Why Inclusive Packaging is a Must 

A lot of companies are moving to inclusive packaging, which is one that’s less focused on specific traits that genders have, and more on some unisex options for design.

This is something that’s taken personal care products and other worlds by storm. You’re seeing it with slimming options, protein bars, and the like. In the past, these used to be a female focused product, but now, we have them for anyone really. 

There are some sociological reasons as to why people want this, and a lot of brands are acknowledging this.  This is why, before you make any changes on a superficial level to the packaging that you have, you should look at the different changes that you can incorporate there.

Trying to fool the customers by just adjusting a few colors is not a smart move, because they won’t react the way that you expect. 

Why Inclusive Packaging 

This is something that’s actually rewarding and great.

For decades, women made the majority of different purchases, so there is a tendency to create messages and images that are female focused. With more involvement by men in the decisions of purchasing, this has changed the paradigm.  Adapting to this is also good for positioning yourself in a way where you won’t’ lose the customers that you’ve managed to include. 

Simple, but powerful.

What does this look like for the most part? How can a brand make sure that their packaging this this mark?

Most experts do agree that it’s less about gender, but more on the visuals, and the messages that drive the purchase in order to create the ultimate success for this.

You usually have to look beyond subjectivity on the general neutral aspects. 

The best way to win over people with gender neutral packaging is going minimal. What that means is, have a lot of white space, limit the color usage, and also keep all of this simple. 

You want to also look at the hallmarks of your brand. This is good, because it takes it away from the characteristics of the people that might be buying it, and instead, you as a brand.

Having faithfulness or a palette that’s established while also showing off your personality, keeping gender and other delineations out of it, is a great approach.

A lot of times, you also want to avoid specific colors that are very gender focused. Pink for instance, might not be something that you wish to use, because pink is usually associated with females. If you’re trying to create a gender-friendly product solution, you’ve got to look past this.

The best way to ensure that your packaging is gender neutral is to work with a packaging expert to help you with this. this can change the identity that’s there. you can choose different ranges and even various models that come with this. you can from there, test and adjust this as needed to create the correct packaging that you need.

Once you’ve created the correct packaging for you to try out, you want to then also have it sent out to a test audience. This can be good for a lot of adjustments as needed. Your packaging may still be too focused on one gender over the other. This can tell you everything that you need to know.

Adjust the packaging as needed, and if you’re someone who sells personal care products, consider going to more gender neutral and inclusive packaging. That way, you can create a quality item that people love, without having to rely on specific colors and other delineations for the packaging needs. 

Strategies for Effective Returns 

Returns do happen one way or another. Unless you have a policy for no returns, that will upset people, especially if you charge a lot of shipping fees to send it back.

When items are broken, not the correct size, or even the incorrect color, a lot of companies grow critical of businesses. This is something that makes some companies fear a return strategy. However, this is something that does happen, but you have to remember it does waste money, time, resources, and also the space within the warehouse.

Returns have increased too, and with the issues of supply chains and shortages as well still being a problem, there are returns that are also creating more pressure too than they did beforehand. A returned item is not sorted, caught in transit, or maybe it’s something that customers can’t get. It’s a struggle, but here are some strategies to handle returns in a better manner. 

First, have Return Management 

This is your first step. You want to make sure that you’ve got returns management. This is something that offers different types of aspects, such as customer support, and even managing the inventory.

They take care of the returns. They talk to the customer, then, they receive it, they stock and restock it, and manage the inventory. 

You want to reach out to the customer 

If they’re not happy, they’ll talk to you.

You need to talk to them and reduce the damage to your reputation. This is also a way to boost the loyalty and the satisfaction of customers that are there. hearing these concerns, offering differ options based on these policies, and also taking charge is good. This can include a return, refunding, or even exchanging this product. 

Remember it’s ultimately their Decision 

They’re the ones with the final say. Customers will determine this, so you have to keep this in mind.

Are you offering only store credit? Do they have to pay back the shipping? Will the refunds take up to six weeks to post? This can be annoying for customers, and they might just stop it all there.

Make sure that the terms are decent enough, so that if they do want this, they proceed with this, so that they can get their returns fast. 

Get that Product Back 

Remember that you need to get that product back as well. that way, you can proceed with it.

A lot of times, with 3PL services, they usually offer prepaid shipping. The customer gets this, so they just need to send it back. That’s indeed the best way of going back to the company. 

Delivery, Assessment, and Returns 

When you get the product back, the people running the returns will open this and look at the damage.  They can choose whether or not this can get back onto the warehouse shelves so another can purchase. 

For some items, like exchanging for a different size, the damage is minimal. But for items broken beyond repair, they’ll have to just go and be tossed away, and you’ll have to replace it.

You also need to look at whether or not this got damaged during the transit, or if the item was faulty. This can also help with business practices too.

Finally, it gets back onto the shelves, and you want to make sure that it gets back, and you make sure that it’s also fine as well. make sure to inspect this so that you are able to check and see where the problems lay, and prevent them from happening once again in the process of your shipping services. 

Custom Box Printing and Packaging: A Comprehensive Guide

Custom box printing and packaging is an essential aspect of modern business, as it helps companies create a unique brand image and enhance customer experience. The packaging industry has seen a significant rise in recent years, with more businesses opting for custom printed boxes to differentiate themselves from the competition. This article will provide a comprehensive guide to custom box printing and packaging.

Benefits of Custom Box Printing and Packaging

Branding: Custom printed boxes provide an excellent opportunity to showcase a company’s brand image and create a lasting impression on customers. From logo design to the selection of colors, custom printed boxes allow businesses to express their brand’s personality and increase brand recognition.

Protection: Custom printed boxes not only enhance a product’s appearance but also provide protection during transportation and storage. This protection ensures that products reach customers in the same condition as when they left the factory.

Convenience: Custom printed boxes make it easier for companies to package and transport their products, reducing the need for additional packaging materials and making the process more efficient.

Eco-Friendliness: Custom printed boxes made from eco-friendly materials, such as recycled paper and biodegradable plastics, can help companies reduce their environmental impact and promote sustainability.

Types of Custom Box Printing and Packaging

Custom Corrugated Boxes: Corrugated boxes are widely used for shipping and storage and are made from three layers of paper, with a wavy layer in the middle. They provide excellent protection and are widely used in e-commerce and other industries.

Custom Folding Cartons: Folding cartons are a popular option for consumer goods, such as food and beauty products. They are lightweight and easily foldable, making them a cost-effective option for businesses.

Custom Rigid Boxes: Rigid boxes are a more premium option and are commonly used for high-end products, such as jewelry and luxury goods. They provide a higher level of protection and are more durable than other types of custom printed boxes.

Design Considerations for Custom Box Printing and Packaging

Branding: The design of custom printed boxes should reflect a company’s brand image and values. The logo and color scheme should be consistent with other brand materials, such as business cards and websites.

Functionality: The design of custom printed boxes should be functional, with consideration given to the size and shape of the product, as well as the materials used for packaging.

Sustainability: Companies should consider the environmental impact of their custom printed boxes and opt for eco-friendly materials, such as recycled paper and biodegradable plastics.

In conclusion, custom box printing and packaging provides businesses with a unique opportunity to showcase their brand image, protect their products, and improve their sustainability efforts. With a wide range of options available, businesses can choose the type of custom printed box that best suits their needs and create a positive customer experience.

The Right Packaging Supplies for Products 

You might have a brand new product, and you want to get this out to other people. You might want to make it the bet that it can be. But there is a problem. You don’t know the ideal packaging for these products. Maybe you’re a company that’s established and dealt with this before, but the product might have other requirements that the other items didn’t.

You also may be a startup, and have no clue what the best types of product packaging are out there, and what to use.

Here, we’ll go over the best type of packaging materials to choose, and how you can choose this.

Why it’s Important. 

When you’re choosing materials for packaging, there’s a lot of things that you should consider. It’s more than just one packaging material and working with it. some materials are not correct for certain products.

If you do choose the wrong one, you’re wasting materials, and there is a chance that machinery and money might be wasted, and sometimes, there are safety concerns that eventually do lead to this.

If you’re starting to think about it, you need to choose items, and then, choose the ideal material for the products that are there. 

Rigid Vs. Flexible 

There are two different product types that a lot of businesses go for: rigid and flexible.

Rigid is the packaging that you can’t bend or force out of the current type of way that it is.  These usually are quite solid, and they offer support for the products that are there. they’re known for the strength that they have, preventing damage and breaking in most cases.  This is usually the glass jars, the boxes that are corrugated, and bottles made of hard plastic.

On the flipside, you’ve got flexible packaging, which is basically any sort of packaging material that can be changed in most cases. While flexible is usually malleable and bendable, especially when you look at the rigid packaging, they also are used to wrap around the products there. clamshells, blister packs, shrink and stretch film, even poly bags and roll bags are examples of this too.

There are also the benefits of them being less costly for shipments and very lightweight too. The flexible packaging that’s there also uses far less material, so it’s much more eco friendly too.  They also come with a lower amount of carbon footprints, especially when compared to paper, glass, cardboard, even metal too.

This is super popular, and it’s grown to new heights over the last decade, and it continues to get even higher and higher, due to the fact that it’s more eco friendly compared to the others.

Different Flexible Packaging Supplies 

There are a ton of great flexible packaging supplies that are there. you might wonder if there are different options based on the materials that are there. you might wonder what type of flexible packaging is there for you.  

There are different types of ones to choose from. 

They are: 

  • Shrink film: used to help wrap products such as games, DVDs, books, and other options 
  • Flexible pouches, usually are a pouch from plastic, and usually has an enclosure or foil that’s there 
  • Blister packs, which are basically packaging which creates what’s called a “blister” in order to house the item 
  • Clamshells: they are two plastic types of shells that come together and open up, while also closing, typically used for takeout 

The best way to choose this, is to look at your packaging needs, and from there, make the decision for yourself. 

Laminate Vs. Varnish 

When you’re planning custom materials and labels, you may get asked if you want a varnish or laminated topcoat, and here, we’ll go over this.

What a Topcoat Does 

The product labels that you have come with a variety of label layers, and it’s something that you’ll want to keep in mind. Usually, your face stock, or the label image, is not the top layer.  This is because it’ll help with protecting the label, and also enhances this performance.

There is a layer that’s above this, and it does impact the lifespan and the look of the labels there. This top portion is called the topcoat, and it offers proper protection against both damage and scuffing. It does also impact the way that the label looks as well. 

The two most common are laminate and varnish. Now, do you need this? Well, it’s not mandatory, but there is a protection there. without your topcoat, the ink will rub off this, or it’ll get scratched on the face stock. It also won’t be protected from liquids, moisture, or even oils that might be there too.

Varnish topcoats 

This is a type of coating that’s on a silicone-based sort of liquid. It’s used for labels that are indoor usage, and they’re not super resistant to the presence of moisture, and it offers only minimal amounts of protection when you’re trying to protect this from scuffing, or even smudging too.

Varnish is usually used in a gloss, satin, or matte finish. There are some common usages for this. There is the flood coat that goes over the entire label. There is the spot varnish, which is used to offer specific contrast for these surfaces too. Then, there are dimensional varnish layers, offering that 3-D dimensional effect that comes with this.

What about Laminate 

This is a type of film that’s made with polyester that offers a barrier of plastic, which is one that’s used to protect everything. They offer more texture and sheen to your label. This offers a protection that’s robust when you’re protecting from scuffing, smudging, oil, moisture and the exposure of UV rays that are here too.

Many laminates are made for specific types of applications. They come in gloss and matte, and there is also the thermal transfer, along with secondary types of printing, which is known to be serialization.

Now, you do need to choose these in a couple of different ways, based on the needs that you have.

For starters, if you need something that’s going to be used in temperatures that are extreme, or in the outdoors, you’ll want to make sure that the topcoat is made with this. Typically, lamination is better for this.

But, if you’re going to be using this for ecommerce labels, you’re better off with just using a varnish sort of topcoat, as this can definitely be cheaper in the long haul.

Finally, you’ll want to also look at the lifespan of the label. How long do you need this to exist? For the labels that are applied to plastic and glass jars, or boxes that are corrugated, varnish is going to suffice.

If you need something that is used for longer kinds of packaging, or making it almost permanent, then lamination I’ll be the best way to help boost the appearance of this, and it usually lasts as long as the product. That means, industrial and automotive industries should just use lamination.

Both are good topcoats, but they do have different needs, and you should focus on the needs that you have, before choosing the correct product.