Packaging tips for small businesses

No matter how well your products are made, ensuring they are delivered on time and in excellent condition throughout the entire shipping process has always been a challenge for new businesses to get to grips with. It’s important to remember that first impressions always count – if your product arrives damaged or the packaging is even dented, the likelihood of a customer returning to your business again is very low.

Although our professional couriers are specially trained in the safe handling of goods, it’s still essential that whenever you send a parcel it’s packaged well every time. The good news is that with careful planning, research, and customer feedback, you can quickly overcome these issues and your products can be delivered on time and in one piece, every time with the right packaging.

Here at Priority Express, we have come up with plenty of packaging solutions and fundamental tips that every business should know.

Consider the Weight of your Products

The first place to start with is considering the weight of your products – are they on the larger scale and therefore need extra strength and durability for packaging or are they on the smaller side? The reason why this is so important is because under-filled boxes will collapse easily, and over-filled boxes are more likely to burst during shipment– resulting in your products either being damaged or broken completely.

To prevent this from happening, think carefully about the quality of your packaging boxes, as you will need rigid boxes that can securely hold the weight of your products whilst out for delivery.

Size and Shape

Now that you’ve got to grips with the weight of your products, you can now choose the ideal size and shape for your packaging. It’s important to remember that the package contents should not touch the outer wall of the box to prevent it from being damaged if it gets knocked at all. Oddly shaped or rounded items might require extra thought for sensible packaging solutions.

Consider the Package Contents

Whilst we offer tailored delivery services for items that require special delivery requirements, it’s equally as important that you ensure you have packaged these products extra carefully. If you’re shipping liquids, chemicals, or powders, then these items will require special packaging materials and packing techniques to ensure that they are safe and secure.

Find out more about our special delivery services here.

Choose A Suitable Material

When it comes to choosing the right packaging materials for your products, there are several things that you will need to consider:

• Try to use high quality corrugated cardboard boxes for parcels, as these are made up of multiple layers of materials to provide the strength needed to transport items.

• Fragile or heavier items – we would highly recommend using double-wall or tri-wall constructions for extra strength and protection

• Never re-use old boxes – although this might be better for the environment, used boxes won’t be able to hold the weight of heavier items and are likely to collapse altogether.

• Check the manufacturer stamp – this will tell you information about the construction type and strength of the packaging box

• Consider Sustainable Packaging Materials – not only will this have a positive effect on the environment, but it will also provide your products with a USP to stand out from competitors.

Extra Care for Fragile or Perishable Goods

When shipping fragile items, extra protection is required to ensure that these packages are delivered in one piece to the customer. Here at Priority Express, we offer special packaging from Cullen, which is dedicated for shipping liquids such as wine, cider, beer and much more. Manufactured using 100% recycled paper, this strong and sustainable packaging for the food & drink industry is recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable.

We have tried and tested this packaging extensively, including drop test and test shipments round the various carrier’s conveyor belt systems, and both have produced excellent results. In fact, one of our customers has been using this packaging for nearly 6 months and has a damaged rate of just 0.001%.

The specialist packaging costs £3.15 + VAT per box and includes a double walled outer box with multi-layer pulp inserts. There is a minimum quantity of 25. Contact us today to find out more.

Use Good-Quality Seals

Often overlooked but still just as important, high quality seals are a must to ensure complete protection of your packages during delivery. Generally, we recommend trying to avoid using the below type of seals:

• Kraft paper tape

• Cellophane tape

• Masking tape

• String/rope

Instead, we recommend opting for stronger and more durable pressure sensitive tapes, such as:

• Polypropylene tape (brown plastic tape)

• Vinyl adhesive tape (electrical tape)

• Fiber-reinforced paper tape (duct tape)

Double-Check Item Regulations

Another important factor to consider is that perishable or fragile items are more likely to have stricter and increased regulations to follow. Before you consider packing these items, make sure that you do your research and understand the exact packaging requirements to avoid any issues during the shipment process.

Include Special Handling Label

When handling fragile or heavier items, we would highly recommend using handling instruction labels on the packaging. Although every care will be taken to deliver your delivery safely by our drivers, special handling labels will ensure that your parcels are handled and stored correctly during transit.

Packaging Techniques

At Priority Express, we will always try our best to ensure your packages are both delivered on time and in excellent condition. However, it is still the responsibility of the sender to ensure that items have been packaged well. Here are a few packaging techniques that we recommend following:

Leave No Empty Space

To prevent the contents of your packaging from moving during the delivery, we suggest using void fillers, which are designed to fill any gaps within boxes with cushioning foam. Choose materials that are strong enough to support your items, without allowing them to sink under the weight of them.

Keep A 6cm Distance

Remember to keep at least a 6cm distance between the item and the edge of your packaging. As accidents happen, doing this will prevent your products from being damaged if the box happens to be crushed or dropped by accident at all.

Seal with an H

Not only is the type of seal tape you use important, but how you use it will also make a big difference to the overall quality of your packaging. To prevent your items from bursting out of the box or the box itself undoing, we would highly recommend using the proper sealing technique, where you have a H pattern on the top and bottom of your packaging boxes.

Wrap Items Individually and Use Dividers

If you’re hoping to ship multiple items in one parcel, then it’s important to wrap each item individually or use cardboard dividers. Not only will this help avoid damage caused by other items during the shipping process, but it will also keep smaller items together easily.

Choose the Right Courier

Finding a reliable courier makes things a lot easier for small businesses. Here at Priority Express, we are proud to offer competitive courier rates and never compromise on the level of service that we provide.

If you still need help and advice for finding the right packaging, then get in touch with our local customer services team that are on-hand 24-7.