly, it means having to adjust your business model to a customer base that has gotten use to two-day delivery as well as more dynamic and efficient packaging of their products, as well as accounting for and taking the hassle out of returns. Shipping can make or break a sale in the world of e-commerce, depending on if the shipping prices are considered exorbitant or not quick enough for their liking, leading to one of the worst enemies of online retail: shopping cart abandonment, when the customer goes so far as to put a product in their cart but leaves the site before completing the purchase. Shipping can be, and often is, the thing that makes or breaks a sale.
First off, you need packaging for your products, which, since you are not Amazon.com, is where we at CS Packaging come in, with a whole catalog of packaging products – more than eighteen thousand! – that go above and beyond what you would expect at your typical packaging retailer. We can also help with making sure your packaging is dynamic and distinctive with printed cartons and specially-made packages for specific items, like molded pulp trays for long-necked bottles. We also have superior protective packaging for fragile items. CS Packaging is your one-stop shop for your shipping product needs. Once you’ve acquired all the components you need to ship your product, you need to look at all the mitigating factors of your shipping process. One is packaging size, while you do want to be distinctive to your brand, you also want to be efficient about size, use as little of it as possible, as this will offset shipping costs, in short, package for safety and density and avoid unnecessary large packaging. Another major factor is customer expectation for free shipping and delivery times. Online retailers should have a clear and easy to understand shipping policy available on their site that tells customers everything they need to know so there’s no misunderstandings, and establish firm guidelines based on what you can realistically achieve. Make sure that your products are real-time trackable once they have shipped, as this not only lets the customer keep track of it, but also ensures that you are not liable for any issues or errors that might occur once your product has left your business.
This is just a quick overview of the things that online businesses need to keep in mind when shipping their products out to customers. The world of e-commerce has changed shipping out products in so many ways, largely very much for the better. But it also means that customer’s expectations have changed with it and that means that online retailers have to work harder and smarter to be able to meet them. Luckily, CS Packaging can at least ensure that your packaging needs are met with items of superior quality and reliable service so you know you’re sending your products out in the most efficient and top of the line packaging.
As a warehouse manager, VP of operations, buyer, purchaser, or procurement official, you understand the critical importance of using strong packaging materials when shipping product to customers.
If the product arrives in good condition, everyone is happy and nobody thinks about the packaging. Choosing the right box is often the first step in protecting your product. But, if the product arrives damaged, however, every part of the shipping process is closely inspected to find a reason for the failure.
Sometimes a failure to protect the box contents is due to using the wrong packaging supplies. Although boxes can be used to ship everything, using a poorly reinforced box can lead to disastrous shipping results.
It is crucial for the buyer to carefully choose packaging so that the entire process will flow smoothly. Surprisingly enough, there are certain elements of engineering that go into the design of boxes and packaging elements. One of the simplest, but most effective, forms of protection is corrugated flutes.
Instead of just using a cardboard separator that does not provide ample protection or support, packaging designers have found that the best way to increase fiberboard strength is by adding wavelike arches, or flutes, between the two linerboards.
If pressure is applied to the side of the board, space between the flutes serves as a protective cushion for the container’s contents. Once these flutes are properly anchored to the linerboard with a strong adhesive, they resist pressure and bending from all directions, and increase the likelihood of a safe product delivery.
Not only do they form rigid columns which can support a great deal of weight, corrugated flutes can also act as an insulating agent to protect the contents from extreme temperature variations.
The flutes themselves come in a variety of sizes, which serve a number of useful functions such as increased shipping strength, reduced storage space, and improved printability. Corrugated flute sizes include:
The printout below is meant for you to keep on hand for easy referencing — making ordering shipping supplies easier than ever before.
Don’t forget: Flutes can also be customized to ensure optimum safety of your product during transit. For more information about custom flutes, give us a call! A packaging expert is always happy to chat.
“It’s what is inside that really counts.” Although we often say this about people, some manufacturers and distributors think the same way about product packaging. They pore over every product detail, and then ship it out in whatever box that is available, without any thought to protection or presentation. Ignoring custom shipping packaging, however, can have a negative impact on your brand and your bottom line.
Why You Need Custom Shipping Packaging Supplies:
There are lots of people who will see your package, so why not use it to make a positive brand statement? If your product arrives damaged because the packaging did not perform its job, your company loses time in customer service and wastes the effort of sending a replacement.
And this doesn’t take into consideration whether that person remains as a customer, or how many other people they tell about their “lousy” experience!
What They Are:
There are two sides to custom packaging. One is the packaging itself, which needs to be constructed specifically for a particular product to protect it during the shipping process. A well-constructed package also makes a positive impression when end consumers first receive it.
The other side of custom packaging is what it says to everyone who handles it. Your package may be handled by delivery people, sales people, warehouse workers and many others before it gets to the consumer.
Use every chance to make a brand statement with digital printing on the outside of your box. What can this strategy do?
Which Packaging Supplies Should Be Customized?
Some of the many ways to customize shipping packaging supplies include:
Although tape doesn’t get a lot of attention, it can cause a lot of problems if it doesn’t hold the box closed. Once you’ve got the right tape strength for the job, print a logo on it to increase brand awareness.
In addition to outside printing, the construction itself is crucial. You can order a special thickness for a custom-printed corrugated box that will keep your product safer. Custom retention packaging or foam packaging will protect sensitive products from shock and vibration.
Custom partitions keep multiple products inside a box from bumping into each other and becoming damaged. Combined board or corrugated flutes can be customized to provide the necessary level of protection.
These provide corner integrity with capacity from light to heavy duty. They can be printed with “Do not double stack” to further prevent crushing.
Additionally, you’re custom shipping packaging supplies provider can ensure product safety with an edge crush test — making sure your box will not be easily damaged in transit.
Glassware, wine bottles, and delicate electronic items are best protected by custom molded pulp trays or air cushion packaging, which creates a secure, resilient barrier between your product and its shipping container.
Although stock packaging has its place, you should definitely use custom shipping packaging supplies to make sure your products look their best and are properly protected whenever possible.
Not sure what to customize for your business? Talk to one of our packaging experts!
