Five reasons retail businesses should use safe and appropriate product packaging
Retail businesses are adjusting to the changes in how customers shop.
While many physical shops are open for business, more and more people purchase online. This means stores should be able to ship out the products to the customers safely.
Many buyers are disappointed with how their orders arrive at their doorstep damaged.
The same goes for resellers who buy bulk orders. If improper and unsafe packaging is used, it can lead to severe losses for businesses. It’s also a waste of time to order again and wait for wholesale businesses to process the order.
Because of this, there’s an urgent need for proper packaging that can properly protect products from the seller to the buyer. Read below to better understand why businesses must invest in this.
1. To protect people from dangerous products
With so many kinds of products out there, different types of packaging should also be available for their specific needs such as FIBC bags and others. For most items, boxes, paper bags, and packing peanuts will do. But these basic packaging materials just won’t do for dangerous items.
It’s best to determine the class of these dangerous goods. There are nine classes as shown below:
· Class 1 – explosives
· Class 2 – flammable gases
· Class 3 – flammable liquids
· Class 4 – flammable solids
· Class 5 – oxidizers or organic peroxides
· Class 6 – toxic substances or infectious substances
· Class 7 – radioactive materials
· Class 8 – corrosives
· Class 9 – miscellaneous dangerous goods (e.g., dry ice, blue asbestos, lithium metal batteries, etc.)
Based on the classifications above, one can imagine how poor packaging can lead to severe accidents and even casualties.
For instance, classes 1, 2, 3, and 4 in flammable packaging could lead to explosions and fires. To avoid this, it’s essential to use safe packaging to reduce or prevent any possibilities of the goods going off.
2. To ensure the items aren’t damaged
Another reason why it’s essential to use safe packaging is to ensure the goods aren’t damaged. Things like glassware, technological devices, and more can easily be damaged if they’re not wrapped with packaging that can absorb force from the impact.
During transportation, packages might be roughly handled and shaken around. Also, other items might be stacked above them. It’s not only important to use protective packaging like bubble wrap, but it’s also important to use techniques like double-boxing to make sure the items are completely safe.
3. To reduce losses
When items are damaged, it can lead to losses for the sender and the receiver. For business owners, protecting the products to make it through shipping is part of their responsibility.
This is because there’s no way to guarantee that the goods are correctly handled once they hand it over for delivery. Therefore, the best they could do is make sure they use the right packaging to protect the goods thoroughly.
If the items are damaged when they reach the recipient, they’ll likely ask for a refund or replacement. This means the company will incur losses from the damaged goods and the replacement products. And it’s also common for them to pay for the shipping again.
As for the receivers of the goods, it’s a waste of time, especially if they’re also resellers or businesses relying on the safe and timely delivery of goods.
4. To establish branding
Using safe and appropriate packaging is also terrific for branding because it can reflect positively on your company.
It shows that the brand is careful with its customers. If customer care is something that a brand heavily centres on, it’s possible for poor packaging to ruin this message.
Unfortunately, being unable to follow through on a brand's values can reflect poorly on the services of an entire company. Therefore, it’s crucial to prioritise every step, including choosing the proper packaging.
Moreover, packaging can also be made to look unique to a specific company. With labeling and design, it’s easy to achieve a recognizable package in comparison to others.
5. To help gain the trust of customers
As mentioned, poor packaging can affect branding and how customers see the entire company.
Because of this, it can affect whether the customer will choose to do business with you again in the future. If the items are damaged or poorly packaged, it can be a huge turn off with customers.
Moreover, it can also affect how they rate and review the products and the entire brand. In this day and age, many people rely on ratings and reviews from actual customers to see whether they should make their purchase.
With poor reviews due to packaging, sales can dwindle. This can be devastating for a retail company, especially if they don’t get it right the first time.
Because most customers won’t give companies a second chance if their first experience was bad, it’s vital to invest and be careful about the kind of packaging you use for your products. This way, the items as well as the customers’ trust won’t be damaged, and the entire business can thrive.
Comments about how great the packaging is and how careful a company is about sending out products can help them stand out.
It’s not only effective in attracting returning customers, but it also helps in gaining new ones to purchase goods. At the same time, it could even increase sales and get in the good graces of buyers.
Conclusion
Retail businesses rely on packaging to send out products to other companies or directly to homes.
However, specific packaging would be necessary to ensure the items are safe, depending on the nature of the products. Not only that, but safe packaging can also protect people from hazardous goods such as explosives.
But one of the best reasons to get safe and appropriate packaging is it’s an investment that can lead to significant returns. This is because it can help establish branding and gain people’s trust.
Therefore, it could help guarantee returning customers and positive reviews, which could pull in more possible buyers. Consider the ideas mentioned here as you utilise appropriate product packaging.
