There is a knock on the door and, when you open it, you find the delivery man who brings you that package that you have been waiting to receive so much.
You sign, pick up the box and, although you wonder at its enormous volume, you open it eagerly.
And what do you find? Metres and metres of kraft paper folded countless times, tape, an incalculable amount of filler chips and finally, at the bottom, your little object of desire emerges, buried in the middle of a waste of packaging.
Was so much material to protect something so tiny really necessary? Isn’t the e-commerce company you made your purchase from concerned about caring for the environment and saving on packaging?
E-commerce packaging: why use large boxes for small orders?
If you now put yourself in the shoes of the managers of an online store, there are several reasons -some more far-fetched than others – that end up causing the use of absurdly disproportionate packaging for a small order.
- Lack of stock: the most common is that the warehouse runs out of cardboard boxes of the appropriate size and, so, operators are forced to replace the out-of-stock packaging with another that is available.
- Operator convenience: at other times, accessing the correct box is difficult or time-consuming, and the operator prefers to sacrifice presentation for increased order picking productivity.
- Objects with special shapes: there are orders in which packaging is a challenge due to the way the contents of the package present, and there is no choice but to stick with a large box format to be able to fit it in.
- Speed of delivery: another variable that is handled is the filling of the delivery truck. If we only use small packages, it will take a long time for the packing to complete and begin its route for the delivery of the products. On the other hand, with larger orders, the number of packages to be delivered is reduced and distribution is much more agile.
- Theft prevention: halfway between reality and myth, there are e-commerce companies that argue they prefer to package small products in large boxes to discourage thieves. It is easier to steal a small package than a huge box that is difficult to hide.
Height-adjustable boxes: the solution to save on your e-commerce
Despite all the above, you can operate your e-commerce business without sacrificing the presentation of your order and without harming the environment thanks to the height-adjustable boxes. Replacing all or part of your stock of boxes for packing your orders with boxes of variable height and good custom packaging labels will help you save in four areas:
1. Financial savings
- Height-adjustable boxes: Variable double-channel, height-adjustable boxes will provide economic benefits to your business for two reasons:
- Less expenditure on filling and adhesive tape: by being able to modulate the capacity of the boxes, it will not be necessary to compensate for the free space inside the boxes that are too large with an excess of filling. Goodbye to wasted filler and duct tape!
- Volume discounts: if instead of buying a few boxes of various types, you buy many of a single type, you will be able to benefit from the discount that comes with large volume purchases.
2. Time savings in order preparation
With variable-height boxes, operators will not waste a second locating the box according to the content to be packed, since the same standard box will be used to pack different types of product. In this way, the average time required to prepare each order is reduced and productivity per worker increases.
3. Saving complications in managing your warehouse
On the other hand, fewer packaging formats in stock result in easier warehouse management, as there will be fewer references to control. As a result, billing for packaging expense will be considerably easier.
4. Saving space
Height-adjustable boxes: finally, managing fewer items for packaging not only simplifies warehouse management but also frees up space that you can use to keep a greater quantity of product available to customers.
Many suppliers provide a range of options from space-saving, single-channel mailing boxes to double-channel, variable-height boxes. You can even choose to use those that are ecological and 100% recyclable.
Try them now and save on your e-commerce operations!
