Choosing the Right Shipping Supplies for eCommerce

When you are in the eCommerce business and shipping products all over the world, there are many shipping supplies you need aside from just boxes. If you use custom shipping boxes, you are starting off on the right foot because you are gaining brand awareness and instilling a feeling of professionalism in your customers the moment that the box arrives on their doorstep. To take matters one step further, however, you need to take time deciding what to use to ship your products, from the tape to close the box to the items inside the box to protect your products – every detail matters.

Say it with Tape

You do have the choice to use plain packing tape that may do the job, but it does not speak volumes like custom packing tape does. Have tape made with your company name, logo, or phone number to continue to add to your efforts to market your brand and please your customer.

Shipping Fragile Items

If your products are fragile, the last thing you want to do is scribble the word “Fragile” across the top of a box. Yes, it might get the point across, but it does not look professional in any way. Instead, use shipping labels that are easy to read and look professional. Rather than appearing as if you haphazardly wrote on the box, printed labels with the word “Fragile” will help shippers and receivers take your words seriously and handle your package with care.

Protecting the Items Inside

When you are shipping products, oftentimes you have to protect them with the right fillers. There are a variety of shipping materials that you can use, some of which look professional and others that do not. If you choose whatever crumbled up paper or packing peanuts that you may have lying around, you are not going to provide that professional image that you desire. Instead, choosing roll paper, tissue paper, or polyethylene foam will help you to keep that professional image as well as protect the items inside your custom box.

Taking the time to carefully choose your shipping supplies can make the difference between looking professional and looking like a company that does not have their head in the game. If you want to get the leg up on your competition, you need to think of every detail including the shipping process, as that is the only way to get your product in front of your customer when you are an eCommerce business.

[8/25/2015]

The Many Applications of Custom Die Cut Boxes

Looking for a die cut box solution you can depend on? Our custom die cut boxes are printed and designed to the individual requirements of each client. They can be made from a wide range of materials, from basic cardboard to corrugated plastic. There are also four color shades to pick from in each print so the customer can truly choose die cut boxes that suit their needs.

Here are six different styles of die cut boxes available for customers to choose from:

  • Ballot boxes
  • Mailers
  • Gift Boxes
  • Bin Boxes
  • Suitcase Boxes
  • Cut Out Wraps

Ballot Boxes

Designed with an open slot in the lid to enable anonymous suggestions or votes to be inserted, the ballot box comes in both small and large sizes and is available in up to four print processes.

Mailers

Made from a single piece, a mailer has a self-locking lid and can be safely and easily opened and closed without risk of damage, making them ideal for direct mailing and as a promotional product.

Gift Boxes

Designed from paperboard, gift boxes have a professional, high quality finish and are ideal for advertising and promotional purposes.

Bin Boxes

Ideal for maximizing shelf storage space, bin boxes are open tray style boxes that have organizing compartments for sorting items. They can be customized by color coding and by size to fit available shelf space.

Suitcase Boxes

Designed in a briefcase style, these self-closing boxes feature a handle and can be customized with up to four color processes and in a wide choice of sizes. The handles can be made from plastic or cardboard.

Cut Out Wraps

Made from a single piece with all the corners cut out, these boxes have outer flaps that meet in the center of the box. Cut out wraps represent an excellent way to mail a variety of products such as photo frames and books.

With a custom box manufacturer like Instabox on your side, you’ll benefit from the highest quality materials, a full range of customization options and a dedication to customer service. Contact us today for more information on our custom die cut box solutions.

How to Find the Right Shipping Box

In today’s technologically advanced world, many people are making a business out of selling things online, as the internet has facilitated certain logistical challenges for small business owners. However, being a small business owner is still one of toughest jobs a person can take on. In order to achieve success, you will need to become familiar with the ins and outs of the shipping process.

There are a number of factors you have to consider when shipping a product, and among the most important are which boxes you use to house your products. With all of the various shipping boxes available on the market, finding the right one will take some time and effort. Here are a couple of tips on finding the right shipping boxes for your small business.

Size Matters

The first thing you need to figure out when trying to find the right shipping box is the size you will need to ensure your goods are secure. Also, in order for your item to ship through most post offices at the best price, you will need to comply with the size requirements they have in place regarding parcels.

The Durability Factor

Another important thing you have to make sure of when choosing a shipping box is its durability. A shipping box with thicker corrugated cardboard is a great option to ensure your products are not damaged. The money you spend on a good quality box will be more than worth it in the end, since it will reduce the chances of having to replace an item damaged in transit.

For more information on choosing the right box for shipping your items, contact Instabox today.

The Benefits of Custom Printed Shipping Boxes

Businesses around the world are coming up with innovative products every day that are meant to change the way individuals live, communicate and wear. Companies spend millions every year advertising their products on various platforms in order to gain new customers and boost their sales.

In this competitive market, companies shipping goods in plain brown or white boxes are missing out on an opportunity to grow both their business and their customer base.

Custom shipping boxes can bring several advantages to your business. Here are a few:

Brand Advertising

Custom printed shipping boxes can be printed with name of your company, your logo, slogan and even some additional products and services that you may offer. A custom printed mailing box helps to advertise your brand to customers, therefore promoting awareness of goods and services that you offer.

A personalized custom shipping box will help create a memorable experience when the customer receives their order. That will boost your brand’s image and potentially increase your sales.

Stand Out from Your Competitors

The 21st century has led to the invention and innovation of products and services that are meant to change the world, and there is no shortage of competition. Regardless of the quality of a product, its packaging will contribute significantly to its perception amongst other brands. Custom shipping boxes can help you get the most market share for your innovative products.

Develop a Professional Image

Custom printed shipping boxes can help you to attain a professional image. Whether you are running your online business from your home office or from your corporate offices, the packaging design helps to provide a sense of a well-established company and can foster trust among your customers.

With the right high quality custom shipping box manufacturer on your side, your brand is sure to grow.

The Advantages of Corrugated Cardboard Boxes

If you don’t know much about cardboard boxes, you might think they are all basically alike. We’re here to tell you that’s simply not the case. When compared to regular cardboard boxes, corrugated cardboard boxes are different, as they are constructed by a unique process. Corrugated cardboard, which was brought to the market in 1871 by Albert Jones of New York, has been the go-to option for a wide variety of applications around the world for over a century. Corrugated cardboard boxes are both lightweight and strong, and can easily be cut into any shape for highly customized packaging uses.

Strength and Durability

Corrugated cardboard boxes are reliable choices for shipping and storage. They are hardy boxes, as they can resist bursting, splitting, and tearing better than any other type of cardboard box on the market. If you are going to send an item to another part of the world in a corrugated cardboard box, you can rest assured that it will arrive undamaged.

Water Resistant

Throughout the years, corrugated cardboard technology has advanced quite a bit. Nowadays, some types of corrugated cardboard are being coated with materials that are water resistant to offer even greater protection.

Easy Storage

Corrugated cardboard boxes are easy to store in great numbers, as they conveniently break down and fold flat and can be stacked in a small space.

Great Value

Many businesses often opt to use boxes that are cheaper in order to save money. However, if you consider the cost of damaged goods that can result from a weak box solution, the cost of a strong and durable corrugated cardboard box becomes more than justified.

Why Add Custom Labels to Your Product

When people look at a product on the shelves of a store, the first thing they do is read the labels. Many buyers make the decision to buy something because of the label. The label is responsible for many things and plays a large role in the success or failure of the product. That is why it is a good idea to find out how to get custom labels.

What can labels do?

Putting a label on the product may seem like a simple thing. You put the name of the product on the label and you are done. When this is all that the label is used for, an opportunity is missed. There are many things that can be accomplished with the right label.

    Branding

    The label can be something that is easy to recognize Through the use of color, size, shape and design, it is possible to recognize the product without even reading the name. That type of recognition means more people will buy a product because they are aware of the product before they even try it.

    Slogans

    In addition to creating a logo or brand that is recognizable, coming up with a slogan can also help improve the sales of the product. Many people will know the slogan that is found on custom labels and will immediately know what the product is. That familiarity will translate into more sales.

    Information

    The label can also provide information about the product. Food products can include the ingredients and the nutritional information. There can also be information that may make people interested in a product. Including the words gluten free or Made in the U.S.A can help people decide to buy a product over something else.

    Setting a product apart

    Labels can be used to help set one product apart from others. Custom coffee labels can present an image of a high quality product through the use of color. They can include words such as premium or other similar phrases that make their product appear special. The labels are a very important part of the selling of a product. Without the right label, people will not be able to differentiate one product from the next.

    Whether a company needs coffee labels or some other type of label, having them customized make sense. Without a special label, the product has nothing that makes it different from the rest. Marketing experts have understood the need for great labels for a long time and work hard to make sure that anything they do is better than the rest.

    [3/19/15]

When to use Custom Retail Packaging

For some businesses, a box is a box is a box. They may think that there is no need to spend extra time or money packaging their product. As long as the box they choose for their products is able to keep it from being damaged, that is all that is needed. There may be times when this is the right approach, but there are other times when custom retail packaging makes sense for a business.

What does it offer?

Custom retail packaging allows a business to present its products in a much better way. It makes it possible for consumers to see the product in the best possible way. Plastic packaging that displays the product can make it easier for a consumer to decide what the product is like and how they can use it. Adding graphics to the packaging will provide the consumer with the information they need to make a decision. The packaging can make it easier to place the product on the shelves and it can make it stand out from its competitors.

When is it the right choice?

Custom packaging is not always the right choice. There are times when it is not necessary and that the return on the investment will not be recouped. A business needs to decide when to use the basic type of packaging and when they should do a more custom design of their packaging. There are several things that can be taken into account.

  • Who will see the product – The way that people see the packaging will play a large role in what type of packaging to use. When the product is put in areas where it is very visible, getting custom made packaging can be the smartest move. If the product is not going to be seen by many people, it may not be worth the expense.
  • How is the packaging used – A custom type of packaging can offer more protection than other types of packaging. Many times a plastic packaging that conforms to the product will not be able to be reused. The packaging will end up in the trash soon after it is opened. If a business wants their packaging to be reused, they may want to take this into account.
  • The cost – In the end, the final decision about whether to use custom packaging may come down to the cost. There can be additional costs associated with this type of packaging. A business has to decide if this cost is worth it and whether it will help the business generate more revenue in the future.

[3/16/15]

Reusing Corrugated POP Displays

People see them in stores. Big corrugated POP displays advertising a contest or some new product. They come in different shapes and sizes. They can be customized to meet the needs of the business that is using them. They are a great marketing ploy that can get people to make impulse buys. The business benefits through higher sales. It is a tool that has been used for a long time and is still effective in many different locations.

Another similar tool are the display boxes. These boxes can serve as both a storage container for products and as a POP display. When they are used properly, they are a very effective tool for stores, at trade shows and many other places. The one downside of these tools is that they are usually temporary. Once the trade show ends or the business moves onto a new promotion, the displays have no use. They may be sent to the recycling plant, or they may just be thrown in the trash. It is something that does not need to happen. It is possible to find other uses for these old displays.

  • Yard displays – The displays made out of corrugated cardboard can be very durable. They can also be remade into something different. A homeowner can repurpose corrugated POP displays to use in their yard. The displays are often freestanding and they are large enough for people to see from a distance. They can easily be turned into holiday displays or turned into a great sign for yard sale.
  • School projects – Kids and parents work long and hard to finish school projects. The POP displays may save the family both time and money when trying to come up with a unique project.
  • Temporary shelving – Many of the displays have shelves on them that can be used as a temporary addition to a home to give them more space.
  • Storage bins – Cardboard display boxes can be perfect storage bins. They can be used to hold a child’s toys and to put them on shelves in the room. The bins make it easier for a kid to clean up their toys without spending a lot of money.

These are only some of the ways to repurpose the displays that the stores and trade shows no longer need. There are plenty of other ways for people to use the displays. The only thing that is stopping them is making sure that the displays are not thrown out before someone else can get their hands on it.

[3/12/15]

How to Use Packaging Boxes

Businesses know how to use packaging boxes. They put their products in the boxes and send them off to consumers and to stores so they can make money off the products they are selling. Boxes are usually made of cardboard. Cardboard is a material that can be reused in many ways, which is a good thing for many businesses. If they add graphics to their boxes, the graphics will be seen repeatedly. It is up to the consumers to figure out how they can reuse the boxes. Fortunately, there are many creative ways to use boxes over and over again.

Moving time

People will move several times in their lifetime. They may change jobs and have to pack the things they have in their office. The best way to do that is with boxes for packaging. They can fill up the boxes, seal them with some packaging tape and put them into a truck or car to move them.

Storage of stuff

Over the years, people collect stuff. No matter how hard they try the stuff will accumulate. If people do not want to have this stuff lying in every crevice of their home, they need to turn to boxes. The stuff can be neatly put away in the boxes. The boxes can be labeled so the stuff can be found at a later time when it is put away in a garage, shed or attic.

School projects

Kids will always have to do projects for schools. Packaging boxes are often one of the most essential tools for the projects. The cardboard can be cut to help with the project. The boxes can be used to display the project or to transport the project to the school.

Home projects

Things can get broken in the home. The cardboard from the boxes may be the material that is needed for a temporary fix until a more permanent repair can be done. It is a versatile material that can be cut and fit into almost any place that it is needed.

Furniture

When you move into a new home or office, you may not have all of the furniture you need. Boxes for packaging can fill that role in a pinch. If you need a table, turn the box over and put a towel over it. Need to make a bed for a pet. The box may be the perfect vessel to accomplish this.

Boxes can serve many purposes as long as a person is able to think outside of the box.

[3/9/2015]

How to Make Money with Small Shipping Boxes

Successful businesses have many things in common. One of the things that successful businesses do is looking for more ways to make money. The more exposure that a business can generate the more money they can earn. There are times when a business has to think outside of the box if they want to generate more money. Small shipping boxes may provide them with the opportunity to do that.

An e-commerce business has to find a way to get the products they are selling to their customers. That will usually mean that they need to put their products into shipping boxes and send that off to the customer. The boxes represent an opportunity for businesses to generate more revenue.

Some businesses will think the most important thing about the boxes they use for shipping is the cost per box. They will think the lower the cost of the boxes, the more money they will make. That is not the “outside of the box thinking” that a successful business needs to do. Instead of looking for the cheapest alternative when it comes to small shipping boxes it is better to look at the best alternative. There are some special ways that the boxes can be used to help a business earn more revenue.

Adding graphics to the box

The most common boxes being used in shipping are plain brown boxes. They will include a shipping label that has the address that the item is being shipped to and may include a return address. Successful businesses realize that while a box is being shipped, it is seen by many people. That represents an opportunity. Colorful graphics that include brand logos and other information are a marketing opportunity for a business. People will see the graphics and will know where it is coming from. Building brand recognition is a well-known marketing tool of the most successful businesses.

Making the boxes reusable

Cardboard is a durable material. Many people will keep the shipping boxes they receive so they can use them later. They may use them for storage or they may use them to ship something to someone they know. A smart business will take this into account. They will make their boxes strong enough to last and versatile enough for the consumer to want to reuse them.

The combination of the right type of box with the colorful graphics means that the boxes will live on long after the first product is shipped in them. A good box will send the marketing message over and over again without any added cost. The initial investment in a better box is a key to any successful business.

[3/5/2015]