Packaging for Your Online Business: How to Package Your Products for Shipping

Whether you are in the manufacturing or the retail business, you probably already have an idea how much impact a neatly wrapped and properly packed product can have on your customers. But now that more and more people are shopping online, the products they buy have to go through other delivery channels before reaching customers’ hands.

In many cases, the products don’t get to the customers in the same pristine condition as when they were shipped. Sometimes, the products get damaged, which can cause major repercussions for your e-commerce business, such as the need to replace the product just to satisfy your customers. And sometimes, boxes get torn and opened in transit; just imagine how your customer would feel to receive a dilapidated package. Whether you like it or not, these things will reflect badly on you, not just on the courier.

So if you’re selling your products online, take time to package your products for shipping, which is far more constrictive than regular product packaging. If you can get away with just using bags in your stores, when it comes to packaging for shipping, using properly and thoroughly sealed boxes is the best option.

Given this, you may want to consider investing in automated packaging solutions, such as carton sealers or taping machines, as these can help you pack your products properly and more speedily so they can be shipped in excellent condition.

Packaging Investment Suggestions for E-Commerce Businesses

There are several types of packaging equipment that can help streamline the packaging process for the benefit of your e-commerce business. If your products need to be protected from moisture, such as books, stretch wrapping equipment will be handy. If your products break easily especially when exposed to physical impact, shrink wrapping ‘bubble wrap’ machines are certainly a must. If your products come in large sizes, such as electronics, case sealers and case erectors are important investments as they can really make a huge difference in protecting your products. And most importantly, since all your products have to come in sealed packages, a taping machine should be one of your first investments.

If you want to go the extra mile to impress your customers, you should also consider investing in your own labeling equipment. This will help you build a brand identity, something that is harder for online businesses to do. You may not have a storefront to display your brand name and logo in, but you can at least leave labeled boxes in your consumers’ homes. They will certainly help make a more lasting impression and thus provide added marketing benefits.    

And before you forget, if you ship items that are breakable, make sure to label all packages with ‘fragile’ to provide additional protection for the items inside.

Going All the Way

Now, even if you’ve invested in packaging machinery and do your best to present your products properly to your customers, you won’t leave a positive impression if your securely and neatly packed product does not get delivered on time. So as an added tip, make sure to choose the right courier service to deliver your products; nothing can ruin a perfectly good product than poor service. Unfortunately, in the e-commerce business, the service of your courier has a huge effect on you. 

As an e-commerce business, shipping is part of your product distribution process, so you can’t just deliver your products to the courier as is. You are still responsible for it until it gets to your customers. Since you don’t have to worry about the overhead expenses that go into maintaining an actual store, you can at least invest in better, more secure packaging for your products. 

The Many Ways Products can be Packaged In

Different products require different packaging techniques. The most important factors to consider is the product itself and the degree of protection it needs in order to survive its transportation. Packaging is meant to protect products from shock, contain liquid; they must also abide by security and sometimes the packaging serves marketing purposes.

Blister Pack – Blister packing is for retail purposes. The product is served in a clear or opaque plastic or metal foil seal to hold it in place. This type of packaging provides individual protection which is especially useful for tablets, capsules, and even action figures. Other products are small consumer goods like electrical items, hardware, and toys. Manufacturers make the most of blister packs by incorporating marketing strategies such as placing company names at the back of the pack.

Tamper-Evident Packaging – Tamper-proof packaging is commonly practiced in the pharmaceutical and food industries to prevent the tampering of medical products such as pills and jars. The Food and Drug Administration has required induction sealing or cap sealing to hermetically seal the top of plastic and glass containers to help provide evidence of tampering. Shipping containers also have tamper-evident packaging to secure wholesale goods and items. Shrink-wrap is also an effective means to prevent tampering though it has always been overshadowed by other tamper proof packaging means.

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Cardboard packaging – Cardboard is an inexpensive means of packaging items and goods. Aside from being abundant in supplies, cardboard packaging can be done with carton sealers or case sealers – machines that automatically or manually pack cardboards, which saves businesses time and money. This form of packaging is very popular for transport of consumer and commercial products. Some products that use cardboard packaging include cereals, liquid products like milk and orange juice, and even washing powder.

BestPack.com proudly offers case sealers to make packaging easier and hassle free. Choose from random, manual, and automatic case sealers or you can also have custom built carton sealers that are suited for your business.

Why You Should Invest in a Carton Sealer

Packaging is a key component of many businesses, especially if you are an e-commerce merchant. Presentation can oftentimes make or break your business reputation, so as an entrepreneur you have to put as much thought to packaging as you do your actual product. Here is where a carton sealer plays an important role. Carton sealers, also sometimes called case sealers or box tapers, are essentially machines that apply tape to the top and/or bottom of cardboard boxes. Thus, if your business requires packing products in a box, you need a carton sealer. There are several types available on the market, but they can be generally classified into two: manual and automatic. Depending on where you purchase it, a carton sealer can be quite an investment, and that is why some entrepreneurs are sceptical about buying one. However, keep in mind that successful businesses are all about good investments and a carton sealer is one.

If you are an entrepreneur who has yet to purchase a carton sealer for your business, here are a few reasons why you should:

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1. A carton sealer eliminates the need to seal or tape boxes by hand. Manual sealing is a time consuming chore (notwithstanding the trial and error involved when sealing a carton by hand) and in business, time is money. Additionally, sealing or taping by hand can result in inconsistently packed boxes. Poorly presented boxes like those that often occur when you try sealing a carton by hand make your business look bad, and your product will look as if it were of low quality. You need to have a consistent and presentable look for your products and a carton sealer will help you effectively achieve this.

2. A carton sealer may initially cost you upwards of a few thousand dollars, but in the long run, it is bound to improve efficiency in your packaging line. It is a time saver, a money saver, and even a space saver.

3. A carton sealer can be customized to your unique business needs. Boxes come in different sizes and even shapes and a carton sealer can be adjusted to the particular specifications you need.

Once you are ready to purchase a carton sealer, make sure you do from a reliable carton sealer provider with a track record of excellence like Best Pack.

Product Packaging with Case Sealers

Packaging products within a container or package serves many purposes which includes protection and marketing. Even if the final customer decides to purchase a product without a package, the product distributor and manufacturer still need to package products to ship safely to the store. There are basically two types of packaging that products go through before being sold to the final customer. With efficient case sealers, product packaging is both economical and less time consuming.

The first type of product packaging is the Final Customer Package. This is basically the primary package to which the consumer is exposed to upon making the purchase. The primary package is the outermost container that the final customer sees and touches. It can be divided into three parts:

• First-level package – this is the package that holds the actual product. Sometimes, the packaging is only minimal since it only serves to protect the product. For example, frozen goods can be sold in cardboard boxes with the product contained in a plastic bag that is inside the cardboard box.

• Second-level package – this could be the primary package if the first-level package is surrounded by one or more outer packages. In essence, it’s just another package that holds the first-level package.

• Package inserts – Nowadays, packaging products are not just for protection purposes. Marketers use packaging to communicate with consumers even after they’ve purchased the product. Often inserted within or on the product itself, package inserts include instruction manuals, warranty cards, promotional incentives, and software.

The Distribution Channel Package is the second type of product packaging, which involves how the products are packaged to the supply chain. It can hold multiple customer packages and that is why it offers a higher level of damage protection as compared to customer packaging.

Whether business owners choose a final customer package or a distribution channel package, using case sealers are the most efficient and low-cost means of doing so. Not only do case sealers save time and money, but case sealers are also durable and reliable.