(Akiit.com) Remarkably, while it’s the first tangible item ecommerce customers see, it’s one of the last things to which many retailers give thought.
Here’s how proper packaging improves customer satisfaction.
First and foremost, good packaging prevents damage. “Arrived broken” is one of the most frequently cited reasons for returns in ecommerce. Shipping experts say the package you choose to ship your products should be capable of surviving a drop from at least four feet without disturbing its contents.
When you think about everything a parcel goes through on its way to your customer this makes sense. It’ll be shuttled on conveyor belts, tossed into cargo holds, buried underneath other boxes and driven over bumpy roads in the back of a delivery van. It can be a torturous experience.
Of course if you’re dealing with soft goods like clothing, this isn’t such a big deal. But of you’re dealing with anything relatively fragile, you’ll have to make sure the exterior of the package is as robust as possible and provide sufficient cushioning inside to isolate the product from impacts. Furthermore, the type of tape you use to seal the container must withstand the rigors of shipment just as readily as the packaging. After all, you can have the strongest box ever crafted, but if you use weak tape to seal it—you’re spinning your wheels. For hard-wearing boxes that look good too, you could try Packwire custom box supplier. Here you can create your own custom boxes so they are the size and shape to suit you and personalize them so they carry your own brand too!
Another concern when considering shipping as part of how to make an ecommerce website is the nature of the weather the package will encounter as the product is in transit. In this regard, you must make sure your packaging will secure items against wetness.
Your packaging must also be easy to reuse if the customer should ever need to return the item, both for their convenience and to position you as a retailer concerned about preserving the environment. Meanwhile, all of the above must be balanced against the overall weight of the package to keep shipping costs as low as possible.
While we’re on the subject of waste, customers also tend to view overly large boxes with disfavor. Shipping a teacup in a package the size of a hatbox filled with Styrofoam peanuts for cushioning gives your customers a negative perception. It says the way you do business is wasteful. Which, in turn, makes them wonder if maybe your competitors operate more efficiently and have better prices.
With all of that said, the esthetics of your packaging make an impression as well. If you’re marketing yourself as a purveyor of fine luxury goods, your internal packaging—the materials that actually come into contact with the item—should convey an upscale image. This generally means sumptuous materials in deeply saturated colors.
The product should also be placed carefully so when the outer packaging is opened, the aura of luxury associated with the good is readily conveyed. As an example, clothing should be wrapped so it’s still nicely folded when it is opened, You want your customer’s first impression to be, “Wow, this is nice!” Remember, luxury shoppers are buying the experience just as much as they are the good.
It is very difficult to overstate how proper packaging improves customer satisfaction. You have to give just as much consideration to the presentation of the item when it is opened as you do to making sure it survives to get to there in the first place. To further help you in these efforts, UPS, FedEx and the Post Office offer guidelines to ensure your products always arrive in good condition.
Staff Writer; Jerry Long