How to Prevent Costly Packaging Mistakes
Protective packaging is a critical component of product success, often serving as the first point of contact with your customers. With a primary objective of protecting your products during transit and storage, even the most carefully planned packaging can sometimes fail, leading to damaged goods, increased costs, and unhappy customers.
As the global economy comes to rely even more on parcel shipping, understanding the common reasons behind packaging failures can help you design more reliable, effective solutions. Here are the five key reasons packaging fails, and tips to prevent them.
1. Inadequate Protection Against Impact and Vibration
One of the primary roles of packaging is to safeguard products from shocks, drops, and vibrations during transportation and handling. Packaging that lacks proper cushioning or shock absorption leads to product damage, returns, and increased costs.
How to prevent:
Use high-quality shock-absorbing materials like SEALED AIR® brand fabricated foam inserts, BUBBLE WRAP® brand or specialized cushioning that match the fragility of the product. Be sure to conduct impact tests to validate your packaging design.
2. Poor Material Selection
Choosing the wrong materials is a common reason for packaging failure. Using flimsy or inappropriate packaging materials can result in tears, punctures, or moisture ingress, compromising the product’s integrity.
How to prevent:
Select materials based on the product’s specific needs. Consider factors such as weight, moisture sensitivity, and environmental exposure, and opt for durable, high-quality packaging materials suited for your product’s lifecycle.
3. Lack of Proper Closure and Sealing
Even the most protective packaging can fail if it’s not properly sealed. Gaps, weak adhesives, or improper closures can allow contaminants, moisture, or air to enter, leading to spoilage or damage.
How to prevent:
Ensure that all seals, adhesives, and closures are reliable and tested under real-world conditions. Use tamper-evident seals for added security and consumer confidence.
4. Insufficient Consideration of Handling and Shipping Conditions
Many packaging failures occur because of a disconnect between design assumptions and real-world handling scenarios. Packages may be subjected to stacking, rough handling, extreme temperatures, or moisture, all of which can cause failure if not properly anticipated.
Keep in mind that while carriers aim to deliver parcels safely, they do not guarantee the exact positioning or orientation of packages during transit, even when packages are labeled.
How to prevent:
Collaborate with logistics partners to understand handling conditions and conduct environment-specific testing. Work with a packaging expert like Sealed Air to help design and test packaging so it can withstand worst-case scenarios during transit.
5. Overlooking End-of-Life and Sustainability Factors
Environmental considerations are increasingly important. Packaging that is not recyclable, biodegradable, or environmentally friendly may face rejection from consumers, regulators, or waste management systems—leading to waste and potential failure in the supply chain due to improper disposal processes.
Overpackaging is also critical to avoid, as consumers closely associate packaging with the environmental values of your brand. Consumers say their top three pet peeves when it comes to packaging are bothersome disposal, mess, and recycling difficulties. Not only do wasteful packaging practices cost retailers more money on materials and freight costs, but it could also cause a loss of long-term, loyal customers.
How to prevent:
Right-size your package to product ratios. Use padded paper or poly mailers when a box isn’t necessary. Incorporate sustainable materials and design packaging solutions that meet environmental regulations and consumer expectations.
Packaging failures can be costly, damaging your product, brand reputation, and bottom line. Choosing the right materials, designing with care, proper testing, and an emphasis on quality will help ensure your products arrive safely, satisfy your customers, and support your business’s long-term success. We can show you how. Contact us today to get started.
It’s not too late for you to avoid these common packaging mistakes and rethinking the experience your customers have with your packaging, before they rethink the experience they have with you.
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