When you’re running a small business, an effective packaging setup is essential to ensure products are transported safely and securely to buyers without compromising efficiency.
Good packaging for small business orders should do three main things: protect the product, be practical to pack with, and avoid adding unnecessary size or weight to the parcel.
However, not every business needs the same type of packaging. A clothing business may only need mailing bags, labels, and a few boxes for larger orders, while a company sending glassware or electronics will need stronger boxes and additional protection around the product. There’s little benefit in buying every type of packaging available if you won’t use it.
For most small businesses, keeping a core selection of suitable boxes, postal packaging, protective materials, packing tape, and dispatch supplies on hand is vital, and the exact combination depends on what you sell and how you sell it.
Here at Schott Packaging, we understand the importance of getting it right. Here are our top packaging tips for small businesses.
Start with the right cardboard boxes
If your products need to be sent in boxes, then getting the size right is one of the first things to sort out.
A cardboard box should give the product enough room for any protective material it needs, without leaving too much space around it. If the box is too big, you’ll need more void fill to prevent the contents from moving in transit and potentially breaking. If it’s too small, you risk putting pressure on the product or making the box difficult to close securely.
Businesses sending a range of products will usually find it more practical to keep a few commonly used sizes rather than trying to make one box fit every order.
You also need to choose a box that can cope with the weight inside. Single-wall boxes suit plenty of everyday, lighter products, whereas a stronger double-wall box may be better for heavier goods, fragile items, or boxes that will be stacked during storage and transport.
Additional tape won’t make up for using a box that isn’t strong enough. If the base or walls struggle under the weight of the contents, the box needs to be changed.
Use mailing and postal packaging when a box isn’t necessary
Not every order needs a standard cardboard box. For smaller, lighter, or flatter products, mailing and postal packaging can often provide a much better fit and require less additional packing material.
The right option depends on the product:
Mailing bags are useful for soft, non-fragile items such as clothing. They’re lightweight and don’t need void fill, but they offer very little rigid protection. While they’re a good choice for soft items, they aren’t the right fit for something that could be easily ruined by being crushed in transit.
Postal boxes work well for smaller products that need more structure than mailing bags. Choose one that leaves enough room for protection where needed without giving the item too much space to move.
Padded envelopes can work well for small items that need more protection than a standard envelope or mailing bag, but don’t require the rigid exterior of a box.
Postal tubes are designed for products such as posters and prints that need to stay rolled rather than folded.
There’s no advantage to defaulting to a cardboard box for every order. Using packaging that suits the product’s shape and strength usually makes packing simpler and reduces the amount of extra material needed.
Use protective packaging when dealing with a specific risk
Protective packaging should have a clear job: to help your item reach its destination safely.
If a product can move around inside the box and its surface could be damaged in transit, you likely need void fill and cushioning.
For fragile items, bubble wrap cushions them from knocks during handling, while void fill occupies space inside the box and reduces excessive movement.
While both void fill and cushioning work well together, they don’t need to be used at the same time in every parcel. For example, a lightweight item that isn’t particularly fragile likely doesn’t need several layers of wrapping followed by a box full of void fill.
A simple check before you seal the parcel is to gently move the packed box. If you can clearly feel the contents shifting around, there’s still too much room inside the box for the item to be shipped safely.
For orders containing several fragile items, consider how the products might hit each other and the sides of the box. Wrapping or separating individual items is more effective than simply filling the remaining space, and it helps ensure the items arrive safely.
Keep packing tape that suits the boxes you send
It’s important to choose packing tape that suits the type of parcels you’re sending.
For most lightweight and medium-weight everyday cardboard boxes, polypropylene packing tape (clear tape) is the most straightforward option. However, businesses sending heavier goods or working in more demanding packing environments may need something different.
The most important thing is to match the tape to the job rather than assuming the strongest option is automatically the best. A lightweight e-commerce parcel is unlikely to need reinforced tape, while repeatedly wrapping standard polypropylene tape around a heavy box isn’t a good substitute for using tape and a box suited to the weight.
Businesses packing boxes regularly should also consider a tape dispenser. It speeds up repeated sealing and makes it easier to apply tape evenly without having to find and cut the end of the roll every time.
Our full guide on finding the right kind of tape for cardboard boxes offers additional insight here.
Make sure labels and paperwork are protected.
Packing isn’t just about the box, the tape, and the filling; shipping labels are vital to ensure your parcels arrive at the correct destination and remain readable throughout handling and delivery. A securely packed product still runs into problems if the delivery information becomes damaged or separated from it.
To avoid this, apply shipping labels to a flat section of the package rather than folding them over a corner, box opening, or uneven surface. If invoices, delivery notes, or other paperwork need to travel on the outside of the parcel, document enclosed wallets keep the documents attached to the shipment and protected from dirt or moisture during handling.
These are especially important for businesses sending goods to warehouses, trade customers, or other environments where paperwork must stay with the package.
How do you choose the right packaging for your small business?
There isn’t one standard set of packaging materials for small business use because the right materials depend on the products being sent.
Before buying packaging, we recommend looking at four things:
Size
Measure the products you send most often. Your outer packaging needs to have enough room for the item and any protection around it, and it shouldn’t leave large areas of unused space.
If most of your orders fit into three or four boxes, build your packaging stock around those rather than keeping lots of different boxes you don’t use.
Weight
The heavier the contents, the more pressure they put on the box and the taped seams, so make sure the box is suitable for the weight you’re putting into it.
Heavier items need stronger cardboard and more secure sealing, and if you constantly feel the need to add extra tape to make a heavy box feel safe, check the box specifications rather than adding more layers.
Fragility
Think about what could realistically be damaged during transport. Can the item crack if it’s dropped? Could its surface become scratched? Can several products knock against each other inside the box?
Those questions tell you what type of protection is required. A soft item such as clothing may need almost no internal protection, while glassware, ceramics and other breakable goods will need considerably more thought around cushioning and movement.
Packing volume
The right packaging for small businesses also needs to work day to day. Packing a handful of orders each week is very different from preparing hundreds of parcels in the same time frame.
As order volume increases, small inefficiencies will become noticeable. Constantly cutting boxes down to size, walking across a large warehouse for tape, or having no real setup in place wastes precious time.
If one product regularly goes into the same box with the same protection, standardise that packing method and keep those materials close together.
Always avoid overpacking if possible.
Using more packaging doesn’t mean the product automatically is more protected.
Overpacking can mean spending too much on unnecessary packaging and can make the parcel heavier, making it more costly to send.
A good starting point is to opt for the smallest suitable outer packaging that still leaves enough room to protect the item properly. If you find yourself adding too much void fill, then you may be able to downsize the box.
The aim isn’t to use as little packaging as physically possible, but to use the right amount to transport the product safely.
Small business packaging checklist
A typical e-commerce business may need:
- Cardboard boxes in a small number of regularly used sizes.
- Mailing bags, postal boxes or envelopes for smaller and lighter orders.
- Bubble wrap or other cushioning for fragile items.
- Void fill to fill where there’s spare space inside a box.
- Packing tape suitable for the weight and type of boxes being sent.
- A tape dispenser if you pack boxes regularly.
- Shipping labels and document wallets.
- Stronger boxes or reinforced packaging for heavy goods.
Chances are, you won’t need everything on this list.
A clothing business will likely use mailing bags for most orders, while a business selling breakable homeware will need to rely more heavily on cardboard boxes and protective packaging.
Start with what you send most often, and add other materials when there’s a practical reason.
Here at Schott Packaging, we supply high-quality mailing and postal packaging, cardboard boxes, protective packaging, and tapes and adhesives for both occasional orders and higher-volume packing operations.
Explore our wide range of products today, or contact us to speak with our friendly customer service team.