While packaging is an essential matter for every product-centric company, it may quickly add up in expense if you’re not cautious. At the same time, you may believe that you don’t need to put as much effort into your packaging as other aspects of your business. However, having well-thought-out and appealing boxes and other wrapping materials pays off. In many cases, excellent packaging also serves as an ideal marketing approach.
Packaging doesn’t just have to do with product containers and labels. It involves the entire system of preparing products for efficient, safe, and cost-effective transportation across the supply chain. Good package design optimizes consumer value, sales, and profitability, especially for small businesses.
With that said, here are some tips on how you can manage your packaging supplies:
- Rethink Your Packaging
Improving and optimizing your product’s packaging is arguably the single most cost-effective improvement you could make. It’s easy to get caught up in the finer points of product packaging design, from the logo to the barcode positioning. But one of the most significant reasons you’re utilizing packaging in the first place is often ignored: protection.
Consider the journey your product will take before reaching the customer. Streamlined packaging keeps your product safe (and fresh if it’s food or medicine) while reducing costs and improving supply chain efficiency.
Making minor adjustments may result in significant savings if you modify your product’s primary packaging. This would allow for more goods to be sent at once. See to it that you purchase safe and professional packaging supplies to save money in the long run.
- Determine Unnecessary Packaging Costs
The amount of packaging bought by many companies exceeds what they actually require. They may save money by analyzing their packaging requirements. Reducing the number of extra packing materials would also take away the need for large storage spaces that might be costly to maintain.
If you already have excess packaging supplies on hand that you know won’t be of use anymore, go ahead and declutter your space. Find out if they can be recycled so you don’t have to send them straight to the landfill.
- Train Your Staff
The easiest method to reduce your packaging expenses is to use less of it without compromising quality. Suppose untrained staff keeps using tape on or putting pallet wrap around each box incorrectly or unnecessarily without even realizing it. This may result in packages being wrongly labeled or perhaps even damaged.
Work with your packaging provider so you can have a short training conducted to teach your staff the appropriate method to tape a box or the most efficient way to wrap a pallet. This may help you decrease the quantity of packaging you use.
Also, manufacturers frequently include excessive amounts of packaging materials for shipping, such as needless shrink-wrap and cushioning. You may save money and resources by shipping goods without any of those. Education, retraining, or improved communication is required in some instances so everyone can be on the same page.
- Ensure That Items Are Properly Packed And Shipped
When damage is done to your product, it’s costly for your company to deal with. Sunk costs are incurred when a consumer returns a damaged product; these expenses include the price of producing, packing, shipping, and returning the goods. If you want your items to arrive intact, pack and ship them correctly. The likelihood of your shipment’s survival depends on how effectively it’s packed.
- Buy Just Enough Packaging And Avoid Bulk Purchase
If you run a small company or are only getting started with your business, don’t purchase one thousand boxes just because it’s cheaper to buy in bulk. Before purchasing, try out the packaging and do some tests. In searching for good packaging materials, you may stumble across some that would turn out to be inadequate for your needs.
It’s also essential to determine the appropriate box size for your goods by measuring them. If you must, you may even request custom-sized packaging. Get a good sense of your choices and shop around with various businesses to check and compare their prices and quality.
- Research The Best Packaging Options
Nowadays, there are numerous packaging possibilities out there. The one-size-fits-all concept doesn’t work. Since the ideal packaging solution for your items may not automatically be a box, it’s advisable to look for other options. See what’s new when it comes to materials, designs, and technologies, and then go online to start learning more about each of them. While your packaging must be built with maximum efficiency in mind, it must also be strong enough to withstand shipping methods via air, sea, train, and road freight.
Conclusion
The importance of packaging can’t be underemphasized given that the way a product looks can either encourage or discourage a consumer to buy it. However, this doesn’t mean you have to keep spending on it if there’s absolutely no reason for you to do so. By following the tips above, you can not only save on purchasing packaging supplies and make the most of what you have but also enjoy other benefits such as gaining more storage space and boosting customer satisfaction.