If you’re new to e-commerce you’ve probably focused on your website design and getting your branding right. But the customer experience stands and falls on how your items arrive on the doorstep. If you’ve used inferior packaging and the items turn up battered and damaged, then any savings you might have made will be wiped out in re-filling that order.
You can’t afford not to care because that one dissatisfied customer can generate a great deal of bad publicity. Use our cheap delivery service and spend money on packaging that will guarantee a superior customer service experience.
The 4 foot drop test
Imagine dropping your packaged product from a height of 4 feet. Would it survive the drop intact? The 4 foot test is designed to make you think about the right kind of packaging for the product you sell. Obviously T-shirts and other soft items will be fine packed in a plastic poly bag inside an envelope, but a china figurine? Typically it costs more to replace a damaged item than it does to get the packaging right first time.
A box made of cheese?
You wouldn’t ship your products in a box made of cheese but e-commerce businesses often ship their products in the wrong packaging, creating packing waste that turns the customer off. As a rough guide use lightweight paperboard for food, cosmetics and computer hardware, and robust corrugated cardboard for heavier and fragile items.
Don’t choose a box that’s too large
Pack any gaps with packing material – choosing a recycled solution sends a strong message to customers. For fragile items consider double boxing – it’s more expensive and creates more waste, but 20% of customers say they’ll never buy from you again if their delicate purchase arrives in pieces.
The unboxing experience
When their package arrives, customers want to be able to access the contents with ease. You need to think carefully about balancing the ergonomics of the customer unboxing experience with the practicalities of packaging.
Don’t use too much tape, use a better tape. If you need to include protective packaging make it a fun colour or include a surprise gift or voucher. If your customers are overly frustrated in accessing their purchase, they may not come back for more.