You work hard in order to make sure customers are happy and satisfied. You change up the store, write out the emails, and do everything to leave customers satisfied. But shipping is a different beast, and for some people, it can be stressful to ship. It’s important though to make sure that the customer has an amazing experience in person with the product, so the right strategy is essential for the success of your business. Here, we’ll go over the basics of shipping, and what you can do to make it easier. 

The Basic Shipping Strategy 

If you’re someone who has absolutely no clue on where to begin, keep on reading then. There are some different decisions which you must make when you’re shipping, and below are the most important ones. First, is the shipping rates and methods. Do you want to offer flat-rate or free shipping and take a bit of the cost? Or will the customer pay for it? 

How do you plan to get this to customers? Knowing this one is important. Also you need to know the weight of the packages. This will help to calculate the costs, and help you have a good idea of the total costs of such, to get this to the customers. You also may want to look at the preferred shipping. While there is a lot about what type of packaging is right, the information can be added to packaging services, including shopify, to help with this. 

Finally, you want to figure out the best way to source the packaging. You may want to just buy directly from the carrier, or possibly look into the branded packaging aspects of this as well. 

The Shipping Rates 

You want to make sure that you understand that you want to make sure that you choose the correct shipping rate. Free shipping is a common one, but remember it’s no truly free, so someone is paying for it. That someone is you. The best ways to offer “free shipping” include the following: 

• Increase your prices so that it covers the shipping 
• You pay out of margins 
• You increase all product prices slightly, so both of you pay 
• You offer discount codes for free shipping 

You may want to do this with minimum order free shipping. That way, you’re getting more orders without having to pay too much from your profit margins. There are also carrier rates you can charge, and customers can choose the shipping they feel is right for you. There is also flat rate, which is one specific rate. This may be a good one as well if you feel like there is a chance that more will come if there is one particular rate. 

Fulfillment Services 

Another option is fulfillment, which will hold the inventory. Depending on the integration, you can use this. This does offer shipping rates that are cheaper, since they ship larger amounts, and usually it’s great for a variety of different services. There is also the shorter shipping times, which means more customers will get their items faster. They handle the picking, the packing, and the shipping so that you don’t have to do a thing. These aren’t for everyone, but they are an option as well if you’re someone who wants to make sure that they get the most out of their packaging and offers a lot. There are a lot of shipping options, so you want to make sure you choose what’s right for you, and then go from there with the way you’re able to ship stuff. 

If you’re an owner of a business who is conscious about the environment and worried about the impact of packaging, you might be looking into ways to have more environmentally friendly and sustainable packaging options. 

Recycled, flexible, and compostable packaging are all types, and you can look at which ones are best for you, and which ones are good. 

What about compostable packaging? It may seem like a miracle for those who are tired of using the detrimental kinds of packaging supplies. 

Perhaps you hope to have these supplies to make sure that the business is more green. 

But you’re not sure how it works. 

Packaging is something that can seem complex, but we’re here to answer the question of whether or not, you could qualify compostable packaging as truly biodegradable. 

Can you throw it on the ground, and will it degrade? 

No, and that’s something that people get wrong. They think that it’ll magically just go away at the drop of a hat. 

It’s much more complex than just that, and it may seem shocking, but it actually is different that. 

And of course if you’re just doing that, that’s littering, and not good for the environment. Biodegradable packaging works in a different kind of way, and we’ll go over how compostable packaging plays into this. 

Is it Biodegradable 

Yes it totally is, but there are a few caveats to all of this. 

From the environmental standpoints, it can be composted, since it can actually break down. 

But you need to do it in a specific way.  You can just throw it out in the woods and expect it to just break down, because that’s not how it works. 

For it to be properly composted, you have two options. 

Your first, the home compost. This is where you take all of your excess scraps, grinds, and other organic elements, putting them out back, and over time, the microorganisms within this do break it down, and it can actually provide some great soil to grow plants. 

It is something that can work, but not everything can work in a home compost, since it will not always work. Most of it needs to be done via industrial composting, which is done at a facility. 

With industrial composting, this is basically composting done at a facility, and usually, it’s where some stuff is ONLY composted. 

There are industrial composting plants that are specialized in waste management, which offer a lot of compost. They sell it then to stores, businesses, or municipalities, oftentimes at a discounted rate so that they can use it for landscaping means. 

They are large, and it’s similar to the garbage collection and waste management companies that usually do similar management of waste. 

You usually need to have a composting bin or a means to give them the items before you’re totally allowed to compost that stuff. 

They usually are those big old containers that look like recycling bins at home. If you do single stream recycling, this is definitely similar to this. 

You also will only be able to do this f you have a contract with them, so your community needs to have this. If they don’t, then you won’t be able to compost anything. 

So to answer the question fi it’s really biodegradable, the short answer is yes, but it actually involves far more effort than what may be considered to be warranted by many who use it, and some people may not think the efforts are worth it at the end of the day, especially when it comes to packaging supplies. 

Eco-friendly packaging has different qualities, whether it be recycled packaging made from cardboard, plastics, or paper, there’s a lot. What does biodegradable packaging bring to the table though? 

Read on to find out. 

What is It? 

The simple answer is that it’s packaging that does break down and degrade as time goes forward, and while there isn’t a metric for measuring this, usually it’s anywhere from 3-6 months before fully broken down. 

Once it’s been fully decomposed, it doesn’t also leave behind bad chemicals, or other bad substances. It also is a good option for food-based companies since it doesn’t make someone feel guilty for not doing so.

Composing packaging is pretty much the same thing, but it’s faster, and you also can do biodegradable as well. 

How does it compare though? 

Recycled packaging is good, but the thing is, only 10% of it does get recycled, which means that there is a lot of recycled items just sitting there in the landfills and crating big issues too. 

So what can biodegradable packaging bring to the table? 

Well for one it’s more versatile, functional, and eco-friendly, but let’s go into the benefits. 

The Benefits of Biodegradable Packaging 

First and foremost, it’s not as harmful to produce, and you can recycle more natural items such as cardboard to make this better, which means there’s less energy needed to make this, creating a greener business because of this. 

It also preserves the natural resources, since as the energy is saved, the creation does preserve the resources which are dwindling. This isn’t made from oils and such, but instead from managed forests and other renewable means, which means it’s a whole lot safer. 

It’s also safer for humans to use, since there aren’t as many harmful chemicals as possible that can compromise the health of humans. The chemicals in this won’t get onto the food of customers, and this is much safer than just the takeout boxes that have plastics and other chemicals in them. 

It actually also will feed the microorganisms too.  Biodegradable packaging does break down over time, and it will benefit your environment. 

When this does break down, it feeds fungi, bacteria, and other kinds of microorganisms. It does create a better loop as well, letting nature get the materials that have benefitted it up to this point. 

Finally, it beefs up customer experience. You actually can offer eco-friendly options that will be tossed out without causing trouble for the environment. 

This does help customers, because if you’re a food production company, this definitely will prevent undue harm that’s there. 

It certainly is something that can help with your brand too, since it means that you’re offering eco-friendly options for packaging, but also making it easier for them to get rid of rather than just trying to find a recycling plant. 

But what’s the Verdict? Should you use it? 

The simple answer is yes. 

Plastic-free and biodegradable packaging are the future, since it definitely offers a better look to the brand, and much better results down the line too. 

With that said, take a look and see if this type of packaging is ideal for you, and whether or not you want to do this as part of the green experience. 

If you do think that this is good for you, then by all means, definitely do so. 

But also look at whether or not your customers want this. If they want a green experience with their product packaging, don’t just give them recyclables. Take it to the next step, and you can do so through this and get the best results. 

Choosing the best strapping option can be a daunting task. There are many different types of strapping, and each style has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Polyester is one such type of strapping material that we will discuss in this article. The following blog post discusses three things you need to know about polyester: what it is, how it compares with steel, and when to use it.

1) What Is Polyester? Polyester strapping material is an economical way for shippers to bundle packages securely during transit without requiring additional tools or equipment beyond the standard box knife or other cutting device used for opening boxes containing individual parcels. It’s also often used as a replacement wrap for items that have their package. However, polyester strapping material does not offer the level of security that steel provides for this purpose.

 However, this method has its advantages, some of these are the following:

• Polyester strapping is a low-cost option for holding together fragile or irregularly shaped items.
• It can be used as an alternative to stretch wrap, which has many of the same benefits and drawbacks as polyester strapping material. 
• Since it’s so easy to reuse this type of product after opening a box, it can be an economical choice for bundling lightweight items.

When to use Polyester Strapping: 

• Items that are irregularly shaped or fragile and don’t need a higher level of security than polyester strapping material provides.
• When there’s no need to lock down the weight during transit, and you want to cut down on costs. 
• When not using stretch wrap will do since the adhesiveness of polyester strapping material is comparable to that of stretch wrap.
• For bundling lightweight items together in one box during transit, you want a more economical option than steel strapping would provide for this purpose.

When it comes to steel strapping, many different types of steel strapping can be used for specific purposes. 

What Type Is It? 

Wire-reinforced steel is one common type of steel strapping material, and it’s commonly used in the shipping industry for securing pallets or heavy boxes during transit. This type of steel strapping has a round wire embedded inside to increase its strength and protect it from bending under load. This is important because this type of steel typically isn’t as strong overall as other classes with no wire reinforcement.

 However, wire-reinforced steel strapping also has its disadvantages. Some of these are the following:

• It’s one of the most expensive types of steel strapping. 
• Since it must be cut off by hand with a specialized tool called metal snippers, wire-reinforced steel is typically only used in cases where welded or buckled straps will not do. 
• It can be used to secure items together during transit. Still, it’s less commonly used for this purpose than other types of steel strapping due to the need for specialized tools and equipment beyond a box knife or other cutting device needed to cut off wire-reinforced straps from one another. When to Use Wire-Reinforced Strapping: 
• If you need to cut steel straps with a concrete thickness, the use of wire reinforcement can allow for this.
• For securing heavy boxes or pallets during transit because it’s one of the most substantial types of steel strapping available. When Not to Use Wire-Reinforced Steel Strapping: 
• If you don’t need to secure together heavy boxes or pallets during transit. 
• For securing fragile items that are likely to be damaged by the wire reinforcement of this type of steel strapping material. Wire-reinforced steel is one specific type of steel strapping with its unique benefits and drawbacks,

The world is becoming more and more aware of the environment. As a result, many companies have started using environmentally friendly packaging methods to reduce their impact on the Earth’s resources. Here are ten ways that you can make your company greener!

1. Utilize reusable packaging. Utilizing reusable packaging is a great way to go green. Items like bottles, bags and other containers can be reused again and again. When you use these items, it reduces the amount of waste that will end up in landfills. Plastic, paper and glass can be reused to create new packages instead of being thrown away. Many companies are even beginning to use containers that return their products safely once they have been emptied. 

2. Utilize biodegradable packaging materials. Biodegradable materials like peanuts can be used to package items. Usually, these products will break down in about 90 days in a landfill, and they don’t contain any chemicals that may end up polluting the Earth’s waterways.

3. Recycle. Recycling is one of the easiest ways for a company to go green. By recycling old paper, plastic and glass, you can reduce the amount of waste created at your business daily. While some companies may not have access to a recycling center on their own, they can always use a local service or look into

4. Reduce the amount of packing material you use. Many people over-pack their items when they are shipping them, causing excessive waste to be created. Make sure you only use as much packing material as necessary and always reuse old boxes and paper if possible.

5. Purchase recycled products. When you buy recycled products, it helps create a cycle of reusing the same materials repeatedly. This prevents items from piling up in landfills and causing damage.

6. Use raw materials from sustainable forests. Purchasing raw materials from sustainable forests can help protect the environment. When you use wood or paper products that are made from well-managed forests, it ensures that they will be around for future generations.

7. Avoid using polystyrene foam. This material is one of the most harmful to the environment. Not only does it not break down in landfills, but it also doesn’t have any practical use. Instead, look for suitable alternatives like peanuts or paper pellets to pack your items in.

8. Recycle office supplies. Just because something is made out of paper does not mean that you can throw it away when you are done with it. Instead, look into purchasing products that can be recycled along with the rest of your paper. 

9. Eliminate packaging waste. When your business is finished with a supply, make sure you set it aside instead of throwing it in the garbage. Pieces like paper and plastic can be reused for other items as long as they are kept intact.

10. Use materials that utilize less energy in creating packaging materials. Producing items like plastic and glass uses a lot of energy. Instead, look for materials that can be made using less energy and promoting a smaller carbon footprint.

Eco-friendly packaging is something that you should look into as a business owner. Not only does it help protect the Earth, but it can also boost your business’ image. Customers who see that you are environmentally conscious will be more than willing to do business with you since you share similar beliefs. By making sure you are doing everything possible to reduce your impact on the Earth’s resources, you can help contribute to better health for future generations.