A DTC brand’s scaling doesn’t typically fail at the marketing stage. It breaks down when you start getting into fulfillment, because the box that performed well at fifty orders a week suddenly costs you more money at five hundred orders a week. Among the few packaging choices that impact margin are custom ecommerce boxes, and most Shopify brands don’t take another look at their packaging until the price of shipping has inched up for months on end. Packaging is worthy of the same consideration given to a marketing budget for DTC packaging boxes brands that are expanding throughout the USA.

Why Is This Packaging the Choice?

A generic DTC packaging box will make the brand work around the box rather than the box around the brand. Oversized boxes result in a waste of void fill and an increase in dimensional weight charges on each order. Too small boxes equal product damage and returns. Shopify packaging designed around the actual SKU size addresses both issues in one, while branded packaging boxes address a third issue many brands ignore – unboxing is the only point of physical brand interaction a DTC customer is guaranteed to experience, and a plain box goes to waste.

How things change when a scaling DTC brand transitions to custom ecommerce boxes:

Decrease the shipping costs per shipment. Dimensional weight fees are minimized with right-sized ecommerce fulfillment packaging, and these fees can add up quickly as businesses grow.

• Fewer damage-related refunds. Damage claims that erode margin on every order re-shipped are minimized with snug-fit boxes that limit product movement.
• Enhanced repeat purchase behaviour. Social sharing and repeat ordering are shown to be more effective with branded shipping boxes featuring a strong unboxing design than with the product alone.
• Simpler fulfillment operations. A smaller number of box SKUs (around actual product data) leads to quicker packing and training for new fulfillment personnel.

These are not marginal savings at all; they are straight-through P&L hits for a brand that is growing beyond a couple hundred orders per week.

Use Cases

The packaging requirements of Shopify vary with the type of items and the type of order that is being sent. Beauty and skin care DTC brands require secure ecommerce boxes to prevent their bottles from getting bumped around and cracked. Clothing companies require lightweight branded shipping boxes or mailers that maintain dimensional weight and present well. It is very important for subscription DTC brands to maintain consistent ecommerce fulfillment packaging each month, as it is more visible to those who are already repeat customers than to first-time purchasers. When branded shipping boxes are designed based on actual order data, multi-SKU brands with rapid growth are likely to rationalize down to two or three box sizes from a dozen.

Typical customizations of DTC brands include:

• Box sizes tailored to top-selling SKUs, not guesses
• Average product weight, wall strength, and flute type
• Full color branded shipping boxes with interior print and/or inserts
• Eco-friendly, recyclable material for brands that want to promote sustainability to their customers

All of this can be done without overcommitting prior to testing. There are no minimum order quantities, which allows scaling brands to test a new box spec before committing to a full order, and free design support includes dieline and print layout with no additional design charge.

FAQs

Q: At what volume does it become cost-effective to use custom packaging? 

A: Typically, the cost of custom sizing pays off in a few shipment cycles, which is usually several hundred orders per month, when wasted shipping costs and repeat damage claims become apparent.

Q: Do custom ecommerce boxes have minimum orders? 

A: No, orders have no minimum, which makes testing packaging changes a viable option before going wholesale.

Q: Is there an opportunity to resize packaging when new products are introduced? 

A: Yes, SKU changes can be accommodated with the custom product packaging without a complete redesign.

Q: What are the eco-friendly choices in DTC packaging? 

A: Yes, some boards can be recycled while maintaining the integrity of the boxes and appearance.

Conclusion 

Make sure that packaging doesn’t erode your margin silently as you grow. Sign up for a free design consultation, and check out ecommerce fulfillment packaging that is based on your actual order data. Email: sales@customboxesmanufacturer.com or call 713-978-0088.