Frustration-free packaging: top peeves to avoid

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Smart, visually-appealing packaging helps impress customers and enhance their experience with your brand. There are some aspects of packaging however that can cause frustration and harm your reputation.

Below we look at some common packaging peeves and how to avoid them.

Excessive packaging

Have you ever received an item in packaging far too big for its contents? You’re not alone.

A survey by Clouder has found that 72% of respondents think retailers use too much transit packaging and 66% admit they received an over-packaged order more than once in the past year.

Excessive packaging can be a nuisance to get rid of and creates unnecessary waste that may have a negative impact on your brand.

Recent YouGov research indicates British consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about environmental issues and want packaging that is easily recyclable and made from recyclable materials.

Using only as much packaging as necessary will help you avoid unhappy customers, save on packaging materials and improve your green credentials. Your parcels will look smarter too, making them more enjoyable to open!

Too much packing material

Similarly, over-cushioning is another frequent mistake retailers make. Common sense dictates the more in-fill material you use (bubble wrap, air bags, packing peanuts, etc), the more secure your parcels are, but this is not always the case.

Overfilled packages can burst in transit causing damage to the contents, resulting in returns and unhappy customers.

54% of participants in the Clouder research believed retailers overuse protective packaging for online orders whereas nearly 60% felt excessive packaging made their parcels difficult to open on more than one occasion last year.

Struggling with difficult packaging can be frustrating so ensure your parcels are easy to open. Packaging solutions such as easy-open tear strips can be incorporated in your box design and are perfect for ensuring your parcels are simple, quick and hassle-free to open!

Delayed product despatch

Customers are more demanding than ever, especially when it comes to product delivery.

Fast packaging operation can help prevent backlog and ensure your products arrive with customers when expected. There is a number of semi and fully automated packaging solutions available that can help, including automatic tape dispensers, auto bagging and auto boxing machines.

Boxes with a crash-lock base are simple and quick to erect which helps speed up your packing lines, so consider reviewing your existing box range.

If you would like to find out more about increasing your packing speed or discuss alternative packaging solutions with one of our packaging experts, please contact Macfarlane Packaging today: https://macfarlanepackaging.com/contact/

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References

Seven in ten consumers think retailers waste too much packaging with online orders: https://engagecustomer.com/seven-ten-consumers-think-retailers-waste-much-packaging-online-orders/

More than half* of consumers would be willing to pay more for recyclable packaging: https://www.veolia.co.uk/media/media/more-half-consumers-would-be-willing-pay-more-recyclable-packaging