Shopping guides for Shipping Products in 2022 

If you’re looking to get your orders and holiday shopping done early, you’re not alone. Due to the disruption of logistics and supply chains, it’s better to be prepared early on than too late. Here are some of the best ways to ship items, and the best things to look for when you begin to ship items this year and beyond. 

Types of shipping 

There are three popular ways for you to choose the shipping that you’d like.They are: 

  • Air,
  • Ground 
  • Sea 

These are all basically efficient ways to do this, but some are faster than others, and you’ll probably use one or more of these for each shipping.  Usually, you have to use ground for shipping to ports anyways for example. 

Air Shipping 

First, let’s go over the different types of air shipping. Express air is the best way, and they can take as little as three days to get to the customer. DHL is a good one, as they usually get customs clearance real fast.  It’s also pretty time efficient.

However, that doesn’t mean I’s perfect. It’s pretty expensive, but if you do this at fulfillment centers, there are ways to help with offsetting the costs. You’ve also got the standard air forms of shipping, which usually take about 18 days at most to get to. They’re also pretty fast and are very reliable. 

This is great too if you still want to use air shipping but want something a bit more cost effective. 

Sea Shipping 

Sea shipping takes a lot longer, but it also is one of the bests for reducing costs, and when you do this right, it’s reliable. It’s great for delivery times that have a bit more leniency, and for bigger orders, this is the best way to do this.

However, when ordering this during the holidays, this is one you’ve got to manage the logistics for the most, especially if you need stuff to get there at the right time, as this does take a lot longer. 

Standard sea shipping usually can take about 50 days or more sometimes, but it’s also the cheapest way, especially for super big orders. One thing to consider, is for super large orders, this is actually the best for the price. But expect to also add in another week for those huge orders, as they usually don’t fit everywhere.

One thing about this, is that it doesn’t really work well during the holidays, as while it is reliable, it’s not ideal for this time of the year. 

How to Plan this better 

This is important to plan early on.

Ground shipping usually takes about a week or so, but for other kinds of shipping, it can take a whole lot longer. Not to mention, we’re still feeling the effects of the pandemic, so if you’re going to launch a product that’s seasonal, plan this pretty well in advance. 

When you’re planning to ship for the holidays, you should plan about two months beforehand. That means, if you’re planning for Christmas, you should have everything ready to ship out with sea shipping by late October at the very latest, or early November if you’re going to use express shipping.

For the air shipping, you have a bit more leniency, but not a ton.

You should make sure that if you’re going to use specific types of ordering and different means, that you always let the customers know about this, so that they’re able to make purchase decisions beforehand, and aren’t caught holding the bag and frustrated as well. 

Ways to Let others Know about Eco Friendly Packaging 

If you put a lot of effort into the brands that you have, along with the products and packaging, you may also be working on sustainability, aligning the brand to the values. However, what also is important is that you make sure that you let people know about this. Letting others know about the core of your brand, the urge for sustainability, is vital, as it can help with ensuring that everything is implemented properly. 

Why Let Others Know? 

This is super simple. About 80% of consumers value sustainability, with more even mentioning they’ll pay a premium for eco-friendly brands. This is a market that you want to capture, and also educate with others. Being sustainable lets customs know about the changes that you’re making and the urge to go green. It also further promotes trust and builds your customer base. 

Plus, it boosts the reviews, the word of mouth, and other social media aspects that come with this, and also grows the clientele and the brand. If you’re ready to go eco-friendly, here are a few ways to let people know that you’re giving out eco-friendly packaging

Print It 

This is one of the simplest ways, and one of the best ways to let people know straight up that you’re eco friendly. 

If you show the recycle symbol for example, and let people know that the stuff is recyclable, I do indirectly tell people that you care about the state of the planet, and that you wanted to remind them of the responsibility that comes with being an eco-citizen too. It’s also good for a lot of people to ensure that you put the brand in a positive light to align with the sustainability that’s there. 

What else can you add 

Well, why not: 

  • QR codes that link to the page talking about sustainability 
  • Printing messages to give instructions on how to toss 
  • Mention that the inks are soy based or other plant-based items. 

Join Green Initiatives 

Another cool thing that you can do is let other people know that you’re joining the green initiative. 

If you let people know that when they order from you, you’re giving back by planting trees, it gets people excited and shows how you’re giving back to others. 

There are tons of these means to practice sustainability that’s out there, and it lets you also get more trees out in the wild. 

Plus, the cool thing about this is that it pays off down the line, as you can work with other companies, who will inevitably also give you incentives too. 

Make it Stand Out on the Site 

Did you know that the storefront isn’t the only location to let people know that you’re living the sustainability life? 

The website is one of the best ways to do this. 

Anyone who buys from you or knows about the brand that you’re putting together is going to visit here, and you can include this on social media, or the website. 

You want to let other people know immediately that sustainability is what the brand is. 

You should incorporate this directly onto the homepage too, and let people know about the different strides you’re making towards sustainability. 

Obviously, you don’t have to get super in the faces of customers when you’re trying to push for sustainability, but these different means will help you stand out as a company, and you can, through the use of these, build a company that’s sustainable, and people will know that it is when they order from you. 

All about Smart Packaging 

Packaging is changing a whole lot and with unboxing gaining so much popularity, the way that we package our times is definitely something that companies have started to fix. Fast-forward a few years, more and more companies have added other elements that are good not just for making the lives of customers better, but also boosting the brand value. 

Technology within packaging is becoming more and more popular, and smart packaging is something that’s already a billion-dollar industry but is looking to grow by 2025. If you’re looking to try smart packaging, then definitely consider this, and here, we’ll tell you how to utilize smart packaging. 

What Smart Packaging Is 

This is packaging that extends beyond just normal aesthetics, but also looks at functionality with the digital world. 

There are two types: active, and intelligent packaging. 

Active packaging is how you determine the life cycle, shelf life, and also the product quality, while it’s within the package. 

This includes shipping, storing, and the like. 

This is because technology actually controls the elements that may harm this, such as making sure that there is not too much moisture, they prevent oxidation, and also controlling the temperature of the location of the product to prevent food spoilage, or other product spoilage. 

Then we have intelligent packaging, which basically adds functions that are, well, intelligent, in order to enhance the values that the product has, and it makes the experience the consumer has all the more better. NFC tags that are on different products, or even barcodes that different users can use to find out more information are examples of this. 

Why Smart Packaging 

Why should you have smart packaging? Here, we’ll discuss a few of the benefits that smart packaging offers. 

First, it protects the products better. Active packaging of course, protects the products that you have, from the moment they leave the facility, till they get to the customers that you have. Smart packaging does protect them from moisture, other agents, and also light that’s harmful. Active packaging helps the product last a lot longer, make you a lot more trustworthy, and improves the product upkeep. 

It also saves you some costs. If you’re constantly spending time poring over the logistics that are there such as storage, and also the supply chain, and sales, you’ll be there for a long time. With this kind of packaging, you’ll be able to protect the packaging, and you won’t have to deal with the problem of the materials being too bulky, and the extra packaging gets eliminated, which makes this durable, lightweight, and easier for shipping and storage. 

It’s also a marketing tool. Smart packaging aids in the value of your product marketing, helping it to stand out, giving customers a selling point that does enhance this. It actually can improve the way people look at the packaging that’s there. 

Finally, it boosts your brand’s image. With more and more marketing, more and more recognition, and a better branding image, smart packaging is definitely something that shows off the investment, the confidence, and the quality that is there within the products. Most customers know this, and it can help make it better, and can also translate to loyal customers too. 

Packaging that’s intelligent is also very eco-friendly, making this more sustainable than before. Developing this does depend on what you’re selling, the product ingredients that’s there, the funds that are there, are all great starting points to help with brainstorming this, and translating all of this to brand products, packaging, and so much more. so it’s worth considering for your brand’s image as well! 

Custom Branded Poly Mailers with Tissue Paper 

If you’re looking to stand out in the branding world, you’ll want to make sure that you have something new to the table.  You’ll want to as well reinforce the branding of the company, and you can do this by wrapping custom tissue paper in a poly bag. This is a winning formula, and this is something that you’ll want to consider as well. 

The benefits of this 

If you’re someone who is curious about changing your packaging, a poly mailer bag is a great way to improve your business, and stand out from the competition. The positive results from this is something that can save you a lot on the costs of shipping and manufacturing in a lot of cases. The first benefit of this is that polybags weigh much less than regular boxes, and the savings may be small, but they add up as time goes on, depending on the company product volume and what you ship. You can also add bubble lining to make it better for more fragile items. 

The costs of this does vary based on the vendor, but there is a lower cost for every unit to make and then get these poly bags too, and when you add in the prices for branding that’s custom, the price for this is much less than boxes. 

The big impact of this is a lot more indirect, but it can improve the repute of a company and how green they are. There are a lot of greener ways to ship items, and this is a much smaller carbon footprint. Not to mention, it also is more efficient, since it’s smaller, so you don’t have to worry about the consumption of fossil fuels, and emissions that help to drive the climate change and global warming. 

Custom printing for this 

A cool thing about this, s that you can add custom printing, and the beauty of this, is the possibilities of this. 

You can add the website, the name of the company and logo, and even offer some message that’s special to the people who buy. You can even incorporate the QR code that’ll get them to the landing page, offering them a discount, different social media options including contests, campaigns, and so much more. 

It’s a great way to wow people, and custom poly bags are a great thing, and custom printing in general is quite easy tow orc with. 

Why custom tissue Paper 

If you desire to make the branding even more pronounced and better, you want to print the tissue paper that you’re sending out to customers. You can create different synergies from the branding that’s carried out of the poly bag, onto the tissue paper around the outside. If the branding of the bag is a lot more complex, the tissue paper can be a simple pattern with the logo of the company on this. 

The beauty of custom-branded tissue paper is that there are a lot of benefits on what you’d like to convey. Not to mention, because of how lightweight it is, there’s almost no impact from the weight and the costs of shipping, so the beauty of this, is that it’s something that doesn’t impact the weight, but it adds another great branding item to this. 

Consider this combo for your custom packaging needs, and see for yourself just what else this brings t the table, in order to create the perfect branding combo that’s great not just for customers, but also for those wo enjoy the way you’re able to create some great branding. 

Sustainable Packaging Design Options

When you’re packing, you want to work on trying out new sustainable packaging.
This is all the rage, and with new breakthroughs that are becoming more and more interesting, here we’ll go over some of the new and hot sustainable packaging highlights that have come out just this year for those who use this kind of packaging.
Non-Foil Aseptic Packaging
This is a new type of packaging that reduces the foil that’s there, and this is one of the first-generation types of new packaging solutions to replace aseptic aluminum barriers and replaces them with polymer films that are applied with a coating, offering a similar barrier to offer reduction of the climate impact.

The life cycle assessment is still pending, but the aluminum layer is just 5% of the base materials in total, and it does reduce at least a third of the emissions from greenhouse gases.
This is non-foil packaging that’s out there on supermarket shelves, and it does reduce carbon footprints by 25%.

Renewable Base coatings for Cartons
This is a new product that a company has introduced, in that it is a plant carton that’s totally renewable, and this is actually incredibly popular, selling a billion of these the last year alone.
This plant-based carton polymer is a sugarcane coating that reduces your carbon footprint by helping to make sure that you’re not using up too much plastic. You also can have sustainable graphics on this, creating a very successful type of packaging portfolio. It’s supposedly going to be completely renewable by 2025.

Aseptic Carton Recycling
Carton recycling is growing, especially aseptic carton recycling, growing to a much larger amount, with more and more plants. Right now, the recycling rate is about 27%, which may not seem like much, but with the growth of new partnerships for carton packaging, and a much larger carton capacity, and more and more corrugated cardboard and other material that are growing, it’s certainly something that will definitely help you as well.

The Tethered Cap and bundling film
There are two new additions that the company has put in.

First, the new growth is from the Tetra Pak R&D team, which talks about how they made a tethered cap that will actually be sustainable, and it uses the screw-and-flip concept along with the self-locking hinge for this to work.

They’re plant-based, which means that they offer more renewable content with this while also minimizing the amount of litter that’s there.

There is also a recyclable packaging film that is made out of recycled plastic, with over half of it being made of such, and this is a new one especially if you want to use sustainable types of film for your packaging as well.

Digitizing Food Waste
This is also good because it can help with understanding how to extend the shelf-life of the products.

They’re using QR codes now in order to show how long the product has. By scanning it, they can from there follow through and see if they want to keep it on the shelves, and from there discount so that it doesn’t go to waste.

As well, if there are packages which are damaged, they can identify and take the right steps. They also look at the shelf life and stock levels, which helps with dynamic pricing where the products that near the end of this are discounted, which enable customers to buy them, so that food isn’t wasted.

And this is all of course, working together to create sustainable, useful packaging and means to properly preserve the food that you have and everything that is happening.