Strategies to Protect Products During Shipping and Handling

Storing, shipping and delivery are vital components of a business. They are not just some things to take care of but more like stepping stones for better sales and improved business. Things like fast delivery, safe products reached to customers helps to create a positive impact on customer mind which will help in creating a positive brand image in your Target audience. Which in turn will make them trust you more and will create loyal customers. If your services are good then it has the potential of having word to mouth advertising which is the best kind of advertising.


But how can we protect our products from being damaged? This question has stayed for many years since the invention of the first cardboard box till now. The need to keep our products safe and sound have given rise to a new industry which is called a packaging industry. This industry is dedicated to provide solutions to keep our products safe from damage.

So in this article we will talk about how different strategies can help in protecting products during handling and shipping. We will talk about the things that we must keep in mind before choosing the right product packaging for you as well as the tool that you can use to get a safer edge in shipping and delivery.

Now without wasting time let's dive into it.

What are the things to keep in mind while packaging your products?

Before we talk about the ways through which we can keep our products safe during transit, it is important to know what are the factors that are responsible for damaging our products during handling and shipping. we should keep them in our mind so that we can pick the solutions which are right for us.

1. Distance - We should keep in mind how far our products will be shipped because longer the distance, more is the risk for our package to get damaged. If we want to ship out products globally then definitely we would need sturdy packaging that can withstand the rough handling of people. Compared to that if we are shipping things just in a certain locality then good chances are that you don't have to pack them as securely as you would.
   
2. Type of product - After we are certain about the distance that the product has to travel, we will talk about another important aspect of packaging products and that is what kind of product that is. The range of the products can start from fragile items to food items and then again it could be some sturdy material that have low risk of damage but are prone to getting stolen and many more things along with all this should be kept in mind while looking for the ways to pack them.
   For example - when we have to ship food items, say avocado, the packaging required will be a lot different when we want to ship high quality steel screws.
   
3. Climate - while shipping we must make sure to check the climate of the place. It is because a place can have a different set of climatic conditions that we must be aware of if you have to send a parcel to snowy mountains, you have to pack your products so that cold will not affect your product’s quality.
   
4. Mode of transportation - what kind of transportation is gonna be used to ship your parcel, is it important? Yes, it is. When we are trying to keep our items safe it is a must to see which mode of transportation is gonna be right for you. There are three modes of transport - Air, sea and land, which one shall we choose? It will depend upon what your priorities are.
   
   If you are sending products that have high risk of getting spoiled then, it would be a smart choice to send them via air which is the fastest mode. If you are not in a hurry you can consider a cost efficient option that is via sea which has been used for many centuries by humans. Land is considered perfect for the items that need special care like high end- products and fragile items.
   
5. Theft or tampering - This is something that we have to think of during shipping any product. The risk of tampering and stealing stays high especially while we ship or store fragile or high value items. To make sure that our product reaches the customer without any tampering issue then we have to pick the packaging which either makes it difficult to tamper or steal or something that will show signs even if little tampering has been done to it.
   
6. Terrain - When we think about delivery, we do not limit delivery services just for easy to reach places. These days many companies deliver goods to hard to reach places as well.
   For example- a company could be in an area which experiences heavy rain but the package has to be delivered to a desert-like place. So the packaging that you are going to use should be able to withstand extreme heat as well as moisture and humidity
   

What kind of packaging can be used to protect products during transit?

After reading about the things that we must keep in mind before we make a decision to choose the right packaging for your products. Now that we are aware of them we can talk about the different packaging products that can be used to protect our products during transit.

• Corrugated box - First in our list is the most important product and that is Corrugated box. It is not a coincidence that the first packaging solution was created to keep our products safe. These days corrugated boxes have become a necessity in packaging businesses. Due to its usefulness and versatility, we can find a lot of different kinds of corrugated boxes that will make sure to keep your products safe.
  There are several different types of corrugated boxes like 3 ply and 5 ply with 3 ply being used widely for delivering normal items and 5 ply with delivering items that need to be secured for deliveries.
  
• Bubble wrap and bubble pouches - These are the modern day invention to keep our fragile products safe from all kinds of movements, shock and moisture that can damage our fragile products. The bubbles present on the surface of the wrap acts as cushion as well as a shock absorber. If we wrap the products correctly then the wrapping and the pouch will act as water resistant packaging as well.
  
• High quality tape- This is the basic and most important step while choosing a packaging that will protect your products while shipped and handled. We must never underestimate the advantages that are provided by the tape. A good quality BOPP tape will become your best friend for packing stuff. With the large variety available in the market we can choose from the wide variety of them like colour tape, fragile tape, brown tape, clear tape, custom printed tape and many more.
  
• Corrugated bins and trays- when we are trying to pack the fragile or high end products it is important to provide ample cushioning and padding so that our products do not have a risk of being damaged.
  For such cases- Corrugated bins and corrugated trays will be the perfect choice to make sure that our products will have enough padding and thick walls so that our products stay safe.
  
• Courier bag - If we run the risk of tampering and theft for the products. Then we will talk about courier bags as they are the best choice to make sure that our products will be tamper proof and even if our products are being tampered then that cannot be done without tearing the bog open and after that it will be impossible to hide it.
  
• VCI bag - VCI bag stands for Volatile Corrosion Inhibitor. If you deal with shipping or storing the products that have a high tendency for getting rusty like screws, car parts, machine parts etc then this VCI bag will be the game changer for you.
  This is the special bag that makes sure that your products will not get rust or any other type of corrosion when we pack the corrosive items in them. They are the best choice for all kinds of products that have a risk of getting rusty.

To wrap it up

In this article we have talked about the strategies that can be used to protect products during shipping and handling. We have discussed the factors that we must keep in mind before we buy the packaging that will be appropriate for your shipping and handling needs. We hope that you were able to get the information that we were looking for.