Whether you are a small start-up or a recognised e-commerce business, a huge chunk of capital goes to packaging supplies for your products. While most companies understand the importance of packaging, some of them fail to see it. This allows competitors to secure a major portion of potential customers.
Both e-commerce packaging and cardboard postal boxes are used extensively in the shipping industry. However, there are some differences between the two.
E-commerce packaging and cardboard postal boxes are different in four basic ways—efficiency, speed, unboxing experience, and deliverability.
Speed
Faster packaging will always lead to happier customers. No doubt, a little bit of anticipation is good; it keeps the excitement of getting a new order. But waiting forever for a single product to arrive can get extremely frustrating.
While custom packaging needs time, cardboard boxes make things a lot faster. No one wants inconvenience to wait for the delivery guy every day.
Efficiency
Although postal boxes are great for delivering products on time, specialised mailing boxes have their own efficiency.
Survey shows that e-commerce packaging saves 70% of labour charge and 90% returns. So even if you are established in your ways of packaging, businesses need to elevate their ways with time. Small changes can add up to a significant difference. However, this can take a long time for smaller companies as customised packing takes more hours than postal boxes. But it all depends on smart planning and the value of your time.
Deliverability
Delivery is the last link of the whole order chain between companies and customers. Therefore, make sure it fits the expectation of your customers. It can get frustrating to know that the parcel wasn’t up to the mark or it ripped.
Make sure the box fits the item properly, and protective packaging is done for fragile items. A box easy to locate and identify will make your customers happy. The size of the box plays an important role. Heavy boxes can add to the ‘dimensional weight’ pricing. Excessive packaging can lead to strain on the number of packages to be delivered safely.
Customer experience and brand loyalty
A majority of e-commerce retailers think that custom packaging only refers to sticking a printed logo and product details. While these are essential parts, they shouldn’t be the only consideration if you are going for this route. The size of the box matters, as well as the style. We believe what Larry Page said, “Always deliver more than expected.”
Unboxing experience creates brand loyalty. Go to any review page, and you will find substantial reviews on the unwrapping experiences of the customers. It is not limited to influencers these days.
The level of personalisation that goes on a custom e-commerce packaging depicts how much you believe in your brand and your commitment to your customers.
Which is suitable for your company?
Custom-made e-commerce packages have a lot of advantages over postal boxes. They do not need assembling or use of wasteful void fillers. You can order them to be completely biodegradable and obviously creates a unique brand appeal.
However, these aren’t devoid of downsides.
If custom packaging offers so much, why isn’t everyone using it? The answer is cost.
Bespoke e-commerce packaging might benefit the brand and save money, but it needs substantial initial investment. The designs, tools, setup will increase the production cost.
For a small business, custom-made packaging might not be a feasible option. But eventually, this can reduce the shipping cost, product returns and packaging materials like void fillers that can be profitable for businesses.
It is a proven fact that insufficient packaging can be detrimental for businesses. So, whether you can invest in custom-made packaging or not, remember to get good quality packaging materials. If you are looking to buy cardboard boxes, wrapping papers, or other supplies, Wellpack Europe is the way to go. They are one of the leading packaging suppliers in the UK, specialising in both standard boxes and e-commerce packaging.
