For more than 70 years, we have helped businesses with their packaging needs for their merchandise. Every day during the past decade, a new merchant has approached online sales with the same questions and concerns about the best solutions to get their product to the customer economically and with respect for the environment. As you may know, since the start of the pandemic, this trend of the pandemic, this trend has been at its peak as online commerce has never been so flourishing.
Let’s first ask these 3 questions:
What are the characteristics of your package (weight, dimensions, fragility, etc.)?
What will be the route, mode of conveyance and treatment of your package to the destination?
What are the ecological and economic impacts you want to respect?
A solution for every situation
When you have considered your packaging needs, you will still be faced with many options: paper, cardboard, or plastic. In addition to protecting your merchandise, choosing the right packaging helps you strengthen your brand and even retain your customer service in some cases. So, the right packaging will guarantee safe delivery, but some will even say that the packaging is just as important as the product itself. On this point, we agree especially if you want to display your ecological values in a verry tangible way. Can you imagine the journey of a single shipped package? There is a whole journey from the time you complete the packaging and hand it over to your delivery company to the end consumer.
You understand, that to guarantee the integrity of the merchandise, it is necessary to pack it properly. To protect the product from possible damage in transit, whether form the impact, moisture, or other physical or chemical damage, your solution should be optimal.
Packaging solutions for online sales
Let us be pragmatic above all. Although packaging has evolved a lot in recent years, there will always be the essential elements. The transport of goods has been a necessity since the dawn of time and online sales have simply evolved this need to break free from middlemen. Package transport has increased exponentially. Wholesale transport has given way to piece transport. This has therefore raised the need to find the best solution. We will try o shed more light on the subject for you here.
Carboard envelopes
Cardboard envelopes have become one the most popular solutions for small package shipments. The high quality of materials that cardboard envelopes are made of prevents items from bending or wrinkling, allowing them to be delivered damage-free. Their closure system consisting of a self-adhesive strip is extremely practical. Their versatility and robustness make them an affordable solution for successful deliveries in perfect condition.
Ideal if you need to ship:
• Photographs or photo albums
• DVD or CD • Flat electronic devices such as a tablet or smartphone
• Books, catalogs, comics, magazines, and documents in general
• Various collectibles, such as stamps or coins
• Decorative materials such as vinyl’s adhesives or sheets
• Promotional or advertising items such as brochures
Traditional paper envelopes
The envelopes are made from paper or kraft. They sometimes laminate on the inside, making the packaging secure, reducing the risk of tearing.
Bubble envelopes, on the other hand, are typically designed to wrap electronic items like small electronics and other fragile goods. The bubble wrap is effective for the most sensitive products, as the number of bubbles reduces the chances of all of them bursting during transport. In fact, bubble wrap is widely used for larger packages. As the fragility of the articles decreases, larger bubbles can be used.
Reused or new cardboard boxes
By far the most widely used, cardboard boxes are a great solution, as the cardboard is very strong and very durable. It is therefore no coincidence that we sell reused boxes that we have called ecological boxes because their lifespawn is impressive. It was a shame to use them only once.
In all sizes and thicknesses, reused cardboard boxes are more environmentally friendly and more economical. If you are flexible with your formats, this is a smart choice. Your customers will appreciate it. We have customers who put in a cute little note that sending this package in a reused box saves hundreds of trees a year. It’s a matter of shared values.
If you are looking for tailor-made solutions, new boxes are an excellent choice for larger quantities. They can also be personalized if you wish.
If necessary, accessories such as honeycomb dividers, dividers, or bubble wrap among other, can be used inside the cardboard box, to further secure the product.
Plastic shipping envelopes
Plastic shipping envelopes are flexible, and widely used for transportation. Less environmentally friendly, they are popular for certain tamper-proof envelope needs. For ecological reasons, this solution should be at the bottom of your list except for very high value items. An interesting advantage, they are completely waterproof. To be considered depending on the route of the package.
More stylish solutions can be viewed at:
One of our clients has invented a very stylish and personalized concept of small packaging that allows you to showcase your shipments of jewelry or other small items. If they can be incerted in a small parcel style envelope, they can slip into an envelope slot and thus reduce the cost of shipping. The PlumePak© brand is a small revolution in impactful mailings. 100% ecological, and economical. There is no doubt that for gift shipments you will not go unnoticed. We share our ecological and economic values.
Cartonnerie Montréal® and its BBOX® commercial division
Shipping costs are now a profitability issue for traders. While these costs are largely absorbed by your customers, the fact remains that your price competitiveness is greatly affected. The lower you’re packaging and shipping costs, the better your prices will be.
Customers today are sensitive to all the differentiators and price is unequivocally the starting point. To make a better choice, they will certainly try to find out if you share the same values and if your guarantees are reassuring and honored.
Our advisor talks every day with traders like you who want to find the optimal solution, you need to know your options, your competitors and especially your customers. We’ll go over a few recommendations here based on our experience, but we’re just a click away or a call away from helping you make the best choices.
In conclusion, to choose the best packaging solution, you have to know your options, your competitors and above all your customers. You know some things are calculated better than others, but one fact remains: time is money too. So, take the time to clearly assess your needs with the questions at the beginning of the article, and then shop around with suppliers who can guide you and provide you with the best solutions.
Don’t underestimate the financial and ecological impact of your decisions. The traces of carbon left by this phenomenal number of packages in circulation could use a little help to reduce their ecological impact. Rest assured that cardboard is at the top of the list and that reused boxes are at the top of ecological gestures. Cardboard boxes are all recyclable, which also makes them viable options. Let’s avoid plastics and other solutions that are not respectful of the environment.
We have calculation tools available in our ecological boxes section to help you validate inventory availability
The Cartonnerie Montreal team
