The Top 6 Packaging Solutions That are Cost Effective

Although the packaging business has improved globally, the packaging companies are now looking to optimize their operating procedures. They are critically evaluating this industry to increase their profits and minimize internal and logistic costs. It involves identifying the best practices that can be used for multitasking, designing efficient layouts, better material selection, and much more. Much is discussed on how defective designs directly affect product loss. In this article, we will see how ‘doing it right the first time’ approaches like accurate measuring will help reduce the cost of shipping. Let us read about the most effective six solutions to help packaging companies and their clients save costs.

A. Optimize Material Usage

Bringing cost is a fundamental strategy for any business entity. We understand that there are compelling retail packaging options available for the products, but the client needs to take a breath and step back to look at things from a new perspective. It makes sense to ask vital packaging needs related questions like;

• Do the products need a different custom cardboard box layout for retail?
• Can my existing order for boxes work for retail?
• Is it possible to invest in cost-effective material for more than one packaging need?

Whenever possible, the packaging orders must consider optimizing material, which will prevent fluctuation in costs to a great degree.

Mailer Boxes as Retail Boxes

The companies using cardboard options like corrugated, unbleached Kraft, and other materials for their custom mailer boxes can think about using the same boxes as their retail packaging. Clients can revise the themes and designs for these boxes to include branding elements and other visual content details to make them ideal for retail display. The use of full-color and add-ons will transform the looks of these boxes, converting them into mini-billboards. The clients can design a new theme work for their mailer boxes according to their products’ marketing and advertising needs with details like inside mini-envelope with a discount voucher code can be added to lure more customers. Several details are perfect according to retail needs and available for clients. Some include;

1. Dramatic coatings that add an impressive look to the mailer boxes. The soft-touch coating does a fine job adding a glamorous sheen to these boxes. This coating has a velvety feel and does not yellow with age.
2. Digital printing is available instead of offset printing for full-color printing on visual content that will give these boxes an identity. It will assist the customers in remembering the brand or the product when they spot it next time.
3. Matte looks are applied to these boxes for a more sophisticated appeal using the matte lamination option. It helps add another layer of security to the box and makes the printed colors appear richer on the box surface. The lamination on boxes also keeps the printed content from smudging and scratching.

A few companies do not change their artwork for shipping and retail options. They use the same content for composing their subscription boxes to surprise their recipient and gain their attention.

B. Make the Most of Your Product Looks

When a product itself is attractive, it pays off to display it on the retail shelves and online shopping platforms. Some products have a demand in the markets because of their appeals. Let us take the example of toys like dolls. The dolls are often displayed in boxes with minimal design content. All visual content of these packaging boxes is focused on brand identity elements, including brand symbols, brand name, etc. The appropriate questions to ask include;

1. Is the product attractive enough to display?
2. Which are the packaging options that allow product display?
3. Does the selected product packaging bar the product display?

When displaying the product to the audience in actual shops and retails, it is essential to provide foolproof, which will protect them from getting damaged due to moisture, dust, human touch, etc. When collecting images for online selling platforms, selecting professional photographers always pays off to capture images of the products packaged in the boxes. This way, the customers know exactly how the products look.

Product Display via Window-Patching

The option that allows a safe and secure display of products inside the boxes is window-patching. It is a technical term given to a custom-shaped window designed in any box panel so that the target demographic can peek inside the box. When selecting this option, those box styles and layouts are chosen that do not mar or restrict the look of these windows. It is noteworthy that these custom-shaped windows come with a transparent sheet of plastic. The strength of the plastic sheet used is mainly dependent on the size of the window. The larger it is, the stronger will be the plastic sheet. The fragility of the products also affects the window and other factors like client preferences.

Those with a clean front panel are selected when selecting the box layouts. Because of this reason, most clients prefer the reverse tuck end boxes for their products. The folding flaps of these boxes come together so that the front panel is free from flaps and is perfect for product display using window-patching. Other than toys, several items are packaged in these boxes, including; candies and sweets, computer and mobile accessories, wallets and keychains, stationery items, soaps, bath bombs, candles, body butter, and creams cosmetic items, makeup tools, etc. Using this option reduces the cost of designing and the material used for box composition.

C. Make the Inside Matter

Ours is an era of capturing the audience’s attention and offering them more than expected. A small surprise in the packaging box can compel the customers to select a product from several alternates and substitutes available at the retails. One great way to add attraction, surprise, and worth to retail packaging is opting for inner box printing. Different printing techniques enable this printing, namely;

• Offset printing
• Digital printing
• Screen printing, etc.

As the custom cardboard boxes are print-friendly, this task is not impossible. Some people believe that the cost for inside printing is very hefty. They would be surprised to know that the overall cost for double-sided printing of a box increases only by five to ten percent of the production cost, which most small and medium business entities find economical. The modern retail couture revolves around popular trends much like anything else. Unboxing plays a crucial role in perceiving a brand and its offerings. Printed retail boxes with inner printed sides tell a story of their own to alleviate any product to the next level and help it become a trend on social media platforms.

Box Inside Printing

The inside box printing is inspired by the themes selected for brands. Sometimes, the clients choose the same artwork as the box exterior but go for monochrome or selected-color printing instead of full-color printing inside. The clients choose only their signature color to add color inside their packaging boxes on other occasions. However, there are creative ways to use the inside printing option, which include;

• Adding a small seasonal greeting note with a new variant or product launch. This text is highlighted using the extravagant add-ons used in printing like Spot UV, Spot colors, etc. Some companies print a message for their niche markets utilizing this option in their luxurious custom cardboard packaging boxes.

• This space’s artwork can also include an image-based list of ingredients (in the case of food items), printed doodles explaining the product use, application time, duration, and amount (in skincare products). It can also include information about crucial issues like cancer awareness, self-examination, and support platforms on feminine products’ box packaging. Information like this is critical to saving the lives of hundreds.

The more mindful a brand is about its inner packaging, the more it can offer its clients and gain returns.

D. Revamp Existing Custom Retail Boxes

According to various events and occasions, not all business entities can afford new packaging artwork. There are countless international events when the sales for most brands get a boost. Some of these events include;

1. Christmas
2. Hanukah
3. Eid
4. Diwali
5. Valentine’s Day
6. Mother’s Day
7. Father’s Day
8. New year, etc.

All these events are celebrated globally and bring a global economic business activity surge. The brands customize their packaging according to these events to offer them the perfect gifts for the target demographic. It spares them from the hassles of getting gifts wrapped up and impeccably presenting the recipients’ products. But they can invest in custom printed sleeves that go around the packaging boxes. These custom sleeves wrap the boxes from all sides and are available in custom shapes and sizes. Certain brands use these sleeves to mark their existing packaging for discounts during the sale season. They use a specific color like red in custom printed sleeves to wrap the items at a discount. This way, they become easy to spot and identify. Clients can store these sleeves for use during the next season’s sales.

Read About: The Untold Advantage of Using Custom Sleeve Boxes

Add Attraction in Layers

Custom printed sleeves help add a layer of color and artwork to the packaging boxes. There are several ways to use this cost-efficient tool;

1. Give these printed sleeves full-color visual content using printing techniques. Sometimes the seasoned packaging companies add popping colors to these sleeves that contrast with their boxes to add to their appeals. In other cases, they introduce more than one color using more than one sleeve. For example, the warranty might be in red and storage instructions might be printed on purple sleeves on a Kraft retail box.
2. Some companies use the custom printed sleeves as a locking tool as their retail boxes do not have opening and closing mechanisms. It helps protect the products from falling from slipping from the boxes and keeps the boxes from opening up. Clients can easily add it to existing boxes that are in dire need of sealing to secure the packaged products inside.
3. These sleeves are incredibly reliable when there is a revision in taxes or prices against the products. The new breakup of prices and a declaration can be printed on them in the dimensions of existing packaging boxes so that brands can upgrade them.

E. Reduce the Additional Costs

1. Packaging of products is carried out so that the products can reach their destinations safely. However, we often fail to register that shipping the packaging boxes and options to the clients is also a cost that can be controlled using various ways to bring down the overall cost of the process. Shipping rates change according to the products’ space, weight, and location. As a solution to this problem, the packaging options must be space-efficient. This attribute is beneficial for the clients, and they will be able to store it conveniently. The lighter this packaging is, the lesser the cost incurred in shipping it.
2. One more factor that affects packaging cost is the labor cost of products. Sometimes the packaging boxes are so intricate that their development and perfect composition require labor expertise. It is especially true for the meticulously crafted custom rigid boxes, which may need manual work when pasting pearls, buttons, and other accessories to beautify the package. These boxes are not space-efficient and must be delivered to the client in an assembled form, adding to the shipping cost. However, if the clients select collapsible boxes that are space-efficient, it will decrease the shipping cost. It will also reduce the labor cost of the project.
3. To reduce the weight of the shipping packages, the void fillers like peanuts and other heavier protection materials add to the weight of these boxes and affect the cost adversely. The intelligent packaging companies leave no stone unturned in composing their packaging boxes according to the accurate dimension of the products so that clients can avoid using fillers can be avoided. However, if it is a requirement in some cases, they use tissue paper or recycled cardboard shreds, which are weightless.

The Art of Multi-Tasking

There is nothing more satisfying than mastering the art of multi-tasking, even in the world of retail and printing. The tools like;

1. Custom printed stickers
2. Custom printed labels

are easy to print. Instead of using offset printing techniques, digital printing is available for these tools to personalize these stickers and labels according to packaging needs and client preferences.

There is more than one way to use these tools to save costs and reduce the printing and packaging order prices. The companies can print their ingredient list, brand name, logo, and other details on these labels to use them on the packaging or retail box of any SKU size. They can even use these labels on set-up boxes to personalize them. The custom printed stickers are another great tool usable as locking mechanisms and personalization tools on boxes.

Conclusion

This article highlights the elements that can add to the packaging costs, including redundancy that can get in the way of cost-effective tasks. These elements will help understand their complexity and how they cause hikes in the order prices. Sorting this out will help the companies better understand how to refer to these issues and control the expenses.

Also Read About: How Does Color Matching In Printing Work

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Also Read About: Top Benefits of Buying Customized Sleeve Boxes