Shipping is a large part of your customer experience, so you need to make sure you get the most cost effective method of shipping and that your products are packaged in such a way that they are both protected form damage and minimise your shipping costs. Here are 8 Key Packaging Tips for Shipping:
- Keep the overall size of the package as small as possible to minimise the shipping costs, e.g. if you have a small product then don’t use really large outer packaging to ship to the customer, rather work out how you can use the smallest possible outer packaging whilst maintaining protection of your product. This will remove unnecessary additional shipping costs. You need to find the balance between protecting your product from damage in-transit and the additional cost of shipping.
- Use the lightest weight packaging you are able but remember you need to protect your product so don’t sacrifice quality to save a few dollars on shipping. If your damages increase it may end up costing you a lot more.
- Try and standardized your packaging size so you can get consistency around your shipping costs. If you have a variety of products find a few package sizes that can accommodate the variation in your products, if possible.
- Your product should fit in the outer packaging snugly to avoid movement in transit, however you need to ensure that the product has enough padding inside the outer packaging to protect it in transit from damage.
- What type of filler will you need to help protect your product in transit, e.g. paper, bubble wrap, polystyrene etc. you need to consider a number of things when it comes to filler;
- How effective it will be in protecting your product
- Your brand presentation
- How it could affect your shipping costs
- How effective it will be in protecting your product
- Your brand presentation
- How it could affect your shipping costs
- How effective it will be in protecting your product
- Your brand presentation
- How it could affect your shipping costs
- Consider the way you place your product in the packaging, for example if you sell liquid products in bottles they will need to be packed upright and you may need to place them in a sealed bag so if they leak it is contained. The carton they are shipped in may need information on the outer package that states they need to be shipped in an upright position at all times (although be mindful that this may still not happen even if it’s labeled).
- If you have products that are odd or irregularly shaped, then cover any sharp edges with filler and/or tape so they don’t damage the outer packaging.
- Fragile Items must be packed well with as much padding as required to ensure they don’t get damaged in transit. Remember your product travels a long way to get your customers and there are many opportunities for the product to get damaged. If you sell fragile products, then really think about how you can use additional padding to ensure the product doesn’t get damaged. You want to make sure the item is protected and cannot move whilst in transit. Make sure the outer packaging is clearly marked as fragile.
Consider these packaging tips for shipping to see how you could save money and reduce the opportunity of damage to your product.