So it’s Christmas? Not yet! But it’s time for something very important: plan your sales strategies to make the most of this business period. The end of the year is the busiest season for commerce in different sectors. After all, it is the season that concentrates dates such as Halloween, Black Friday, Christmas, Boxing Day and the beginning of the year sales.
The period is very busy for the entire commerce sector, but online shopping is still on the rise, so if you work with online sales, today we are going to address a relevant subject for this moment: is it worth investing in cardboard boxes and themed packaging for the holidays?
Is It Worth Investing in Holiday Packaging?
If you follow the Racer Boxes blog often, you’ve probably read our articles on the importance of packaging for online shopping. If you haven’t read it, we invite you to access this article on unboxing experience, as well as this one on how important it is to incorporate your brand’s personality into packaging. What happens is that the boxes did not fail to fulfill their main objectives – to make a product arrive intact at the home of its buyer – but also took on a new position. They are also important tools in marketing strategy.
Taking all this into account, you probably already know the answer to the question we asked at the beginning of this article: is it worth investing in personalized packaging for the holidays? Yes it is! After all, when we talk about online shopping, we are transferring the experience that a customer would have in a physical store to the moment they receive their box at home. Adding this to the end of the year season, which usually stirs emotions, themed packaging can help you – and a lot – to please and retain your customer.
Customized Packaging: Tips on How to Plan
If you’re considering adopting this strategy, keep reading – we’ve prepared some tips to make this process easier.
- Plan Yourself
We still have a few weeks before the holiday period starts, but if you have a business, you probably already know that planning, especially at times like these, needs to start early. If you want to use custom packaging – whether inner packaging for the products or outer cardboard boxes where they will be shipped – custom, place your order with your supplier now.
In fact, this is another tip we always give here: be close to your supplier. In this way, you are able to match conditions that are favorable to both of you. Your box supplier can even help you establish the ideal quantities needed – for that, have sales estimates in recent years and company growth as well, as this data can be useful.
- Be Specific, But Not Too Much
What elements to use in holiday themed packaging? If you’re planning this at the last minute, the best option is to choose the more traditional or Christmas-related ones if that’s your choice. But always remember to adapt the thematic material to the personality of your brand – if it is more relaxed, choose fun messages and more playful and colorful elements; if you are more serious, choose more discreet and elegant elements.
And in these cases, a tip is interesting: avoid using elements such as dates, for example. Because if you happen to order too many packages and don’t use them all, they won’t go to waste and can be used next year.
- Make Specific Promotions
The commerce will be naturally heated, so it’s time to “hitch a ride” at this good moment to intensify your sales increase. If your company has a physical headquarters, bet on roulettes, gifts, instagrammable spaces to take photos, and create environments where people want to be. If your business offers delivery or e-commerce, think about coupons, exclusive offers, sweepstakes, etc. It is important that the public knows and wants your pieces – and that when they arrive at their destination, the buyer is positively surprised.
Cardboard Boxes in Vancouver
If you need cardboard boxes in Vancouver, please contact us at Racer Boxes. We work with a wide range of products and we can help you with your demands. In addition, we work with short manufacturing and delivery times. If you still want to put into practice your strategies for the holidays, get in touch by clicking here.
You’ve created a brand, developed your first products, planned your online store and are ready to launch your website and start selling. There’s just one small detail left: deciding the right size of cardboard boxes to ship your products to their new owners’ homes. Sounds simple, right? After all, all you need to do is find a package whose measurements take into account the size of your products.
It turns out that a lot of people don’t know some details regarding this subject or else: they neglect this planning and end up wasting money on wrong packaging. Thinking of helping those who are in this stage of business, we have prepared this little guide that can be useful when choosing the right boxes to make your brand take off.
Canada Cardboard Boxes: How to Measure Them
Let’s start with the basics, which is to understand how to measure the dimensions of a box. Basically, the measurements of the boxes are length, width and depth. Note the top opening of the box to measure the following dimensions;
Length: The longest side when looking at the top of the box.
Width: The shortest side when looking at the top of the box.
Depth (Height): The side perpendicular to the length and width.
In the case of a tall or upturned box, the depth will be the greatest dimension, while the length and width will be the smallest.
On this topic, there’s a thing that a lot of people don’t know or don’t pay attention to: the industry standard for box dimensions is based on internal measurements, not external ones. This is because the external measurement would not take into account the thickness of the cardboard, which could lead to errors when fitting your products. Because of this, most manufacturers are very specific about the size of the inner and outer dimensions, and with good reason. After all, no one wants their products to be damaged because of incorrect measurements.
How to Choose Your Boxes?
Now that we’ve explained a little about how to measure boxes, let’s move on to tips for choosing the best packaging for your products. For starters: what product are you going to ship and what size is it? Measure the dimensions of the finished package in this order: length, width and height. Is it a standard size and shape or is it a special item that may not fit in a standard box? Can you flip your item to fit in a smaller box?
Follow this rule of thumb: look for a box that is big enough to fit your product – and maybe fill in gaps – but not much bigger. If you buy a very large box, you end up paying more for packaging materials and shipping. In addition, your operation becomes less ecological – and people tend not to like receiving products in packages that are much larger than the product.
If you’re going to ship products like books or clothes, there’s not much need to fill the voids in the package with paper or bubble wrap. But if your products are breakable or delicate, take that into account – in addition to the box itself, you will need kraft paper or plastic – if possible, prefer paper.
Will You Ship More Than One Product at a Time?
Online stores usually sell multiple products, so the chance for your customers to buy more than just a single item is there, right? Shipping orders can feel like building a 3D puzzle. Get creative when trying to fit multiple items into a box, rotating and nesting them in various ways to find the best arrangement.
Let’s use an example to illustrate the tips. Let’s say you’ve founded a brand that sells bar cosmetics like soap, shampoo, and conditioner. And that the first item launched was a shampoo. So, at this first moment, people should buy one or at most two items at a time, right? So, at that first moment, you can invest in smaller boxes, big enough to fit two packages – that way, you save both on your box order and on shipping expenses.
After a few months, you also launch the bar conditioner and two soap options, totaling four products in your portfolio. From now on it may be more common for people to buy more than two products at once, right? From that moment on, you must then place an order for boxes with a greater variety of sizes.
Always pay attention to customer buying behaviors over time. Do people often buy certain items together? Do you offer incentives or discounts for customers to purchase a specific amount of products? Use this information to predict which box size will be most popular.
Cardboard Boxes in Canada
Finally, we reinforce the advice we always give here: have a close relationship with your box supplier. That way, if you have questions or are feeling unsure about which box sizes to choose, he can guide you and help you in this task. If you are a business in Canada, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.
Do you have a business that sells and delivers items like food, beverages or even other items that may be temperature sensitive like pharmaceuticals for example? If so, you probably already know that it is essential that these items are securely packaged and that this packaging contributes to ensuring that the product remains in good condition until it reaches the buyer’s home, right? After all, there are items that are more sensitive to factors such as humidity and temperature changes.
If you are just entering this market or would like to improve the conditions in which your products are shipped, keep reading – we have put together a list of tips that can help you in this process.
Cardboard Boxes and Packaging
Before considering any other factors to ensure the safety of your temperature-sensitive products, you should always think first about the type of packaging you are using. Yes, the packaging you use can help prevent damage to items.
- Cardboard Boxes
Yes, the good old corrugated cardboard box is still unbeatable when it comes to packaging for transporting products – they are durable, resistant and ecologically correct. If you sell fruits and vegetables, for example, there are boxes that were designed specifically for this purpose and that help ensure that the products reach buyers intact.
- Padding
Going back to the example of selling and delivering fruits and vegetables – cardboard boxes are your biggest allies in this process, right? But not only them – after all, when sending apples and peaches loose in a box, there is a risk that the fruits will hit each other and arrive crumpled at the buyer’s house. Therefore, pack your products well so that they are still inside the box – you can do this using kraft paper or cardboard dividers, for example.
It’s interesting to have several types of dividers available, so you can accommodate customer requests almost as if it were a real jigsaw puzzle. Contact your box supplier and they can help you come up with good solutions for this issue.
How to Keep the Temperature Stable For Cardboard Boxes?
Now that we have addressed the issue of choosing suitable packaging for sensitive products, we can move on to more specific actions with regard to temperature.
- Isolation
Let’s start with a tip that is aimed specifically at those who sell fresh items such as still raw meats and fish, or dairy products like cheeses. The ideal, in these cases, is to send the products in insulating packaging, such as vacuum-sealed plastic, which will ensure that they arrive fresh to the recipients. Then, just place the products in suitable cardboard boxes.
This tip is also valid for those who sell homemade items such as cookies, brownies and breads. For local deliveries, you can opt for paper and cardboard packaging, as noted above. But if you ship your products to other cities, a good idea is to invest in airtight packaging, which can be either pots or plastic.
- Plastic
Are you shipping frozen items? In this case, even if the delivery is made in places close to where you are, you have to count on the possibility that there may be a leak – if this is the case, you can invest in airtight packaging (and think about a return policy, for example) or even lining the cardboard boxes with watertight plastic.
- Ice
Another option to keep the contents of the boxes you send cold is the use of gel packs, gel ice or even dry ice, which are materials that can keep the temperature cold during transport. In this case, be sure to include safety instructions for handling dry ice, for example, in the box.
Cardboard Boxes in Vancouver
Finally, if you need help thinking of good cardboard box options for your company, please contact us. Racer Boxes works with an extensive portfolio of custom boxes and can help you find the ideal options for shipping your products. In addition, we work with fast delivery of up to 15 days. To contact us, click here.
The shipping of purchases made over the internet is a reason for a lot of anxiety. For everyone. On the one hand, we have a client that, right after making a purchase, already activates a mental countdown until the delivery date. On the other are online sellers, responsible for making the right choices for this gear to work properly.
But how to deliver orders with the least chance of delays and agility necessary to beat the competition? That’s what we’re going to talk about in this article: the smart solutions to optimize your shipping and make it more agile!
Online Commerce Needs Freight Management
The first step for those looking for agility in sending packages is to develop assertive freight management. Get to know your business and the demand for deliveries generated in your virtual store. If this mapping is still unclear to you, then start this assessment right away.
The biggest mistake an internet salesperson can take is to leave situations to deal with as they arise. Agility is a consequence of proactive planning to prepare your e-commerce for different situations. For example, if you already know that you usually make around 50 sales every day, you already know that you need at least 1550 cardboard boxes per month.
Always observe if this number is increasing or decreasing month by month to be able to make packaging purchase forecasts. Also prepare for commemorative dates in advance.
Organize the Small Tasks
The more organized your company’s day-to-day activities are, the greater the agility of the entire logistics process. It may seem like simple advice, but one that many businesses, especially smaller ones, don’t usually follow. To do this, make a list of all the processes necessary to send an order.
That is: printing the label with addresses, issuing invoices, separating products, separating packages, assembling packages and so on. Do each one at a time – set aside a time of day for prints only, another time for closing boxes only. To avoid stopping what you’re doing to assemble a new box several times a day.
Optimize order preparation
You must know precisely the time spent to pack the orders so you don’t waste time on it. Always having the packaging and materials to wrap or accommodate the items at hand is essential. Make a checklist of this demand and don’t miss the inputs to release the order as quickly as possible.
The alert is even more urgent if your e-commerce works with customized packaging. A differentiated delivery experience does not justify the delay in transport. Count the time to prepare the package along with the delivery time informed to the customer.
Look for New Delivery Methods
Remember, when we talk about streamlining processes, we talk about your actions in logistics, as well as meeting delivery deadlines. That is, investing in fast shipments means being one step ahead of possible turbulence and unforeseen events. If possible, offer the customer several options – both a more cost-effective (and longer-lasting) and a faster one.
Remember that for a considerable share of customers, delivery time may be more important than the shipping price. In this case, it is not just the agility of your logistics that we are talking about. The central point here is how speed stands out as an influencing factor in the purchase decision.
Prepare Your Cardboard Boxes
If you have an online store, you will invariably need cardboard boxes to ship your orders. If you are in the Vancouver area, please contact us. We can help you with your demands and work with fast deliveries. To request a quote, click here.
When we talk about market trends, if you are an entrepreneur, the more you know, the better. After all, being on top of changes in consumer behavior can be essential to guide your brand on a successful path. Therefore, today we will talk a little more about trends that we should see strengthening in the next decade when it comes to packaging and cardboard boxes.
We have already publieshed a text around here with this theme, and today we will talk about some more trends. As we always point out here, online commerce is on the rise and we shouldn’t see a slowdown in the coming years. That is, if your company sells products over the internet (or would like to sell), keep reading to better understand what’s coming.
More About Packaging Trends
Before getting to the point, it is worth remembering that we are talking here about trends specifically aimed at the food and beverage segment. And if you want to better understand what consumers expect from the packages they receive when they make an online purchase, here you can find interesting data.
The Future of the Cardboard Boxes
Now, thinking about more innovations that are emerging and that will gain space over the next decade, we can highlight items such as:
- Dissolvable Packaging
There are a number of new solutions emerging specifically in the food and beverage industry – such as using biodegradable materials and natural paint. When we talk about boxes themselves (commonly used in ready-to-eat delivery), those made from cornstarch have been gaining space. The same goes for boxes made specifically for water – as a way to replace the plastic in bottles – or drinks in ‘paper’ bottles (Carlsberg presented at the beginning of the year a bottle 100% made of wood fibers).
- Boxes in All Sizes
Increasingly, we will see packaging more adjusted to the product. This is not just an issue related to the packaging itself, but the entire chair involved in delivering an online purchase to a customer’s home. The less space your boxes take up, the more boxes you will be able to transport in the same truck, container or another – with fuel price increases worldwide, this will continue to be a relevant issue. In addition, consumers tend not to like to receive their products in boxes that are too big (because there is usually a waste of material, both in the box itself and in protective materials).
- Nanotechnology
Boxes with nanotechnology coatings will become increasingly common. This applies both to the food segment, since this barrier helps to preserve food for longer, and to other general segments as wall. This is because it is possible to associate this type of coating with a smart device that will be able to provide information such as tracking and protection against theft.
- Smart Warehousing
With the increase in online shopping, competition increases. With increasing competition, companies are racing to please the consumer – and fast delivery makes more and more difference to win the preference of customers. Therefore, smart warehousing will be increasingly common.
That is, we will see large inventories operated and organized by humans and robots. This ensures more agility in internal processes and speed in the delivery – important for customers – and also more data and automation of operations, which is important for the entrepreneur.
Cardboard Boxes in Vancouver
As we mentioned, the solutions above will become more popular over the next few years. For now, if you are in need of cardboard boxes for your business, please contact us. We work with a range of customizable options and for a range of different products – from food to electronics. To contact us and request a free quote, click here.
We are well aware that one of the main challenges facing entrepreneurs today, especially small business owners, is to stand out from the crowd. Today’s consumers have a lot of choices available to them – and they are impacted by product information and advertising all the time. How, in this scenario, to establish itself as a trusted brand?
At the end of the day, all this leads us to the elaboration of the brand persona. This is a marketing technique that attributes human characteristics to your brand. As if it was really a person. This is a great way to guide everything in a company – from communication to packaging where products will be shipped to their new owners.
That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today – with a focus, of course, on packaging. Keep reading to understand better.
What Is a Brand Persona?
As mentioned above, brand persona is a marketing exercise that consists of designing human characteristics for your brand. This is important because it can help you position yourself in the market and also better communicate with your customers. In general, people tend to trust brands whose personality is similar to their own.
To get to your brand personality, you can use a number of attributes – but in general, there are five broad groups that are used a lot in this exercise. They are: exciting, sincere, rugged, competent and sophisticated. You can start by choosing one of these – and from there, choose other more specific adjectives.
Let’s take a practical example. We could fit the Tim Hortons brand into the exciting category. And within this classification, we fit other adjectives: young, with no time to waste, likes to eat out, urban, loves social networks, etc.
Why Is It Important?
With these characteristics in mind, we can already imagine a standard client that has these characteristics, right? And why is this important? The topics below can help you answer this question.
- Communication: with this personality in mind, you will be able to plan how to communicate with your customers. This goes through texts, images, colors and so on.
- Differentiation: Having a well-defined brand persona helps you to be confident enough to stand out from your competitors.
- Values and message: it is also easier to define the values and messages that your brand wants to convey.
Personality Packaging
And, finally, we come to the main objective of this post: to emphasize the importance of packaging that has to do with your brand personality in this whole process. To do this, we also have some tips. Check out below.
- Language
Let’s say you have an online store and, in the process of defining the persona, you assign it the characteristics trendy, casual and young, for example. When thinking about the packaging – and what goes on it – you can use slang, jokes or humorous comments. This applies both to the product’s inner packaging and to the outer cardboard box, which can have a custom print.
- Colors
Yes, colors also communicate a lot and send messages! If your brand is described as classic and sober, for example, you will probably have a more neutral color palette, with black, white, gray, for example. For more delicate and youthful brands, you could use softer tones. For trendy brands, more vibrant shades and so on.
- Fonts
They work exactly like the colors – the chosen font, whether for the personalized cardboard boxes, or for any letter you happen to send along with the packages, communicates something. Classic and more serious fonts like Times New Roman communicate just that – a brand that’s geared towards the classic, towards the serious.
- Type of Material
Yes, even choosing the ideal cardboard box for shipping your product can send a message. Discreet boxes can be connected to values such as seriousness and reliability (and many consumers like that, especially when it comes to high-value purchases – a discreet and minimalist box attracts less attention on the way to the final destination, for example). Boxes with more festive printing, in various colors, convey an air of relaxation and even youth.
Cardboard Boxes in Vancouver
To summarize, it is important to define your company’s personality because this can guide a series of other decisions that will be made later. If you are going through this process and would like cardboard boxes that fit your brand, please contact us at Racer Boxes. We work with a number of formats, sizes and types of printing and we can help you with your demands.
We are well aware that the cardboard boxes segment is currently experiencing supply problems. This is a segment that has been greatly affected by the pandemic (which greatly boosted online shopping) and the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has affected the supply chain as a whole.
And with the arrival of the second semester, many companies begin to plan their end-of-year events – such as black friday and Christmas, which tend to heat up the commerce. And according to supply analysts, the supply of packaging should remain tight until the end of this next holiday season.
How, then, to prepare? How to plan an increase in sales without fear of running out of packaging to ship products? In this article, we will give you some tips that can help.
Shortage of Cardboard Boxes: Is It for All Types?
Before moving on to practical tips, it is interesting to look at the different paper packaging. According to supply analysts, there are different scenarios happening at the same time – it all depends on the type of box in question.
Let’s start with traditional corrugated cardboard boxes, widely used to send products by mail, for example. Although they are also included in the context of scarcity, they can still be obtained relatively easily. Other types of boxes, such as non-corrugated (usually used as packaging that wraps a product directly) can be more difficult to find/buy. If you use both types, check with your local supplier for the scenario for each type of box.
How Not to Run Out of Cardboard Boxes?
In the current moment, to avoid having to stop sales due to lack of packaging, planning is even more crucial. Check out some tips below that can help.
- Anticipate
If you tend to plan your box orders weeks in advance, you may need to review this template. That is, it is necessary to think even further ahead, months in advance. And that, as we know, can affect a company’s financial planning. Which brings us to item number 2.
- Narrow your relationship
If you already have a local packaging supplier, now is the time to strengthen your relationship with them. Ask for help with this planning task and negotiate special conditions for larger orders. Another good tip is to ask the supplier directly what he is currently producing, to try to fit your order instead of making a very personalized demand.
Of course, your supplier will go out of their way to help you in whatever way they can – but you may need to meet them halfway.
- Understand Who Your Supplier Is
This tip is closely connected with the previous one. In addition to strengthening your relationship with the supplier, it is interesting that you understand how the market works. Is your supplier local? Does it receive the raw material used in the boxes and other packaging from other local suppliers? Or does it depend on material imported from other countries?
In the second case, this supplier is likely to be more susceptible to changes in the global scenario, which can directly affect the supply of boxes to your business (and their price as well). On the other hand, local suppliers are usually able to deflect a little more from problems like this – in addition, prices are also usually lower, since there are less expenses with logistics and transport of materials.
Cardboard Boxes in Vancouver
If you are in Vancouver and are looking for a cardboard box supplier for your business, please contact us. We work with local suppliers and have good product delivery times. If you want to negotiate your boxes for the next few months, click here and we can help you with your demands.
We always emphasize here how much the pandemic ended up strengthening e-commerce – and how this habit of buying online is here to stay among consumers. And what happens is that even with this rise, some sectors benefited more than others. When we talk about cardboard boxes for food, groceries and beverages, we are talking about the second case – yes, this was one of the segments that grew the most in this period.
And the trend should continue. According to data released by Statista (a German company specializing in market and consumer data) at the beginning of the year, online grocery sales in 2022 will account for 11.1% of total food and beverage sales in the US. The number is three times higher than the percentage recorded in 2019, even before the pandemic. By 2026, the expectation is that one in five grocery sales will be made online.
Packaging Trends for Food and Beverage
And when we talk about increasing sales to the final consumer, it is clear that this implies an increase in sales of cardboard packaging boxes for this segment. That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about in today’s post. If you have a company in this segment, stay tuned for trends – if you still don’t sell online, maybe it’s time to think about it. Check it out below.
- Sustainable Packaging
Yes, the issue of sustainability is frequently mentioned here at Racer Boxes’ blog and for good reason – it is in great demand from modern consumers. In this case, the cardboard boxes are in a good place, as they are easily recyclable. In addition, subscription services for meals, groceries or drinks tend to strengthen, thus increasing the demand for boxes.
- Interactive Packaging
QR Codes, NFC Chips, links to social networks and any other way of interacting with your customer are easy and practical ways to tell your brand’s story and strengthen your company’s image with the consumer. In other words, choose personalized packaging and communicate with your audience – this is a simple strategy that puts your brand ahead of those who don’t care about it.
- Packaging Can Collect Feedback
This trend is 100% connected with the topic above. After all, if you are going to include a QR code that takes your customer to a landing page that tells the story of the brand, for example, you can also use this interaction to ask for feedback. Include a form or even a few simple questions for consumers to answer. This data will be valuable and can guide your next business and marketing strategies.
Cardboard Boxes for Food and Drinks in Canada
If you have read this text and you are convinced that you need a more assertive strategy regarding food or beverage packaging, please contact us. Racer Boxes works with a series of customizable packaging and can help you find the best options for your business. Click here to request a free quote.
The cardboard boxes industry is expected to grow about 3.8% per year in the period that goes from 2020 to 2025. This indicates that the market is expected to reach a value of US$ 205.7 billion worldwide in this period. In addition, up to 193.2 million tons of corrugated cardboard should be consumed by then. That’s what a survey by Smithers, a multinational company specializing in testing, consulting, information and compliance services, recently released.
Another factor analyzed in the research was the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on this segment. According to the report, the pandemic will indeed have a marked impact on the corrugated cardboard industry, especially in the regions most affected by the virus. On the other hand, less affected countries are expected to reach record numbers in online purchases, especially for electronics.
The Future of Corrugated Cardboard Boxes
In addition, the research still identifies some trends that should accentuate in the next two and a half years, check below.
- Recycling and sustainability continue to be a growing concern among consumers, which should pressure the industry to increasingly use cardboard over plastic. Many large companies in the segment are even investing heavily in the use of recycled fiber to manufacture cardboard boxes.
- Demand for finer flute grades is expected to increase – this type of packaging will gain more market share, often replacing folding cartons. The increase in consumption of this type of packaging – which is widely used in the beauty, cosmetics, jewelry segments – is directly connected with the demand for quality digital prints, the next trend to be addressed in this blog post.
- Demand for high-quality digital printing on packaging, especially in white cardboard, will increase. This is closely linked with the increase in online shopping, and so is the demand for unboxing experiences. We talked a little bit about this here.
- Even if COVID-19 lockdowns are in the past, e-commerce will continue to grow. So much that there’s room to develop other corrugated cardboard formats for e-commerce, combining convenience and extra protection. There are companies that now have dedicated design teams to provide premium solutions for online businesses.
- New coating technologies, including bio-based polymer solutions, will help improve the recyclability of coated corrugated cardboard boxes types. Many R&D sectors of large manufacturers are focused on the development of 100% recyclable and/or biodegradable packaging.
Cardboard Boxes in Canada
As the data and trends presented indicate, both the cardboard box segment and online commerce must continue to reinvent and strengthen themselves. After all, the consumer will not abandon the habit of buying online that has been acquired in recent years.
If you are a company that works with online commerce and you are looking for a supplier of quality cardboard boxes, please contact us. We can help you with the best options for your case. In addition, we also work with custom printing and competitive delivery times. To contact us, click here.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is now a global concern. With the sanctions imposed on Russia, due to the military attacks on the neighboring country, the economy of the nation presided over by Putin suffers from restrictions from around the world. In a globalized world, the consequences of the strangulation of the Russian economy affect several markets.
And this also applies to the pulp and paper market. After all, petroleum derivatives (whose prices have soared) generate chemical products and some of these are used in this industrial process. We also have the fuel used to transport wood, raw material and final product. And there is the use of fuel in the burning of the industrial process. So we can say that, yes, conflicts also affect the paper industry.
Another factor that impacts this scenario are the Ukrainian and Russian companies themselves, which have been facing problems to maintain their operation. Since the end of February, paper manufacturers in both countries have had their production interrupted. In addition, sales and deliveries of chemical products used in this industry were suspended. As Russia’s biggest export partner in this segment is China, it is very likely that they will need to import from other countries to be able to maintain consumption figures.
Will the Packaging Market Continue to Grow?
According to an estimate prepared and released by Adobe Projects, 2022 should be the first year in which online commerce will move US$ 1 trillion. And most of these purchases must be made through a smartphone. That is, even with an uncertain global scenario both because of the pandemic and because of the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, consumers will continue to buy online.
And the pulp and paper industry, which has faced high prices recently due to the scarcity of raw materials, will continue to grow. In the first two months of this year alone, consumers spent around US$ 121 billion, 34% more than in the same period last year.
Is it Possible to Dodge Higher Cardboard Prices?
If you have a business that relies on cardboard boxes to function – like an online store, for example – you’re probably wondering if you’ll have to pay more for packaging. As we have seen, in a globalized world it seems almost impossible to go through situations like these unscathed. After all, price hikes work as a kind of domino effect and impact the entire production chain. But it is possible to try to minimize these effects. Some tips on how to do this:
- Prioritize a long-term relationship with your packaging supplier. After all, with longer contracts, you can negotiate better and often get better prices than if you were jumping from supplier to supplier in search of the best prices at that moment.
- Buy from local suppliers! After all, if you buy from outside suppliers, they will spend more fuel to deliver your order to you than a local company would. This price will be included in the final price.
- Use data to your advantage. By analyzing your company’s sales and seasonality, you probably already have a sales estimate for the next few months, right? So, if possible, advance your order of boxes and keep a good stock for the foreseeable future. Especially if you get a good price for the largest quantity from your supplier.
Cardboard Boxes in Vancouver
If you are in the Vancouver area and are looking for a cardboard box supplier, please contact us. As our suppliers are local, we were not as impacted by the global price hike on packaging. We work with all types of boxes, from customized boxes to produce markets, and we can help you with your demands in this regard. Please request a free quote by clicking here.