Thinking carefully about packaging design is essential. This applies not only to product packaging, but also to a shipping box. The design of a shipping box can also help with more efficient business operations. In this article, we discuss how you can save costs with the packaging design of a shipping box.
As a specialist in packaging design, we try to be as creative as possible with demand. An important part of the research before we get started is thinking about packaging that is as smart as possible. Parcel deliverers, for example, are increasingly busy. Their income is under pressure. In order to still earn a normal living, they make as many stops as possible in a day to deliver as many packages as possible. Of course, it's ridiculous that they don't earn enough money when they work at a normal pace. We may have to accept that we will have to pay a little more for good delivery, and the major mail deliverers should be more careful about accepting orders. The result is that, as packaging designers, we increasingly have to take logistics into account. So how can we ensure that the mail delivery person has an easy time, that as many packages as possible fit in his bus and that the contents arrive undamaged.
First, you can think about what goes in a box. Think, for example, of a nice package that contains a phone, charger, beautiful booklet in an inlaid plastic. Because there is so much in it, the box is already larger than necessary. We may be able to cleverly integrate the 'bed' where the phone goes into the cardboard and you have to ask yourself whether a nice booklet should be included if this is also possible online. Apple has even gone one step further. They also no longer include a charger. This allows the box to be even smaller and flatter. The argument is that everyone already has multiple chargers. That may be true, but what you won't hear anyone about is that Apple has undoubtedly calculated storage and shipping costs. Remember that if a box is 5 cm thick instead of 10 cm thick, you can suddenly put twice as many boxes in a container or storage space.
Secondly, you can think about the shape when designing packaging. In the past, for example, posters were often delivered in a round tube. Handy, because when rolled up, a poster is the least damaged. However, this is not so convenient for a package delivery person. A round tube will fall over quickly and will roll through the bus. PostNL would therefore prefer not to have tubes. Product packaging with round shapes also takes up more space in outer packaging. However, this can be another choice for distinctiveness. But in that case, you will therefore opt for higher shipping costs. Simply because fewer products can be shipped at the same time. Smart use of the shape of packaging can therefore make a huge difference in total shipping costs. Less' air 'in a package, better fit so you can stack easily. You name it.
As you can imagine, a heavier package costs more than a lighter package. The shipping box also plays a role in this. Because a large cardboard box can weigh quite a bit. So when designing a shipping box, you can also take the material into account. How is something shipped. What is the best material.
In this case, by smart design, we mean that what we show on the outside of a shipping box can influence how people handle the package. A good example is what Van Moof cycling has done in the United States. Van Moof had to deal with many damaged bicycles upon arrival at the customer. They found that the carriers were not very economical with their packages. No less than 60% of the bikes shipped arrived with damage. Even with fragile stickers, it didn't work. A smart guy came up with the idea of placing a picture of a screen on the outside. The result was that the claims fell to 10%. Huge cost savings by using packaging smartly!
