Tips to successfully source packaging materials for your products
Read on to learn helpful tips and tricks for successfully sourcing packaging materials for your products and business.
Focusing on the details can be a wise approach to selecting the best packaging materials for your products. After all, the packaging you ultimately choose reflects your company as a whole and is arguably one of the most influential factors in making your product successful.
By making the right decisions for your unique business needs, you can embrace sustainability and order void-fill packaging in bulk at Opal, extend your budget by pursuing more cost-effective packaging sizes, or carefully consider the best ways to limit product damage and improve package safety during transit.
Budget
Before you choose to invest in any packaging material or design, you need to establish your budget. The scope of your financial restrictions will determine the types of materials you can pursue and how much you can put towards designing and creating the perfect packaging that best suits your needs.
Materials like glass and natural fibers are sustainable and tend to result in a more aesthetic finish that is often more visually appealing to potential customers. However, these options are not cheap in both manufacturing and shipping. Glass is very valuable and heavy, which can quickly lead to shipping and storage concerns, potentially resulting in increased consumer costs.
Alternatively, you can look at more budget-friendly options like food-grade cardboard, which is relatively inexpensive and offers fairly reasonably crush potential and good opportunities for design and branding. While plastic is generally not considered to be environmentally friendly, more and more manufacturers are making the important switch to recycled plastic materials and encouraging the consumer to continue to the recycling chain once the product is purchased.
Shipping and storage needs
As important as an appealing and stylish design is, if your packaging solutions do not offer the function and practicality you need to transport your products safely and successfully, they are completely worthless.
If your product is bulky, delicate, or outside of the standard and traditional shapes, it is crucial to carefully consider materials that can mold to the unusual shape and offer increased strength for added protection. Additionally, long-lasting products that need to stand on shelves for longer periods of time need special consideration when choosing the best packaging materials, as they will need to be able to withstand prolonged environmental exposure.
In terms of long-term expenses, it will always be more cost-effective to pay for better protective packaging initially as opposed to replacing damaged goods along the way. The same goes for investing in reliable industrial packing tools that support consistent quality and efficiency during the packing process. This type of equipment reduces errors and strengthens overall workflow management.
If a larger investment, in the beginning, is not realistic for your business budget, looking for a middle ground between the cost of product damage and the cost of packaging will help you find a solution that fits your production budget while ensuring your customers stay happy.
Sustainability
In a world that is becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, turning to sustainable solutions is a must across all industries. Due to this shift, the demand for eco-friendly packaging has dramatically increased, leading to significant progress in creating and developing packaging material that is both stylish and sustainable.
The corrugated industry currently has the best recycling rate of any packaging material on the market. Fibers from corrugated fibreboards can be recycled up to 25 times, meaning most boxes are made with 70-100% recycled materials.
However, like many recyclable materials, it relies on the general public for recycling, and this is often where difficulties arise. While many people in development communities have access to proper recycling programs, businesses need to consider the possibility of waste ending up in landfills. In these instances, choosing a biodegradable option will result in the materials naturally degrading into the soil, positively contributing to a healthy ecosystem.
Size
Should you offer products that vary in size, it may be more cost-effective to design a limited amount of packaging options for a range of different products. For example, if you produce four products that vary in size, it may be possible to reduce your costs by designing two different packaging sizes instead of four individual options. This can be achieved by being more economical with your dimensions and compensating the potential extra space with adequate packing materials.
Choosing a slightly limited range of packaging materials for your products will save money and maintain consistency and uniformity across your range. Due to the economies of scale, you will likely gain the best deal with your packaging manufacturer if you buy in bulk. Uniformed packaging sizes make bulk buying more effective.
Finding the right partner for production is just as important as the size of the box. Many businesses that sell energy supplements work with a caffeine pouches manufacturer to create custom sizes that fit their specific brand needs. These partners help manage the technical side of production so the business can focus on sales. Having a reliable source for both the product and its container makes the whole process much simpler. It also helps keep the quality of the items consistent for every customer.
Branding and design
When selecting the ideal packaging materials for your company, keeping your designs, budget, transportation, storage needs, and sustainability at the forefront of your decision-making is essential. Considering how the consumer market will interact with and view your packaging design throughout the manufacturing process will help you achieve overall success with your design choices.
For many companies, their packaging solutions are the first point of interaction with new customers, and the decisions you make regarding the materials and brand design are an extension of your company, with any misalignments between your selected materials and company values creating an air of confusion and mistrust with your customers. Ensure that whatever packaging solutions you choose clearly define your brand narrative and reflect your company’s values.
Materials
Shrink films and other flexible film options are incredibly lightweight and most yield excellent printing results. From a freight and shipping perspective, the costs of lightweight materials are very favorable for businesses compared to heavier and bulkier alternatives. Furthermore, there are sustainable film options for companies wanting to pursue and promote eco-friendly solutions.
Alternatively, carded options are flexible and fantastic for fragile products or items that need to be seen by the consumer to assist in sales. In the retail world, these are typically hang-tab products and include various types like blister packs, clamshell packaging, and skin packs.
In the world of e-commerce, packaging materials are all about ease of use from a consumer standpoint. Many standard but flexible boxing and bagging options, with numerous sustainable alternatives to choose from, can protect your product during transit while remaining easy to open and dispose of.
