The packaging of your business sends a message to consumers. It can protect products, facilitate transit, and enhance branding. The most popular types of packaging include shipping boxes, mailer boxes, and poly bubble wraps. They’re ideal for ecommerce brands that want customers to have an unforgettable unboxing experience.
Primary Packaging
The first line of defense for your product is primary packaging. It’s also what consumers see when they pick up your product. It can be as simple as a bag of potato chips, a bottle of shampoo, or a box that holds your new digital camera. The commercial packaging Minneapolis should showcase your brand and communicate what’s inside the product. Your packaging design should be functional, durable, and aesthetically pleasing. It would help to consider using environmentally friendly materials for your primary packaging. These materials, such as sugarcane and hemp board, have a natural appearance that advertises your sustainability.
Secondary Packaging
Secondary packaging is the final layer of protection between your product and the end user. It may be as simple as a wrapper on a bag of chips or the box that holds your bottle of mouthwash, but it can also be more complex – such as a tray housing multiple primary packages like prefilled syringes. Cartons are an excellent choice for this type of secondary packaging as they have ample space for branding and artwork and often serve as the point-of-purchase display a consumer sees. They are also very robust, which helps them protect the primary package and product during handling.
Additionally, cartons are great for creating unit loads that group several products in one pack, known as stock-keeping units (SKUs). It facilitates distribution center storage and handling. And, since artwork can be easily pre-printed onto the cartons, they make for a convenient option for most secondary packaging applications.
Tertiary Packaging
As your product moves from a warehouse to a distribution center and onto store shelves, the tertiary level of packaging takes over. Often, this packaging is a pallet made of wood or plastics, and it may include banding groove lumber and strapping. The tertiary level is significant because it adds extra reinforcement to the groupings of primary packaging units, making them more resistant and secure for shipment via truck, rail, air, or ship. It helps mitigate transit damage and enables businesses to recoup economic losses due to broken goods, loss, or theft.
The tertiary level also supports using right-size packaging principles, ensuring that only the necessary materials are used to protect and ship products instead of excessive and unnecessary packaging. This approach reduces costs and minimizes environmental waste. It also contributes to a more efficient and cost-effective supply chain and increases market appeal. Business owners must know the differences between primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging levels to choose the appropriate solutions for their products.
Industrial Packaging
Keeping your products in perfect condition when they reach their destination is the primary goal of commercial packaging. Numerous options are available for your particular needs and budget, whether you need ice packs, medical room bags, or custom protective foam case inserts. This type of packaging is often custom-made to provide a polished, unique look and leave a positive impression on your customers. Every physical product must be transported from the producer to the consumer, and industrial packaging is essential for keeping goods safe in transit. It includes sacks, bulk bags, reusable bins, and crates made of plastic or wood. Strapping and banding materials such as plastic and steel bands can also be used in industrial packaging to secure boxes and containers during transportation. Choosing a suitable material is critical regardless of the size or weight of your industrial packaging. Consider the product contents, destination country, and shipping method when selecting your material, as this will affect how durable and long-lasting your package is.
