How to Improve your Custom Packaging Process in 2022
The packaging industry worldwide is looking for improvement and efficiency to cater to their clients better by offering custom packaging. The packaging load on this industry has increased as e-commerce business entities have entered mainstream markets to challenge the leading national and international brands. These businesses demand packaging par international standards from the packaging companies. Moreover, the contactless deliveries and interactions during the pandemic have demonstrated that products with demand in the markets can sell on their own as long as they are well packaged and presented. The packaging industry can only manage this load if they seek maximum efficiency.
This article highlights how the packaging companies can improve their internal and external processes to;
- Enhance custom experience
- Make their packaging better
- Make the experience better for themselves
Let us read more ways that help packaging companies get better.
Design Straightforward Custom Packaging Boxes
Yes, we all love the sight of innovative packaging, but it starts getting frustrating when it gets difficult to open or close. Seasoned packaging companies know this fact before the customers experience it. Therefore, they always try to keep the layout reliable but straightforward. Nothing frustrated the recipients of a product more than an exciting product package in front of them that seems impossible to unbox. Another attribute that the customers and recipients love about product packaging is its space efficiency. The house areas have shrunk drastically, and individuals seek intelligent solutions that are multipurpose and easy to store. Last but not least, no company has ever managed to trend on social media by providing chic product packaging with impossible product access. It is not a memorable unboxing experience. The customers are paying a premium price.
All custom packaging boxes must be easy to handle, not for customers and recipients but for the respective company staff. Clients and packaging companies prefer cardboard packaging boxes that are collapsible during shipping, considerably bringing down the costs involved.
No matter how attractive packaging printed boxes are, almost all clients prefer those that allow easy product placement in a time-efficient manner. It is not intelligent to pay extra for this placement and packing to the labor. It is a well-known fact that delays in packaging increase the risk of damaging the products. Some other tips for intelligent design include;
- Providing grips or grooves according to a box size
- Opening and locking mechanisms
- Box exterior
- Unboxing instructions
Evaluate the Cardboard Packaging Boxes for Optimization
A packaging box can only serve its purpose when used the correct way. For example, an ice-cream company provides a spoon along with the ice-cream cup attached to the inner side of its cover. But many customers do not bother checking it out. Therefore, getting feedback about the packaging sent in the open mainstream markets is crucial.
Packaging companies and clients can conduct evaluations in-house via the company staff, checking and grading the different packaging functions. It will help improve the packaging without wasting much time. After all, frequent testing and evaluation are the keys to further improvement. The clients and packaging companies can also benchmark their custom packaging against an already existing and similar product in the market.
Select a Smart Packing Area Mindfully
Every professional packaging and orienting company must evaluate their packaging process via crucial questions about;
- Is the area organized?
- How fast are stock keeping and its checking?
- Are all components and tools and devices stocked in time?
- Are all components and tools and devices operating and streamlined?
- Are they within reach?
- Are auto-ordering measures implemented?
- Are the order fulfillment rates satisfactory?
- At what speed are orders concluded?
- Are there elements that are causing delays?
- Will the addition of packaging stations add more convenience? (e.g., in case of inner packaging details, all components from inserts to customized notes and cards, to void fillers, etc. can be placed together)
- Is the process cohesive?
Ideally, there should be a systematic flow from the starting point A to the ending point Z of the packaging processes so that operation finishes without any hiccups and delays.
Introduce Streamlining in Custom Box Packaging Processes
It is no secret that streamlining processes augment effectiveness and productivity. The same is true for the packaging industry and packaging company processes. Related workstations established across the rooms cause unnecessary delays and often get unlooked. This ignorance is a significant cause of breaks and increases the risks related to;
- Damage
- Frequent touches
- Supply chain hazards
A winning company designs its processes so that minimal time gets spent from final manufacturing to final product package delivery.
Switch to Smart Machines for Custom Packaging Boxes Production
With the evolution of the packaging industry and the automation processes, it is now convenient to merge the two to reap the benefits like;
- Logistical issues management and solutions
- Warehouse issues management and solutions
It has played a tremendous role in the development and growth of the packaging industry. Even the labor-intensive and time-consuming task related to physical packaging and labeling has quickened because of automated processes. The latest technology allows the clients to customize their strategies according to their company requirements via these automated production processes.
Never Ignore Packaging Machinery Maintenance
It includes timely;
- Upkeeping
- Reviewing
- Updating
Not just the machinery but the entire packaging line. Sometimes, the smaller segments need attention instead of the whole line. Innovative companies know that machines work around the clock and are prone to wear and tear. Thus, they allocate a budget for maintenance and upkeep, which gets used anytime a problem is detected. Professional packaging projects sometimes have to make critical decisions regarding the technology implemented in their setups. Instead of repeatedly investing in the old machines against their review, they can switch to newer machines that yield a better return on investment and are faster and better in many ways.
The seasoned companies in this field take help from their packaging inspection audits for critical issues requiring significant changes. They assess all the needs, and machinery specifications objectively before advising a solution to clients. Because of this reason, regular inspections and audits are as necessary for the packaging industry as they are in other manufacturing units.
The return on investment for every industry will vary for the packaging companies. It will also vary according to the set packaging goal of any respective packaging company. One simple way to calculate is; (Return – Investment) / Investment x 100%. This formula applies to any capital purchase.
Give Sustainable Materials a Chance
As we learn about the adverse environmental impact caused by pollution and littering, the customers and businesses now feel more responsible than ever to tackle this issue and play their parts. As a result, the global packaging industry has introduced initiatives and solutions that will help raise sustainability via packaging in the lives of their direct and indirect consumers. These companies have also shifted their approaches to reduce their carbon footprint and drastically reduce the reliance on materials like; plastic and Styrofoam, etc., that are harmful to the consumers and our environment. Through this work, the companies, clients, and consumers have realized that a significant change will occur through their combined efforts and will be a slow process otherwise.
Therefore, we see that customers push their favorite brands to switch to green packaging. As a result, these brands, clients of the packaging companies, demand biodegradable and recycled materials. The packaging companies are now investing in research and development to discover and craft more green solutions for their clients that help them beautify their custom packaging boxes and add more durability to them. Some examples include;
- Biodegradable laminations
- Kraft material
- Water-based coatings, etc.
The introduction of green cardboard packaging options has revived the packaging industry as it can be used for commercial items and food. The regulatory authority has approved food-grade Kraft for food packaging that is print-friendly and strong enough to use in different trendy layouts. Materials like Kraft remain usable until the last stage in their life cycle and help reduce the planet’s depletion of resources. It allows the clients to add to their customer base as they can now target the green consumers and the existing ones offering more benefits.
Focus on Reducing Packaging Waste
As might as the companies try to look away, the reality is that the packaging industry creates a lot of waste that results in littering and creating other complications for the planet’s health. Some companies are guilty of meticulous designs, resulting in overpackaging that clogs the freshwater bodies and remains in the landfills for many years rotting and creating a threat to life. There is a drastic need for the packaging companies to keep a check and balance at every design and production stage to reduce this wastage. Whether this waste is being created because of errors, damages caused by human error, overuse of materials, or any other reason, it is the need of the hour to tackle the issue at the soonest.
Packaging waste has hurt the planet and is a significant cause of inefficiencies for companies. Once tackled appropriately, processes become smoother with more savings against the material, reduction of reruns and precision of orders, etc. There are many ways the packaging companies can reduce packaging waste, some of which include;
- Reducing manual errors (in design and production)
- Reducing the use of void fillers using appropriate measurements
- Using sustainable fillers when required
- Avoiding overcomplicated designs that use excess material
- Introducing reliable and functional custom retail boxes that use less material, e.g., custom pillow boxes
- Using recyclable and sustainable material
- Using machines with pre-decided raw material units
Sort Out Efficient Techniques
The companies that market and manufacture tangible goods in the mainstream markets realize that packaging is a worthy investment that influences customers’ buying behavior. How a product looks in its custom retail box impacts how the target audiences perceive the brand, value the product, gauge the status of the respective company in the industry, and so on. The better the packaging is, the better the chances of sales for any brand. Packaging is a crucial aspect that requires efficient strategies for companies and brands serious about giving their direct and indirect competition a tough time in online and offline markets. These companies benefit the most when their products become the focal points at retail and online selling platforms.
It is important to remember that packaging is bound to change according to customer demands or environmental factors. There will always be something better that the clients can switch to. Therefore, the companies producing tangible products must remain ready to embrace this change when the time arrives. It will pave the way for innovation, and jumping into it earlier will help the company benefit from the first mover’s advantage. Because of this reason, the packaging companies, and their clients keep up-to-date about the happenings in the industry and are ensuring that nothing remains ignored. The seasoned professional of the packaging companies also knows about the latest market trends and can predict upcoming and emerging trends based on their experience and skill.
The modern world of packaging has evolved to include interactive elements like;
- QR codes
- Bar codes
- Interactive labels
- NFC technology
- Online discounts
- Image scanning etc.
Because of this reason, we see various interactive elements printed as visual content on the custom packaging boxes used in retail and shipping. Here, we list some other vital factors for effective packaging strategies that help boost ROI. They include;
1. Sales Outcome
Intelligent businesses double-check their stock and inventory systems by adding trackable sales elements to their cardboard retail boxes. This simple addition via the print techniques helps the companies get a clear picture of their ROI, and it also helps them track damages and losses due to human-error timely. The information generated using these tools is closest to the actual figures. It plays a vital role in calculating the return on investment by estimating the difference between investment and sales.
2. Identifying Loss
The main aim of packaging a product to date remains to protect it. It is the basic need of any product before being launched into the mainstream market. The packaging return on investment is a great tool to identify how much a company saved against recalled products due to damaged goods. To calculate this, the companies will have to consider;
- Business expenses of damages and losses
- Product refunds
- Product replacements
- Product recalls
These tactics will help the companies order operating and reliable custom packaging boxes, a fusion of performance and attraction inappropriate fits. The packaging companies manipulate the flaps or introduce locking mechanisms to provide utmost security to the packaged goods highlighted via printed branding elements. The check and balance at every step reduce chances of errors and damage and result in a memorable unboxing experience that strengthens brand loyalty with the customers. It will help select the options that will secure the product delivery till it is delivered and sometimes even after it. But to make all this happen, the clients have to communicate their needs directly and simply to their packaging companies to work out plans accordingly.
