From Fragile to Unbreakable: The Expert Guide to Packaging Your Items for Trouble-free Shipping!

It’s every business owner’s nightmare to incur additional, avoidable business expenses or unsatisfied customers who will either never patronise you again or spread negative comments about your business. A lousy delivery experience is one of the incidents that can create this type of outcome.

As a business owner, you're in charge of your customer's entire experience, from the time they place an order to when it gets delivered to them. In other words, the order processing and fulfilment are part of what makes up your entire service to that customer.

Now, what happens when your customer gets their order and it's looking disorganised, broken or completely damaged? What you get is an unhappy customer who will likely never trust your brand again. Because customer satisfaction should be an important part of your brand, it is super important to avoid situations like this.

Related: 10 Easy Tips on Improving Customer Service for your Small Business

7 Ways to Properly Package Your Products & Items for Shipping

There are different ways to package various products to ensure they are in excellent condition when they arrive in your customer’s hands.

1. Temper-proof Materials.

Always choose temper-proof materials like plastic or cardboard boxes over paper bags for long-distance deliveries (e.g. international delivery, deliveries to other states)

2. Plastic, Fabric or Paper Wrap.

Regardless of the destination, avoid shipping your products in your business’ branded mailer bags without putting them in a plastic, fabric or paper wrap for a first layer of protection. It will protect the product from dust, stains and other external factors. 

3. Bubble Wrap.

Liquid and semi-liquids like skincare products and edibles can break and spill easily. To protect these items, ensure they have seal-proof, sealed tightly and properly bubble wrapped.

4. Some More Bubble Wrap.

Wrap glass or ceramic products like scented candles and ceramic wares with bubble wrap before putting them in a plastic or paper bag to make them resistant to breaking. Double the bubble wrap if you can. 

5. Airtight Plastic Bags.

Package perishable goods like beans and spices in airtight plastic bags and ensure they are tightly sealed. 

6. Clingfilm

When you package ready-to-eat meals, please select packaging materials that work best with the food you sell. Soups and non-solid food should be packaged in plastic containers, and solid foods like pastries can be packaged with paper or any good packaging of your choice. Most importantly, wrap the food packaging with clingfilm before placing them in a plastic or paper bag.

7. Thermal Packaging

For temperature-sensitive products, consider investing in thermal packaging. It acts as an insulator between a product being shipped and the outside air, protecting it from contamination.

Lastly, partner with a reliable delivery company and inform your delivery partner about the content of your package; they will help to ensure that the packages are correctly transported. 

And if you are required to fill out a form detailing the content of your packaging, always write a detailed description. This will save you a lot of time and money. For example, instead of “three skincare products”, write “a 100ml bottle of lotion, 50g of body scrub and a 100L bottle of liquid soap containing [list key ingredients]”. This helps the handling manager know how to manage your package correctly.  

Conclusion

Packaging your products or items for shipping & delivery in the right way ensures that you do not end up wasting money (because the product could get damaged in transit) and you do not end up with an unhappy customer that will likely tell anyone about how you ruined their order. Always ensure that your products are properly packaged in the right containers before shipping!

Looking for a reliable delivery partner with flexible pricing for international and nationwide deliveries, try Topship. 

Go to www.topship.africa or email [email protected] to get started. 

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