We have been making great looking, great performing e-commerce and subscription boxes for a long time. At our company, we measure experience in decades, not years, so it is fair to say we have had many conversations with a great variety of potential customers. We have found that most of the people seeking help with a packaging redesign or rebrand, typically do so for four basic reasons:
Reducing Shipping Costs
Shipping rates have changed (increased of course) and sometimes so do the items being shipped. A very larger shipper of personal care products redesigned some of their primary product containers and the changes were just enough to take their overall package weight from just under, to just over the critical one pound weight limit for USPS. This change of weight was minimal but it increased their shipping costs by an additional $2.00 cost PER BOX so a quick weight loss program was needed.
We analyzed everything from the size, the shape, the board weight and even the ink weight and reached the goal, without compromising the integrity or the appearance of the product being shipped. In fact the customer was thrilled to see the weight reduced without making the packaging inconsistent with the high quality products they ship. Amazingly, the new design was implemented within two weeks from finished art.
Eliminating Shipping Damage
We recently met a new client who was using an outer shipper to protect the inner, branded box containing their products. This was not to preserve the esthetics of the primary box, it was simply because the products were being beat up in shipment due to the poor, weak, primary box design. The outer, inexpensive “stock box” they used to protect the branded box was anything but low cost. It added labor and overall weight while increasing their shipping costs.
Even though the new design we helped create required new tooling (cutting die) and new print plates, those onetime costs were recovered in a matter of weeks, while customer complaints and packaging costs were reduced.
Improving Productivity
Imagine doing the vast majority of your annual business in a few short weeks! That is exactly what happened annually for one of our new customers. The seasonal nature of their business means that every second counts and packaging time impacts how many orders will make it out the door and to their customers in time for Christmas.
Many customers like using plain or decorative paper products such as tissue, or kraft paper for void fill and to provide minimal protection. While these products tend to be inexpensive to purchase, they are typically expensive to use because they have to be measured, cut and manipulated (scrunched) into the right shape and size. This is very time consuming and in the hands of the wrong, new or seasonal packer, it can also result in an ineffective and unattractive presentation.
We have proven time and time again that even though a well-designed insert (foam, molded pulp, or die cut corrugated) can be more expensive per piece, the many benefits, especially labor reduction, can create savings in the end. In this case, our client was able to get many more orders out the door, at an overall lower cost per unit.
“Enhancing the Customer Experience”
Whether your team calls it that, or “increasing the WOW factor”, the objective is the same: creating e-commerce packaging that impresses the customer receiving it. A quick visit to our gallery will show that there are a number of different ways to accomplish that from the soft and subtle to bold and outrageous. Needs change over time and are influenced by our customers as well as our competitors, so branding or rebranding can be a great way to communicate and keep your message current.
Whatever your motivation or goal, do not hesitate to contact us for a free and frank discussion about your e-commerce or subscription box branding. Call us at 630-551-1700 or contact us at Salazar Packaging.
We look forward to working with you on your project.
Related posts:
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/number-one-resource-branded-shipping-containers/
http://greenpackaginggroup.com/industry-experts/4013/
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/e-commerce-boxes-that-sparkle-and-shine/
