7 Packaging Tips for E-Commerce Businesses
The packaging that you choose for online delivery is very important. Not only does it need to serve the function of protecting what you are delivering to your customer until it reaches their home, it also represents your brand along the way. For this reason, you cannot simply choose a brown box and brown tape. You want the unboxing experience of your customers to be unique and leave them hungry for their next order.
So, where do you get started? Here are some great tips to help you out as you start to think about the packaging for your e-commerce business.
1. Think about your product and how well it will travel
When you are looking at the product that you need to package you should be thinking about what kind of protection it needs to make it from your distribution centre to the customer’s address. First and foremost you should be concerned with delivering the product in on piece and in perfect condition. You will then need to think about the size and the weight. These measurements are needed to ensure that you have packaging of a suitable size and material that will be able to handle the strain of the weight of the product.
2. Ask yourself, does this need a box?
It is quite possible that when you take a good look at your product’s specifications that you don’t actually need a box to transport it safely. If the product is something soft like a t-shirt or scarf then a padded envelope can do the trick just as well, and more affordable than a box. You should only go this route if you are absolutely sure that the product does not need extra protection in transit.
3. The branding
Your package should have your branding clearly visible. There are many ways to do this. For example, Amazon uses the packaging tape to advertise their Prime service, even going as far to promote their Prime Original TV series directly on the tape itself. You do not need to do this, you can simply make sure that your branding is visible. This can be something as simple as a stamp on the box or package to a custom designed box.
4. Custom boxes
If you really want your packaging to stand out from the crowd, you can create a custom box that uses your brand colours. This can be a really great way to establish that you are a premium brand and make the whole experience of receiving a package from your company one to remember.
5. Don’t use boxes that are too large
The last thing that you want to do is to be shipping boxes that are too large for the product. This will drive up the cost of your delivery and potentially cause damage to the product unless there is sufficient protection inside. The increased cost in shipping boxes that are too large are compounded by the need for more packing materials to protect what is inside, so remember to measure twice and cut once.
6. Give your customers something extra
There is an opportunity to take the customer experience to the next level when it comes to opening a package from you. You can include something special to reinforce that you care about them. This can be anything from a free gift, coupons, or even a nice message written on a card thanking them for choosing your business.
7. Make sure the package stays sealed until delivery
Even when e-commerce businesses think they have covered all of their bases, one of the things that are often forgotten is to seal the packages properly. You will need the right kind of tape to make sure that your package does not pop open during transport.