3 Ways packaging supplies can save your business money

The cost of packaging supplies can often be overlooked, but it is crucial to businesses when shipping their products. 

Not only is it beneficial for your business to optimise packaging design to increase efficiency, but alternative packaging could aid in achieving your sustainability targets and decrease damages of products - all of which save your business money in the long term. 

Sometimes, companies will risk the protective qualities of material used in the packaging supplies to save money. 

However, there are several adjustments you can make to the packaging supplies you use that will improve efficiency and vastly cut down costs - without compromising on quality or protection. 

Here, we explore 3 ways packaging supplies can save your business money.

1. Protective packaging supplies can reduce returns

The primary goal of all packaging is to get the product safely and intact from A to B. If your business uses poor quality packaging supplies, or the wrong kind of protective packaging, it will end up costing your business more money in the long term. 

Damage to products in transit can actually end up costing your business in several ways - financially, and the reputation of your business will suffer too.

Let’s say a customer receives a product that has been damaged in transit. Your business will have already covered costs such and manufacturing, packaging, and shipping. 

When the customer chooses to return the damaged product, you’ll also be burdened with covering the cost of the return. 

Not only will your business be responsible for these sunk costs, but you may have jeopardised any relationship you had with the customer. They may choose to not buy from you again, instead purchasing from a competitor they can trust to deliver their products safely. 

By investing in high quality protective packaging supplies from the start, you can avoid harming your reputation, and instead offer a product delivery service that will minimise the number of returns, improve efficiency, and save your business money. 

Looking to find out what type of protective packaging is best for your business? Learn more in our recent protective packaging guide.

2. Optimising your packaging design saves money

When you really start to look at packaging design in detail, it’s a more complex subject than first thought. 

Packaging design doesn’t just consist of branding, logos, visual marketing and general appearance. 

Whilst these factors are obviously very important, it’s the structural design of your packaging that really makes the difference. 

To save money and become more efficient, you need to think about your current packaging design and ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you maximising packaging space?
  Are you using large boxes to ship fairly small products? You could be spending your money on shipping just air.
  
  When shipping goods, you’ll be charged for either the gross weight of your goods or the total volume  (how much space your product takes up) - whichever is larger. If you are using unnecessary amounts of packaging for your product, you are needlessly paying extra money for space you don’t need.
  
  Some of your products may actually be small enough to use corrugated envelopes or paper padded bags rather than small boxes, which can take up more space, and ultimately end up costing you more when shipping your products. 
• Would it be more cost effective to invest in bespoke packaging?
  If you need to ship a high-value or extremely sensitive product, perhaps you need a more personalised packaging solution.
  
  Not only does bespoke packaging give you the exact amount of packaging you need, but optimised packaging could increase the speed of packaging: saving your team man hours and helping your staff to allocate resources elsewhere. 
• Am I using the right materials for protection?
  Consider how the materials you use impact the weight of your package. Using alternative materials could make your package lighter, which can help you save on transport costs.
  
  There might be packaging options for lighter materials, which saves costs in shipping as well as being more sustainable.

A product that is protected by packaging that fits it perfectly is more likely to arrive in the immaculate condition the customer expects, which reduces the chance of the products being damaged and returned back to your business - ultimately costing you money and potentially losing a sale.

3. Gain new customers with green packaging

Following on from our previous point, optimising your product packaging can not only reduce costs by fitting your product perfectly, but can also help the environment by eliminating excess packaging. 

Green packaging has come a long way in the last few years. New products are constantly being produced that are more environmentally friendly. Often, a simple product swap can lessen your waste and reduce costs. 

As a certified B-Corp, green packaging solutions are especially important to us here at Swiftpak - and we know that a growing number of consumers care about the environment as much as we do. 

Consumers are more aware than ever of the damage excess plastic can do to the environment, and now expect brands to have an environmental conscience when it comes to their packaging options. 

With the upcoming plastic tax set to be introduced to the UK in April 2022, an increasing number of businesses are looking to make the switch to more sustainable options to avoid paying the fee. 

Additionally, from an ethical standpoint, your business is making a decision that benefits the environment while positively promoting your brands corporate responsibility - all of which improves your brand reputation amongst customers, and can attract new customers to shop with you.

Wholesale packaging supplies from Swiftpak

Here at Swiftpak, we believe that having a trusted packaging partner is the best way to ensure your valuable products are shipped safely and efficiently. We have over 40 years’ experience in the packaging industry, providing eco-friendly packaging supplies to businesses that protect their products and reduce costs. 

If you’d like to learn more about how we can help your business, contact our packaging experts at Swiftpak - we’d love to hear from you.