How To Pack On A Budget
For a business just starting out, discovering exactly where you can utilize effective packaging is the first step in running a successful business. So learning how to pack on a budget can not only help your business control costs now, but avoids the need to make major changes as your business grows.
So let’s look at 4 ways you can learn how to pack on a budget:
1: Review Your Box Style
With a vast range of packaging solutions readily available in the market these days, deciding which option works best for your products can be overwhelming and confusing at times. However to make it easy, try to consider what exactly you need the box for?
If you plan on sending your product via the Royal Mail, the best solution is often a postal box. Made from high-quality recycled cardboard with multilayered front and sides, these are a study solution for items traveling through multiple touch points. However for a business looking to enhance the exposure of a product within a shop for instance, consider using solid board packaging as an option. Often cheaper and thinner than corrugated cardboard, the neat tuck in lid and base design makes packaging more presentable and relevant to the retail environment.
Still undecided about what style box best suits your product? With over 50 box styles available from the federation of board manufactures (FEFCO), the standard 0201 with flaps on the top and bottom is an option most people tend to start with, before they familiarize themselves with the other styles available. For sturdier sides, creased lids or locking tabs, consider box style 0427, ideal as a large letter or small parcel box (depending on the measurements). Alternatively discuss with your packaging distributor, show them an image or a drawing of the style that interests you and take it from there!
2: Your Inner Packaging Options
If you want to start saving more on your packaging supplies, consider switching to air cushion packaging…
With air packaging film taking up much less physical space than bubble wrap and polystyrene chips you instantly free up room to be more productive. And with the added benefit of perforated lines between each film, this will definitely quicken the dispatch process and present a neater packaging station.
Asides up to a 50% cost saving in the first year alone, air cushion packaging works well for businesses looking to protect delicate items during transit as it saves the hassle of storing different packaging options. This is as most air cushioning machines are designed to produce different quilt options. So for a business currently using paper or foam, supplementing your current protective option for air packaging is easier than you think.
However if you’re in the business of distributing more valuable items, the extra expense for inner packaging options is cost effective if it prevents a bigger cost of replacing the damaged item. And with that consider more product specific inner packaging options such as foam lined boxes, Instapack foam or something more practical like a reliable courier or transit monitors to help mitigate the cost of high inner packaging options.
3: Your Posting Class
On that note of couriers, if you are currently using Royal Mail as a service provider, taking the time to fully understand the rules surrounding what is considered a large letter or small parcel is invaluable. This will quickly help you identify where parcel sizes can be better utilised.
After the Royal Mail changed the rules surrounding what is considered a small parcel in 2013, a rule of thumb to remember is if your package can fit through a letter or post box with little assistance, this can be classified within the ‘large letter’ category. The next size up is 450 x 350 x 160mm, which is classed as a ‘small parcel’, which can still save you a considerable amount compared to the next banding of ‘medium parcel’ – more info here! So consider how you are sending your parcels and check if they are being sent in the right size postal category.
To help your business control costs even further, try switching postal class from ‘2nd class Signed For’ to ‘1st class’ this exchanges the assurance of a signature for a faster speed of delivery.
For more cost effective ways to save on packaging consider the econoRange, providing an assortment of packaging essentials at excellent prices!
4: Other Packaging Options
The econoRANGE was introduced to support new businesses get off the ground, by helping businesses control their packaging expense without losing out on quantity discounts. So with over 10 lines introduced to help small businesses save on packaging essentials, be sure to shop around for more cost effective alternatives before starting with a premium version which may be over specified for its purpose.
To pack on a budget take full advantage of what is currently available off the shelf before committing to bespoke options. Adjustable boxes for instance are multipurpose by nature as their varied heights means the box can be cut down to suit the contents being packed, while the excess flaps just fold over to seal the box. So regardless of contents the box can be used to pack multiple items without wasting packaging or storing different sized boxes in your dispatch area.
That being said, be sure to check that you are using the right box strength. Simply put don’t over specify! With a weight capacity of up to 10kg UDL for a single wall, you can really save your business cost by using the right box strength. If you’re sending a light product through transit, consider using a single wall box instead of a double or even triple wall box!
Sarah Hickson
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