Internal Packaging Solutions for DTC Products
This post reminds me of one of my favorite movie lines of all time. It comes from the 1967 classic movie, Cool Hand Luke, when Captain, played by Strother Martin proclaims, “What we have here…is a failure to communicate”.
Our trade marked tagline for years – Packaging That Communicates™, accurately tells the world our packaging is designed to say what our customers want their packaging to say. However, there are times when lack of communication is not a failure or omission, it is intentional when it is totally unnecessary.
Master Repacking for Multi-Product Orders
What is becoming more common is for fulfillment partners and sales channels such as Amazon to handle orders with more than one item SKU being packed together. For example, the packer is not shipping just one six pack of the product being ordered. Perhaps the same customer is also ordering a four pack of a different flavor or fragrance and maybe even a single pack of a third product. Or maybe the order consists of three totally different products.
Direct to consumer (DTC) packaging as we traditionally know it, is packaging that is designed to ship by itself, without an exterior container or shipping box. So, you and your packer have two choices:
- Ship all three items being ordered individually which means three times the packaging and three times the shipping cost
- Or place all three items into a “master shipper” and ship them together within an outer box. Note, this typically requires void fill product which can be expensive and messy for the packer and the customer.
Reducing Packaging and Shipping Costs
In today’s world of fast-rising corrugated prices, everyone is working to reduce or minimize their cost per order. The price of packaging and fulfillment can be a large percentage of that total cost.
Option #1 above is not a good one because it never makes sense to suffer the cost of shipping multiple packages to the same address. That redundancy of packaging AND what it costs to ship them is not sustainable and a tremendous waste of money and resources.
Option #2 is usually the solution of choice, except for the multiple layers of shippable packaging. In the example above, all three boxes being shipped are designed to ship individually so the order becomes the definition of the much-hated term, “over packaging”. The waste is even more severe and the cost higher when the inner boxes are printed and branded.
The “Wrap Around” Internal Packaging Solution
Recently several customers asked us to create packaging for this exact situation. They need unbranded containers that are only for internal use that will ship within an outer branded shipper. They need it to be protective and keep even glass bottles safe in shipment. Keep in mind these glass products are shipping together so product to product damage is a legitimate concern. The ideal solution should also use as little board as possible for the lowest cost per unit.
We have determined that the wrap around design shown in these photos is ideal because it assembles quickly for lowest labor cost and uses minimal board resulting in the lowest possible unit cost. This design is very protective and effective, even on glass products as shown in these photos. These wrap arounds can be plain, unprinted kraft or white board. They can also be printed with a one-color flood coat, for example, a company color or a random repeat pattern such as a logo.
Internal DTC Packaging Designs
The Wrap Around is one of many options we offer for protective internal packaging. Others include dividers, partitions, engineered multi-layer designs, and basically whatever it takes to satisfy your very specific product and application.
Contact us at Salazar Packaging or call us at 630-551-1700 for a no cost and no obligation application review. Whether your need is for internal or external packaging, branded or unbranded, DTC or retail packaging, we have the products and expertise to deliver exactly what you have in mind. For fifteen years, we have been successfully creating designs and products, others said could not be done.
Related posts:
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/faq-dtc-internal-packaging-for-shipping-boxes/
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/redesign-your-dtc-e-commerce-shipping-box-in-2022/
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/the-four-most-important-factors-in-dtc-e-commerce-packaging/
