When it comes to creating the perfect package, the considerations are endless.
Starting from the budget sheet in the CFO’s office to the end-user, there are countless touch points in the packaging journey. Each of these touch points requires involving experts to make the right calls for what products to use, what equipment to use, how to execute a particular action, whether or not to automate an action, and more. For example, the marketing team has to work with the packaging engineers to balance design used to connect with the customer and the sturdiness required for protecting the products in transit. Every department has to work closely to make sure each product leaves the door perfectly poised for success.
Creating this balance is evident at a few turns in the packaging supply chain. Learn more about each of these scenarios below.
Packaging at the Distribution Center
Before your products can leave the door, they must be carefully packaged – and before they can be packaged, a packaging engineer must come up with the perfect way to safely and sustainably protect your products and get them in the customers’ hands just as intended. There are many considerations in the packaging supply chain process that we have broken down into a few articles:
The Package During Transit
Every package that leaves the door will have some type of transit considerations (that is the point of packaging, after all). It starts by considering the durability of the product itself, as well as other transit considerations such as temperature requirements and the impact of stacking on a pallet or crate. Void fill solutions are a common way PDA distributors help to mitigate any damage in transit.
The End User & Unboxing
It is not uncommon for packaging companies to be tasked with creating an unforgettable experience for the end user. Many of these experiences are being filmed and shared on social media, creating an organic marketing experience for the brand. There are two primary concerns here: (1) making sure that the packaging materials can withhold the demands of transit, and (2) creating a budget-friendly package that can easily be duplicated.
The Ship from Store Scenario
Ship from store is a popular way for companies with retail centers to reduce the costs involved with having large distribution centers and utilize their consumer retail centers as mini-distribution centers. The technology is now available for retailers to easily manage e-commerce orders in this ship from store model. There are unique packaging requirements that come along with the decision to go “ship from store.” Not only do you have to make the customer happy, but a new role is introduced: your in-store employees. Learn more about how to succeed with ship from store in the article below.
