and ways to improve the performance of your e-commerce packaging
There is an old saying that goes ‘before you judge someone, walk a mile in their shoes’, it seems like the natural thing to blame the courier if our parcel arrives damaged, marked or ripped for mishandling, but spending time with them behind the scenes changed my whole career.
“Firstly, I have to hold my hands up and say that I have done my fair share of complaining when a parcel arrives damaged. However, 5 years ago I was presented with a unique opportunity to spend time in a courier network, chasing parcels through the supply cycle with unrestricted access and observed first-hand the many challenges the teams faced each shift.”
In the early days of designing for e-commerce, it was a rather unknown approach, sending a number of samples out by courier and waiting to see what happened at the other end, some damaged, whilst others arrived in pristine condition. Nobody knew what happened and where did it go wrong or right? This experience not only changed the way I designed for e-commerce, but also how I tested packaging to ensure the correct level of performance.
We the consumers are placing greater pressure on retailers for free deliveries and returns, or faster deliveries. The road network remains the same size and more vehicles are now using them, so the pressure is really on the couriers to increase performance, be sustainable and yet still reduce costs, or remain competitive where possible. Whilst rough handling of packages can occur during peaks and especially the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the pressure can really mount up, with drivers reportedly delivering over 180+ parcels a day per van.
The final mile is one of the most critical areas for e-commerce packaging, materials are fatigued and this is where the most manual handling occurs. However, as a packaging supplier or online seller, there are changes you can make which do not always result in increased costs, but can provide increased performance through the supply chain. This in turn not only supports your chosen delivery partner with a more robust solution, but also helps them in delivering an enhanced experience for your customer. Having spent vast amounts of time, resources and money on creating a reputation for your brand, these can be destroyed within seconds by unsuitable packaging. How much does a lost customer cost, or even worse, when an unhappy customer posts unpleasant packaging photos of your brand online?
So what are some of the areas to consider when increasing performance?
- Handgrips
Whilst they may seem like a good idea to improve handling, they can also create problems. Cuts within a pack structure create engineered fail points. If you need to include handgrips within your design, reinforce them, or ensure your material choice is strong enough to support rough handling. - Strength or absorption
The Box Compression Test (BCT) is a common performance measurement in retail packaging but provides no real indication in the e-commerce sector of success or failure. Recent testing insights have shown an adapted pack fails 50% more than an e-commerce specific design. This is where it is critical to understand the need for strength or absorption, to protect your products from shock being transferred through the packaging. Loose loading is one of the most common transit methods, which is where different shapes, sizes and weights up to approximately 25kg can be placed in any orientation within a truck trailer and results in six sided strength requirements, along with impacts upon any face of the parcel. - Testing your packaging for suitability
Before committing to a solution, try some simple drops with your filled packaging from the average carrying height of around 900mm, drop it on the corners and edges, not just flat panels. Repeat this two or three times, if your pack fails after only two drops, then you may need to improve your packaging solution. - Perforations, easy opening and variable heights
Easy opening ripper perforations are a great experience for the end user, but create a weak point within the pack, whilst ripper tapes maintain structural integrity, but are generally made from plastic and could cause issues with sustainability targets. Variable height cases offer an advantage when using volumetric shipping, however, it is vital to ensure they are reduced to the minimum height possible. If you do not, the perforations are likely to burst during transit, as there will be no internal support. Do you require these perforations, as they will reduce performance significantly? Creasing is a more effective option, but generally requires a blade to slice the side of the case, or torn, which then provides a poor customer experience. - Push lock designs
Quick to pack and easy to manufacture, a push lock base is essentially adapted packaging from the retail sector. During the e-commerce supply cycle, a push lock base can easy twist causing fibre tear, or corners to rip open. Whilst a fully overlapping variation provides higher performance, it also requires a much greater amount of material to produce, it may be worth considering an e-commerce specific design solution, which could be more cost effective and improve performance. - Closure
The way you close or seal the pack is critical, H taping is a very effective method, especially if you want to sell through Amazon and require ISTA 6 certification. Regular boxes, one of the most common design styles used in e-commerce can be weak when placed on their side and loose loaded. Self-seal adhesive tapes are pressure sensitive, so it is important that packers press hard and ensure a firm closure, this will help stop the pack opening in the supply chain. - Void fill and product placement
Depending on your choice of void fill, too little can allow the product to move around and too much can also increase the risk of damage, getting the balance just right is critical. Whilst paper is a sustainable product to use for protection, heavier items can cause issues by crushing the paper and creating uncontrolled movement, which in turn results in damage. The void fill can be full in the box on the pack bench and look protected, but this can change throughout the supply cycle. There are also issues to be aware of with plastic air pillows, which if over inflated can easily pop during drop testing. Where you place products within your pack can also affect performance, avoid vulnerable areas of products next to the outside of the case, so that any impacts are absorbed by the packaging solution. Think about how the products will interact with each other and the void fill in a mixed order, if you are unsure, always test before signing off.
These examples are by no means an exhaustive list of the changes you can make to improve performance. Understanding the pain points of all involved allows the problem to be fixed at source, rather than trying to design it out by the addition of further material, which not only provides a more sustainable solution, it also brings supply chain savings. Unfortunately you cannot design for every eventuality, touch point or impact, but you can send a package that starts the journey off with a performance advantage and provides an enhanced customer experience.
In these difficult times and with an unprecedented demand for e-commerce, these small changes could be the difference between your customer ordering again and becoming a loyal customer, or next time ordering from your competitor after receiving a damaged package.
Ask yourself, “is my e-commerce packaging performing as well as it could be?”
