The E-commerce market is no longer reserved for only small, easy to ship items from Amazon and EBay. We often use terms like B2B (business to business), B2C (business to consumer) and C2C (consumer to consumer) when dealing with different types of end customers. It is important for all parties involved to understand these terms in order to better service and market your product.
The web comprised nearly 42% of the growth in the U.S. retail market last year. E-commerce represented 11.7% of total sales in 2016. Sales on the web reached $394.86 billion last year, a 15.6% increase compared with $341.70 billion in 2015.Therefore, it is not surprising that more and more companies are looking to the web to increase their sales and reach more potential customers.
The ripple effect in the packaging industry is enormous and most companies do not realize how significant the change is -until it is too late. Sometimes, all that is needed are minor modifications to the overall shipping procedure. An example of this might be changing from Business to Business (B2B) to Business to Customer (B2C), however in some cases your products’ packaging might need a complete packaging overhaul.
An easy example of this is Ikea. The current packaging in the self-service department for all their furniture, kitchen accessories and so on is perfect. Products are handled by customers and then transported in private vehicles (for the most part). If those same products would be shipped FedEx or USP by Business to Customer (B2C), using the current packaging in the self-service section, many of the products would be destroyed.
The right level of protection for the right application is key. This is imperative when shipping bigger volume products long distances.
There are a few factors you need to consider when choosing the correct shipping box or crate for an e-commerce application. We all know the golden rule of shipping, weight and size = total shipping cost.
Below are 5 points to review when designing a crate or box.
- Level of protection needed
- Overall cost
- Shipping regulations specific to end destination (country)
- Shipping Method (Rail, Air, Truck, Boat, Plane)
- Weight and size
Finding the balance between the correct protection, weight and cost is not always an easy one. A knowledgeable consultant will make all the difference when taking on your product, packaging and design. At Lovepac, our main focus will be finding the optimum stability for your product, customer satisfaction, and saving you money.