This year, eCommerce businesses are witnessing an unprecedented growth in their sales. The eCommerce spending in the U.S. is up more than 30% from the beginning of March through mid-April, as compared to the same period last year, according to market research firm Rakuten Intelligence. As more customers are utilizing eCommerce services for their purchases, the demand for custom packaging is also increasing.
Studies related to the psychology of shopping show that, “packaging plays a major, if not dominant, role in purchasing decisions.” If your business isn’t using custom packaging already, now is a great time to start.
If you feel that investing in custom packaging will cost your business an arm and a leg, this blog will make you reconsider. Check out these 4 innovative and affordable methods which you can incorporate in your business strategy and start delighting your clients with amazing packaging without breaking the bank.
1. Play around with design
The best thing about custom packaging is the creativity that surrounds it. The sky's the limit when it comes to design. Minimalism, less is more, is trending across all industries. The best thing about applying minimalism to design when it comes to custom packaging is that it helps reduce the cost drastically. Another great costing-reducing secret is to get printing done on only one side of the package. This way, you get great packaging, at almost half the cost! Another way to reduce packaging prices is to get stamps or stickers printed. They can be pasted on the packaging, giving it a trendy, personalized touch and also reducing the costs.
2. Add diversity in packaging materials
Instead of using standardized box sizes, evaluate the sizes of your products and ensure that you get appropriate packaging for your product. This way, you won’t have to pay for dimensional volume rate.
Another great hack is also to ship multiple products in one big box. This way you are cutting on extra costs of multiple boxes and also saving on shipping. Some of your products may be small enough to go into envelopes that are padded rather than small boxes. That is a great way to save money and still use custom packaging by sending off your products in padded envelopes.
Not all products are the same. Some are more durable than others, while some require more attention than others. It is a great business practice to sort your products into various packaging categories. By doing so, you can differentiate between products that are durable vs. those that are fragile and then do their custom packaging accordingly. This will also help in saving a lot of money because the products that are durable can easily be transported with minimal cost.
3. Safe Packaging Practices
Product safety is of utmost importance. If you deliver a damaged product, it can cost your brand very heavily in terms of customer dissatisfaction and bad reviews. So, cutting cost on packaging at the expense of product delivery and safety is a very bad idea. A great practice is to use packaging that will ensure the safety of your product. This will also minimize the cost that you may have to pay if a customer is not satisfied and returns your product.
A great place to start is by redesigning your existing packaging and optimizing it for safety, durability and space. This way you are ensuring product safety and also warranting great packaging, which is a win-win combo. Additionally, you can opt out of using add-ons by printing your company’s logo directly onto the packaging or using your branding colors on the packaging.
4. Negotiate shipping rates
It is always a great idea to discuss shipping rates and preferred pricing with the shipping company that you are using. Create a shipping profile and then start the negotiations. You will be surprised at the great corporate rates you can get with good negotiations.
Conclusion
By placing an effective strategy, you can ensure affordability, cost savings and add great packaging which will increase the value of your products and also ensure customer loyalty.
At Arka, we provide specialized services for all your packaging needs and we have all kinds of solutions handy for you regarding what kind of packaging works best for your brand.
Phillip Akhzar is the Founder and CEO of Arka with over a decade’s experience in packaging. Arka is a one-stop packaging shop for eCommerce at highly competitive prices, both branded and unbranded. Merchants are able to easily design and order their packaging by using our customizer. Whether you need 10 or 10,000 bags or boxes, Arka is here to help!
