How to Optimize Your Corrugated Box Design
In today’s competitive business environment, the design of your corrugated packaging matters more than you might think. Whether you’re a smaller business delivering products locally or a large corporation shipping goods worldwide, optimizing your corrugated box design can have a substantial impact on both your bottom line and customer satisfaction. You want to make sure you’re partnering with a supplier that understands the importance of your packaging, as well as how to design your packaging to fit your needs.
Why Does Corrugated Box Design Matter?
Corrugated box design is about more than aesthetics. It’s also about making your packaging work smarter. The design of your corrugated boxes directly correlates to how well your packaging performs under various conditions.
Well-designed custom packaging can enhance the customer experience by delivering quality and making a good first impression. It’s also invaluable in protecting your products during transportation and increasing the efficiency of your shipping operations by optimizing space and, consequently, lowering shipping costs.
With that in mind, there are several things to keep in mind when optimizing your corrugated box design.
Top Tips for Corrugated Box Design Optimization
Structural Design
Right-sizing and dimensions are fundamental. Oversized boxes waste space, increase shipping costs, and potentially harm the environment. Similarly, undersized boxes run the risk of product damage. Right-sizing is essential for product protection and waste reduction.
Reinforcements and folding techniques can also make a big difference in the functionality of your corrugated boxes. The right choices can prevent your products from shifting during transit and add a layer of security.
Graphic Design and Branding
Incorporating branding elements like logos, company values, and personalized messaging promotes consistency across all channels and reinforces brand identity. This is incredibly important when you’re looking to make a connection with your customers and earn their loyalty.
Sustainability
Corrugated cardboard is one of the most sustainable packaging solutions available, but it can be made even better by optimizing your corrugated box design. By designing your boxes with recyclability and disposal in mind, you can help support the shift towards a more circular economy and less waste production overall.
Testing
Finally, testing is critical to finding the corrugated box design that is right for your needs. Several tests can be conducted to test the viability of your corrugated box, including:
- Compression Test—This test assesses how well your corrugated boxes can withstand stacked weight and is essential for shipping purposes.
- Drop Test—By simulating your package being dropped during shipping and handling, you can ensure that your box provides sufficient protection for your products.
- Vibration Test—Particularly helpful when shipping electronics and other sensitive items, a vibration test can help you evaluate how resistant your packaging is to shocks during transportation.
- Burst Strength Test—This test measures the strength of your packaging when placed under pressure to ensure your products can withstand the demands of the supply chain.
Challenges and Solutions
Optimizing your corrugated box design also means striking the right balance between cost and performance. The initial investment may seem high, but optimized packaging can save you money in the long run by reducing product damage and shipping expenses. Working with an experienced packaging supplier who offers design services can help you find a solution that will fit your needs and budget.
Additionally, your corrugated box design may need to evolve to adapt to any changes in your product line-up. Regularly reviewing your packaging solutions for performance can help you stay ahead of this, and adapt as needed. When you’re looking for a packaging partner that can help you stay competitive in this area, finding one that offers vendor-managed inventory and just-in-time shipping can be invaluable.
Axis Delivers on Custom Corrugated Box Design
At Axis Corrugated Container, we’ve been supplying custom corrugated packaging for decades. With our custom graphics and printing services, and VMI and JIT-shipping capabilities, we’re proud to provide full packaging solutions for businesses across the the eastern U.S. If you’re looking to optimize your corrugated box design, our professional design team is here to provide engineering guidance for packaging that fulfills your every need.
Ready to get started? Connect with our team today to learn more about how we can help you or to request a free packaging audit.