The Mindful Pack

With the passage of time, the world is getting more contaminated with the amount of wastes produced as a result of manufacturing and packaging. Packaging waste, in particular, has become a real threat in recent times because packaging materials become useless the products and items are unboxed at the consumers’ ends. Good news is that the manufacturers are working on the ways to reduce packaging wastes by using different methods. This is mainly due to the fact that customers are being educated about the impact of packaging waste on earth.

Responsible packaging era

What’s more exciting is that companies are striving to produce sustainable and eco-friendly packaging materials. The packaging process now aims at reducing the impact of packaging materials on environment.

Customers also seem to be willing to not compromise over packaging which is beneficial for the environment. This is the reason that they are shifting to the brands which use sustainable and eco-friendly options while packaging their products. If you have been thinking about switching to the companies that use sustainable packaging options, this time is the right time to do so.

Sustainable packaging options

Sustainable packaging doesn’t refer to one type of packaging. It involves use of several methods and materials to make the final packaging sustainable. As a matter of fact, the possibilities are endless. A few sustainable packaging options are worth mentioning in this regard.

The amount of plastic we now have in the world is already playing major role in the contamination of environment. In this scenario, it gets really important to deal with this plastic. The best option is to recycle the plastic and make it usable again. The benefit of recycling is that it eliminates the need of production of more plastic. Moreover, there are several ways to make the recycled plastic a better option for the customers from the perspective of its usability after the product has been used up.

Another packaging option is the use of sugarcane polyethylene. This material has low carbon footprint. This material also has same characteristics which are found in HDPE. The biggest benefit of sugarcane polyethylene is that it helps in the development of plastic bottles and containers that are completely recyclable.

Shipping boxes are built to handle long distance travel. It’s their job, after all. But do you know the different things to consider when choosing a box for the item you wish to ship?

Check out our quick tips below.

Capacity

This will be the first (and most important) thing you’ll think to check when choosing the box you’ll be shipping your item in. The size and capacity of the box is, obviously, most important because your item has to fit in it. The thing is, a lot of the time people will choose something far too large or a bit small, which crams the item.

The best rule of thumb is to choose a box that will allow a few inches of space on each side of your item. “But it’ll be loose and get jarred around,” you may say. Well, yes. But you’ll be putting packing material around the item anyway to ensure it arrives in one piece, right? Right?

So, don’t just go in blind and choose your shipping boxes at random. Bring your item along and place it in the various sized boxes. Or at the very least, measure your item beforehand and bring along your tape measure to compare it to the box.

Strength.

Most cardboard is corrugated, which means it’s strong enough to withstand the shifting and bumping around any item would endure during travel. However, some boxes are made to be sturdier, stronger, and better able to withstand a beating. If you’re worried that your item is heavy enough to cave through the bottom of a box, do some research on heavier grade cardboard beforehand. This shouldn’t be a problem in the first place if you’re mindful of shipping relatively reasonable weight items anyway. (However, I did once see someone ship a restaurant grill at my local shipping store . . .)

It goes without saying that a sturdier box will mean your item has more protection, too, so think about that as well.

Price.

Gift giving should mostly be second nature by the time you’re an adult, right?

Well, it’s still one of those things a lot of people get anxious about or worry if they’re giving a subpar gift. But gift giving is supposed to be a process that makes you feel good, not crumby. Take these three tips into account and you’ll be off to a stellar start to your holidays this year.

Make it genuine.

Let me start off by saying gift cards can still be genuine gifts. There’s a big “if” to that statement though: make sure the place you’re buying the gift card to is somewhere that your recipient often shops at or eats at. If you just plan on plucking out a random gift card last minute at your local store, you should just save yourself the time, money, and embarrassment of not trying. Genuine gifts mean you tried to really think about something your loved one or friend could use or enjoy.

Take your time on the presentation.

Wrap it and make the presentation nice. If you’re opting for a gift bag, at least take the time to get nice tissue paper as filler. Essentially, show you cared enough to take your time with the entire gift. It’s generally better to wrap your gifts in boxes, such as shipping boxes, to make the whole unwrapping experience “exciting.” But if you don’t have extra shipping boxes lying around, it’s fine to go for the gift bag so long as you try to spice it up.

Budget gift giving doesn’t mean bad quality.

“Cheap” has a lot of meanings to a lot of people. Of course we all want to save money on pretty much everything we do. But when it comes to giving your family and friends gifts, you don’t have to be cheap about it. Be budget friendly. Look for deals. But don’t opt for a very low quality item just because you wanted to save money. If you don’t have the money to get a decent gift, spend your time crafting one instead.

Remember, just think about something your recipient would actually use, show you cared in the presentation of the gift, and think about quality (the item itself) over quantity (the amount you saved on buying the gift). So long as you gave a solid attempt, your family, friends, and loved ones will appreciate the gift, no matter what it is.

As any business should want to do, retaining customers is an incredibly valuable thing to a company. It’s far easier to get a former customer to return than it is to attract new customers. But creating a sense of loyalty among your customers sounds a bit tough, doesn’t it?

Well, it’s easier than you think for your business: just add inserts to each package.

What’s an insert?

Packaging inserts are usually small, cheap items that accompany the product your customer ordered in the shiPPing Boxes. Often they include promotions, discounts, handwritten thank yous, or other freebies that your customers may not expect.

What should you include?

A common insert is discounts. Your customer will not only feel great for purchasing the first item but also be excited to use their discount on another of your products. Sounds like a solid way to get them to come back, doesn’t it?

Another popular thing to include in packages is a handwritten note. Customers love personalized things. By writing their name and something about their product or your appreciation for their loyalty, they feel like you took the extra time to care about them. These sorts of notes go a long way in retaining your customer base.

Other cheap, random items seem to work well, too. Whether it’s candy, trinkets, or merch for your company, people appreciate unexpected things.

Why does it work?

Plain and simple, people love unexpected free things. They’re happy enough to receive the product they ordered, but when something else comes in the shipping box with it they feel even more special.

Think about the last time you ordered an item online. When it was delivered to your house, did you get excited about it? While you likely were glad to receive your product, there wasn’t a sense of wonder as to what was in the box.

But if that company had previously given you discounts or free things that you didn’t expect, what would your experience be like afterwards? You’d look forward to more free things, more personalized notes, and more discounts for future purchases. Before you know it, you’d be buying something else from their site because you wanted to use your discount and get more in your next package.

When it comes to successful ecommerce companies, they make the most of their packaging to drive better customer loyalty.

So really, why wouldn’t you? It costs you almost nothing and gains you a slew of returning customers.