The global packaging market is poised to exceed an astounding $1.65 trillion by 2027, up from $926.43 billion in 2019.
It’s easy to see why the demand for product packaging is so tremendous. Product packaging is among the main ways an eCommerce store can interact directly with its customers. For example, a creatively crafted and personalized unboxing experience can leave a huge impression on the consumer opening the parcel.
But effective packaging does more than just impress your consumers. It helps ensure safe shipping for your products, especially if you use a courier service to get your products to your customers.
In today’s post, we give you a few actionable packaging tips to consider in 2021. Read on to learn more.
1. Choose the Right Packaging Material
Each package you send can pass through many hands before it eventually reaches the consumer. These include first-mile service personnel, air freight staff, custom, last-mile providers, and so on. For this reason, you need packaging material that’s sturdy enough not to fall apart during the parcel’s journey to the customer.
Poor packaging material is part of the reason products break during shipping. The costs of these damages can be outrageous.
The solution is to choose the right packaging materials and only go for the best quality. To determine how strong the packaging material needs to be, consider the product’s weight.
Don’t forget about the size and shape of your products. The goal is to make sure that the packaging material has enough room for the product and the cushioning material. Remember to avoid using too large packaging materials, especially when trying to save money on shipping costs.
2. Wrap Items Separately
Sometimes, you’re shipping multiple separate items at once. Packaging these materials in one box increases the chances of them moving around and bumping into each other while on transit. This could lead to product damage.
The way to avoid this risk is to wrap and cushion items separately, whether you’re considering fast shipping or not. This ensures that items don’t move around much. And even if the items do move around, the chances of breakage are minimized.
Where the items may be affected by wet conditions or dirt, it’s a good idea to place them inside a plastic bag within the package.
3. Cushion and Fill Correctly
There’s hardly a better way to ensure that items within a box don’t break while in transit than by cushioning them. Be sure to have enough filler material so the products don’t bounce or move around inside the box. However, be careful not to overstuff the box as the box could burst while on courier delivery.
Try to ensure that there’s just enough cushioning material to prevent the product from moving inside the box and enough to absorb any bumps the package gets during delivery.
Some of the recommended cushioning materials include airbags, bubble wrap, and foam or cardboard inserts. You can fill the rest of the box with such material as crumpled paper, packing peanuts, or styrofoam.
4. Choose the Proper Sealing Material
Where you’re using boxes for delivery, ensure that you also use tape to seal the box. The tape should have the appropriate width, which is at least two inches.
For light products such as shirts, you may use polyurethane bags which typically come with their own adhesive strips. Be sure to inspect the bags carefully before shipping so the packages don’t open up mid-delivery.
Avoid using straps or strings as sealing material. That’s because they could damage heavier products.
5. Use the Right Taping Method
One of the most recommended packaging techniques when using boxes is to use the H-taping method. That’s because H-taping keeps boxes flaps during transit. This way, the packages don’t open accidentally before reaching their destination.
When using the H-taping method, apply enough tape to the edge seams and center of the box. Heavier boxes may need more tape to keep the seams secure.
When you’re packaging highly fragile or high-value items, consider using the box-in-box method before you seal with the H-taping method. The box-in-box method constitutes using two boxes instead of one.
You have an inner, branded box and an outer, common-looking box. The outer box is typically large enough to accommodate both the inner box and filling material.
The box-in-box method does not only add protection to the product but also makes it difficult for people to guess the value of the package inside.
6. Label Your Packages
Always make sure that your package contains a shipping label. This label indicates what the package’s contents are, as well as the name of the sender. It also shows the receiver’s address.
The information on the shipping label is essential for letting your courier service provider and customs know how they should handle the shipment. Some labels come with a barcode or tracking number to enable you to know your product’s location in the supply chain. This way, there are minimal mix-ups, and you can always trace missing items.
Package Your Products Rightly To Enhance Safe Shipping
Appropriate packaging is a huge part of safe shipping, whether you’re shipping products within the country or overseas. Always be sure to use the right packaging materials for your products, and wrap your item properly before cushioning them. Don’t forget to seal and label these packages before sending them out to their destination.
Are you interested in reliable third-party assistance in logistics, packaging, or shipping? Please, contact us today and learn how we can help.