The right type of packaging can make or break your businesses delivery strategy. Investing in a box making machine will help to reduce your return rates by creating custom cardboard boxes on demand, which means you never have to send a poorly-packed parcel again.
With the rise of the next day delivery service comes a new packaging struggle for ecommerce companies who must turnaround orders at lightening rates to keep customers satisfied. This super fast service can have a detrimental effect on the actual quality of packaging that the customer receives, as boxes are quickly grabbed and items are stuffed in with excessive void filler added for protection. Without giving packaging the proper attention it requires, items inside can easily become damaged which results in unhappy customers who want to make a return.
With the rise of the next day delivery service comes a new packaging struggle for ecommerce companies who must turnaround orders at lightening rates to keep customers satisfied. This super fast service can have a detrimental effect on the actual quality of packaging that the customer receives, as boxes are quickly grabbed and items are stuffed in with excessive void filler added for protection. Without giving packaging the proper attention it requires, items inside can easily become damaged which results in unhappy customers who want to make a return.
Case Study: Shop Direct (Littlewoods.com & Very.com)
Shop Direct had been suffering from item returns due to damage in transit and wanted a packaging solution to prevent this from happening. Shop Direct came to us at BCS and we recommended the BCS Box Making System which would create custom cardboard boxes and minimise the risk of damage.
How? Producing bespoke boxes means that there is always the right size box available so there is never any need to send items in an oversize box. Oversize boxes have been an issue for large companies like Amazon in the past, as they have orders to quickly fulfil and don’t always have the right size box available. Not only does this annoy customers, as they have to dispose of the packaging, but oversize boxes give the items inside more room to move about in. During transit, this movement can be too much for the items inside which crash against the sides and ultimately break, which will require replacing once received.
Since setting up their box making machine from BCS, Shop Direct have seen savings in excess of 30%. These savings have been realised from reduced bulk buying box costs and fewer returns due to damage in transit.
How You Can Reduce Return Rates
Returns can be costly for businesses, particularly if this is happening on a regular basis, so fixing the issue from the first step will help your business save money. Follow our do’s and don’ts to ensure your packaging never makes a customer want to return an item
Dont: Reuse Old Cardboard Boxes
Void fill can take many forms, including plastic packaging peanuts, air pillows and the traditional paper or bubble wrap. Void fillers are used to minimise the space in the box, but there is no need to if the right size box is chosen in the first place. Plastic void fillers are more difficult to recycle and can also be quite expensive to buy, so using less will save you money.
Do: Choose the Right Size Box
Choosing the right size box means your item has less space to move around in and therefore less chance of becoming damaged in transit. Remember: the smaller the box, the better condition it is likely to arrive in.
