Monday, August 26, 2019

How WAT Helps Prevent Theft in Luxury Shipping

Theft Prevention in Luxury Shipping

If your company sells luxury goods like cosmetics, handbags, higher-end apparel and other costly items online, you face unique shipping challenges. In particular, theft is an issue that can take a bite out of your profits.

While theft insurance is available, having it for every shipment drives up your shipping costs. Fortunately, there are other steps you can take to protect your valuable products in the shipping stream and maintain a great reputation with customers.

Luxury Goods: A Market Experiencing Tremendous Growth

The luxury goods market is one that is growing at a healthy pace, and there is no end in sight. According to Statista’s Luxury Goods Report, online luxury sales are “projected to grow at twice the market rate and capture 18% of all sales revenue by 2023.”

Want to know more about the benefits of water-activated packaging tape? Check out this guide:


One of the groups driving this growth is millennials. Forbes reports that millennials are not just the most powerful consumers right now, they are also luxury goods shoppers, noting that “millennials and Generation Z account for nearly 50% of Gucci’s total sales.” Much of that buying occurs online. AEuclid study revealed that “almost half (48%) of millennials shop in-store at least once per week.” But those in-person shopping sessions do not always lead to the checkout counter. Instead, they spur online buying. 
To ensure that they are able to offer a seamless multi-channel shopping experience, luxury brands must boost their ecommerce investments. One way to do that is to offer fast and free shipping. That is not a revolutionary idea, but it is an important tactic, as unexpected shipping costs are one of the main reasons people abandon their shopping cart.
In order to provide that benefit, it is important to avoid the significant expenses associated with product theft.

How Water-Activated Tape Helps Luxury Product Companies Address Security Concerns

Theft from packages and theft of packages are both major concerns for American consumers. The first often occurs as what is sometimes referred to as a press-and-grab theft. The criminal presses down on the top of the shipping carton, the weak tape yields, and the criminal pulls products out of the box. The box flaps then spring back up, leaving the theft undetected until later.
So-called “porch pirates” are responsible for the second type of theft. Millions of Americans every year have packages stolen off their front porch or out of their mailbox. Porch pirates tend to target packages that appear to contain high-value items.
What’s the best way to prevent a press-and-grab theft? Ensure that the shipping carton is securely sealed. Some types of tape create a very surface-level seal that is easy to break. Water-activated tape (also called WAT, Kraft paper tape, or brown paper tape), on the other hand, actually fuses with the carton material to form a theft-deterring bond. Make no mistake: thieves always look to take the “path of least resistance,” and a WAT-sealed package definitely is not it!
How can you reduce the risk that a shipment will fall victim to porch pirates? That involves a decision about how important it is for your company to display branding on the external packaging.

To Brand a Carton or Not to Brand a Carton?

One of WAT’s many benefits is that it can be printed with branding that promotes your company. However, that beautiful branding may not only catch the eye of consumers, but thieves as well. Consequently, if your company sells luxury products, you have a decision to make. While you want to provide a premium shopping experience for your customers, you want to be sure that they receive your shipments. 
One way to achieve both your security and marketing goals is to address them sequentially. First, ship your products in plain packaging with no visible branding. This forces thieves to make a guess about which packages to grab and increases the odds that yours will be ignored. Second, focus your marketing efforts on what your customers see when they open the outer packaging. Create the “Wow!” factor they’re looking for by making the internal packing a feast for the eyes. 
This two-step approach helps luxury goods companies both avoid theft-related costs and impress customers.

Learn More and Try WAT for Free

Wondering if brown paper tape can help your organization make luxury product shipments more secure? Learn more about WAT, request a free WAT sample, and contact us at your convenience.
We’re happy to talk with you about your shipping requirements and ways to meet them.

Check out our new guide below to ensure that your business is using the proper shipping and packaging tape for your needs. 
Packaging Tape Online Guide

[This post republished from the 
Better Packages Blog]

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Bubble: Benefits & Strength

Bubble Comes in Two Primary Categories:


1. VOID FILL
Void fill is filling in excess space around products in a box or container, protecting them against damage.

Typical applications:
– Shipping giftware
– Shipping books
– Shipping small appliances
– Shipping multiple items in the same container

2. BLOCKING & BRACING
Blocking and bracing is securing products in a box or container to prevent them from shifting, sliding, moving, or colliding.

Typical applications:
– Shipping books
– Shipping jewelry
– Shipping fragile Items
– Shipping computer monitors
– Shipping precision gears
– Shipping sculptures
– Shipping Un-assembled furniture

These two categories go hand-in-hand as all empty space should be filled in order to block and brace effectively.

Pack station using Polyair AirSpace G6 machine and bubble-on-demand

Pros of Bubble

✔ Comes in different sizes and film thicknesses.
✔ Comes in different forms like bags, sheets, and rolls.
✔ Offers protection against shock and vibration.
✔ Easy-to-use, reusable.
✔ Versatile: interleaving, wrapping, and cushioning.

Cons of Bubble

✘ Designed for short periods of use (days or weeks).
✘ Can be difficult to recycle (explained below).

The Use of Nylon Vs. 100% Polyethylene

Some bubble film companies use Nylon in their bubble manufacturing process. Nylon lowers the recycle number from a #4 to a #7 recycled product (where facilities exist), and also makes the bubble much less pliable. This lack of pliability, particularly evident when wrapping around corners or other sharp edges, causes some bubble products to puncture and tear much easier than products that are 100% polyethylene. With consumers becoming ever more aware of their environmental impact, but not wanting to sacrifice performance, a bubble product made with 100% polyethylene is the smartest choice.

How Do I Know Which Bubble is Best/Strongest?

Below is a graph detailing Polyair 1/2" Bubble against two Nationwide competitors. The bubble burst strengths were measured by observing the pounds of force needed to break the bubble.

5-10 tests were completed for each product. The averages are charted here:



[This post republished from the Polyair Blog
]

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Why Water-Activated Tape Is an Ideal Fit for E-Commerce

E-commerce in the United States is projected to hit $735.4 billion by 2023, which means that a lot of packages are landing on front porches all across America.
The increase in e-commerce revenue and shipping volume amplify the importance of making sure quality is paramount in all areas of the fulfillment process - especially when it comes to sealing cartons before shipment. 
We recommend water-activated tape for companies shipping valuable products, in large or small quantities. 
Water-activated tape (also known as gummed tape, Kraft paper tape, reinforced paper tape) is designed to create a superior seal on your corrugated cartons while providing advantages other carton sealing methods do not.
Quality packaging is paramount in the e-commerce fulfillment process

Proven Increase in Efficiency
With the surge of e-commerce, industry-leading companies have been making the switch from pressure sensitive tape (PST) to water-activated tape (WAT). 
Companies typically make the switch for a number of reasons, with productivity being high up on the list. 
One large customer made the switch to increase productivity and shipped millions of packages this past holiday season. As you can imagine, packers physically sealing that many cartons using a hand-held tape gun would be exhausted. 
Studies prove that carton sealing productivity is 21% higher when using gummed paper tape and a gummed paper tape dispenser versus pressure-sensitive tape being applied via handheld dispenser. 
Further, just one strip of water-activated shipping tape is all that’s needed to seal a carton properly. This can translate into financial savings when considered against plastic pressure sensitive tape, which requires more than one strip of tape per package to provide a reliable seal.

Theft Prevention
Unfortunately, Comcast reports that roughly 1 in 4 people have been a victim of package theft, resulting in a lot of uncertainty when ordering online. 
While your packaging and shipping choices can’t stop “porch pirates” from snagging delivered goods, you can choose materials that prevent would-be thieves.
When sealing a carton with regular plastic packing tape, the tape just sits on top of the box. This creates a weak seal that makes the tape easy to remove. 
Theft during the transport process is far too common with packages sealed this way. 
One can simply press down on the box and slide a hand in to remove contents from the carton without any visual damage being done to the carton itself. 
This is where the security of water-activated tape comes in. 
Each strip of WAT literally bonds to the carton. If someone tries to tear or open the package, tamper evidence will be easily detected.


Better Packages® and Central® Brand Water-Activated Tape
IPG manufactures a full line of Better Packages water-activated tape dispensers and Central brand water-activated tape. Both brands have been in business for over 100 years, satisfying loyal customers by fulfilling their packaging needs. 

tape-dispenser-quiz



[This post republished from the Better Packages Blog]