Packaging up your products for damage-free delivery can be very stressful – you need to consider the product packaging (how you package your product) and the protective packaging (how you pack it for shipping). Whether you’re shipping make up, a phone, food or something else, there is always the fear over when the product will arrive and if it will remain undamaged. And most importantly, will the customer be happy enough with what you deliver to come back to your business?
When you’re a small business, packaging is vital. According to Forbes, 60-80% of consumers do not go back to the same business if they were unhappy with the packaging around a product, even if they were satisfied with the product itself. Can you imagine losing customers due to poor packaging? You don’t want that happening to your business.
So how do you make sure that your packaging is good enough? Here are some things we recommend to pay attention to.
Remember, a product can only be as good as you let it be, so while this may seem like a lot of work, it will be worth the result.
Before you begin the actual packaging, you need to plan some things. The two main things that you need to know before you begin packaging is your budget and your product.
When you are a business, time is everything. You don’t want to end up planning a beautiful package design and realize that you don’t have the money to actually create the package. You want to make sure you understand how much you intend to spend. Packaging can be very overwhelming, due to how many options there are, so your budget can help guide you to the perfect packaging.
Next, you should understand the product. If the product is fragile, then you will be using a very different packaging than if the product is durable. How big or small the product is will change what package size you look for, and how cheap the product is versus how expensive it is, will change how much more effort you should be putting into your protective packaging.
After you know the answer to these questions, you can move towards the next step
The first thing you will need to understand the dimensions of the package or load. The specific dimensions are very important to know, because if they are wrong, the product could be at risk for damage. This is obviously something you want to avoid, so having an idea of your box or skid dimensions is critical.
After you have the packaging dimensions completed, the next thing you’re going to have to pick is the material that your package is made of. Different materials will be helpful for different boxes or loads.
A general tip is that corrugated boxes are used to package heavier items like appliances and electrical goods. Paperboard (chipboard for example) is single ply and denser than corrugated but more durable than boxboard (but can be laminated to be as thick as wood if you want it to be). For smaller products, you can often use paper bags, which are both customizable and environmentally friendly!
Speaking of custom boxes, we move to the third step.
Now that you’ve planned the more technical side of the box, you can now focus on the more creative part of packaging, the design aspect. This is how a good product becomes a great product. According to IPSOS, they found that 72% of American consumers say their purchasing decisions are directly influenced by packaging design.
Nowadays it is no longer enough to have a good product with boring packaging. Most customers expect a “wow” factor as most people like posting pictures of the product on social media. You want the entire experience of unpacking to be as exciting as getting the product.
Therefore, here are some things you should be focusing on:
The color of the package. If your business has corporate colors, then you should definitely have the packaging reflect that. If not, then go for an appropriate color. A package for toys should probably not have black packaging.
The image on the package. Thanks to the advancement of modern technology, specifically digital printing, you can print on almost any media. This means you can put on your logo and brand on to your package.
Personal notes: When someone opens your box, you want him or her to remember you. One way to do this is to leave a message for your customers. This message can be a small note thanking them for buying your product. This is a nice way of making the product feel more personable and make your business have both a name and feeling attached to it, making it far more memorable than a business that doesn’t do this.
Remember, this package represents your brand; you want it to look good. One of the things we recommend doing is creating a prototype of your packaging. Making one version of the box with your product inside of it, you can see if the box you created actually works. If it doesn’t, it won’t cost you much as you’ve only made one box. With prototypes, you can test out the package’s dimensions, design and overall feel and see if you like it. If not, you can always try again. If you do, move onto the last step.
Choosing protective packaging for shipping
Now that you have your product packaging done, and you’re ready to ship out your items, it’s time to think about protective packaging. Again, should you use corrugated or a solid paperboard like chipboard ? If shipping in bulk, do you want to put it on a pallet? If using a pallet do you want to use corner posts for stability and to protect the corners of the boxes? Do you want to wrap it to stabilize it some more and protect it from rain or snow with a pallet wrap? Alternatively, do you want a totally customized protective packaging solution? In any case, once you’ve made these decisions and lined up your freight carrier or courier, that’s it. You’ve done it!
While product packaging (how you package your product) and protective packaging (how you pack it for shipping) can seem daunting, they are both important steps to making your product and brand be far more memorable, and ensuring it arrives safely. Remember, while packaging is important, your product is what ultimately matters, so you need to make sure it arrive undamaged. Best of luck with packaging your products!
Operating out of Vaughan, Ontario, Hammond Paper Company has been a reliable source for paperboard and other protective packaging solutions in Canada for over 25 years. Whether you need packaging made specifically to suit your needs, or just off-the-shelf protective packaging supplies like slip sheets, dividers, layer pads, corner posts or even pallet wrap, Hammond Paper can help. We can also do custom laminating, cutting to size, die cutting, round cornering, grooving and more.
Call us at (905) 761-6867 or email us at sales@hammondpaper.com to get a free quote.