A Quick Guide To Different Forms Of E-commerce Packaging

There are numerous ways that you can package e-commerce products. The best choice of packaging would heavily depend on the type of products that you have. So, you will need to start by thinking about the outer packaging. We will now take a look at some packaging tips from plastechgroup.com for consideration.

Looking to Reduce Your Shipping Costs?, Build Great Products, A Quick Guide To Different Forms Of E-commerce Packaging

Outer Packaging

Folding cartons: These types of cartons are used for high-end and luxury packaging. They provide additional protection and make your product look more appealing. They can also help you to easily display important product information, and even use the packaging and label to showcase creativity.

Paper tubes: These types of tubes are unique and they definitely add a layer of interest. There are companies such as Paper Tube Co. that actually make these tubes in lots of different sizes. They not only help to protect your product but they are quite fun for your customer to unbox. There are also plastic tubes as you can see here – https://www.plastechgroup.com/plastic-tubes/tubes-and-containers

Fabric bags: Using a fabric bag for your product can make your product feel a lot more premium and appealing. It is certainly memorable for your customers and they will likely keep it.

We will now take a look at selecting shipping materials. The type of shipping materials that you choose should be dependent on how fragile your products are. You should take a look at some of the most widely used shipping materials for packages.

Shipping packaging

Corrugated cardboard: This is the strongest type of packaging material since it can handle a lot of damage and still protect the product inside it. There are double and triple-wall corrugated cardboard boxes that are commonly used for shipping various products. They can be used for almost any type of product and is especially useful for products that need extra protection from breakage.

Padded mailers: This is good for items that won’t break if they fall, but they still require a bit of padding. For example, clothing, books, jewelry etc. These type of padded envelopes are cheaper than corrugated boxes and they are also cheaper to make.

Poly mailers: This is the most lightweight and affordable type of e-commerce packaging. However, do keep in mind that they don’t offer much protection while the product is being handled and shipped. So, if your products are items that are flexible such as clothing, then you can use poly mailers. This would drastically reduce your ecommerce site shipping cost since poly mailers are so cheap.

Next, you will have to think about infill. Getting the correct infill is essential since this is necessary to protect the product and ensure that it doesn’t move around too much while being shipped. You’ve likely been the victim of poor packaging if you’ve ever gotten a product that is packed in a box that is too big for it with only bubble wrap around the product. It is quite irritating and stressful on customers when their products aren’t packaged properly. So, we will look at a couple of different infill types, but do note that this is not a complete list.

Infill

Packaging paper: This type of infill can be used for many different needs which means that it is commonly used. This type of paper is wrapped around items and even balled up so that it can fill corners and empty spaces. The great thing about this infill is that it can be recycled and reused. Alternatively, you can use recycled newspaper instead of packaging paper if you don’t need to ship a lot of products from your ecommerce store.

Bubble wrap: You’re likely quite familiar with this type of infill. It is a lot of fun to play with and it is also very versatile to use. The great thing about bubble wrap is that it provides safe cushioning for your products, especially products that can break. Bubble wrap is also quite flexible which means that you can fix and contour it easily to your packaging. The disadvantage of using it is that it isn’t typically constructed out of recycled materials. Therefore, if your business and customers are environmentally friendly, your customers won’t likely be happy with your usage of it.

Crinkle paper: This is paper that has been shredded and folded in an accordion-type shape. It is a very fun and flexible type of infill. It is great for filling up spaces in boxes and it also provides excellent cushioning. It is also easy to recycle or compost. The main disadvantage is that it can be quite messy and it is a bit on the expensive side.

Francis Nwokike

Francis Nwokike is the Founder and Chief Editor of The Total Entrepreneurs. A Social Entrepreneur and experienced Disaster Manager. He loves researching and discussing business trends and providing startups with valuable insights into running a profitable business. He created TTE to share ideas and tips to help entrepreneurs run and grow their businesses.