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Tag: e-commerce

Study: mixed consumer sentiment on home deliveries

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Descartes Systems Group, a global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, has released the results of a consumer sentiment study of ecommerce home delivery. The study of over 8,000 consumers across 10 European and North American countries provides retailers and logistics organisations with critical insights into consumer purchase and delivery preferences and concerns.

“Ecommerce and home delivery present opportunities and challenges to retailers and logistics organisations. In our study, consumers indicated they will increase their ecommerce purchases in the future, but 73% of them said they experienced a delivery failure in the last three months,” said Chris Jones, EVP, Industry and Services at Descartes. “The results of poor delivery performance can be catastrophic for retailers with almost one-quarter of the respondents in our study citing that they did not order from that retailer again.”

The study analyses consumer ecommerce buying behaviour, what is causing ecommerce purchases to increase or decrease, the kinds of goods purchased, their frequency and which ones are being delivered. In addition, it provides insight into delivery services, charges and performance. Most importantly, it analyses the importance that consumers place on delivery performance and the impact of delivery failures on future purchases. To learn more, read the full study: Descartes Research Report: Ecommerce—Is Retailer Fulfilment and Delivery Performance Keeping Up with Sales Growth?

Descartes’ ecommerce logistics solutions help retailers and logistics services providers deliver a superior customer experience. The home delivery solution covers a wide range of critical capabilities including delivery appointment booking, route planning, mobile applications and customer communications. They engage the customer at the point of purchase through order fulfilment and the successful completion of the delivery, provide opportunities to upsell value-added delivery services and keep customers up-to-date with the status of their delivery.

The warehouse management and integrated parcel shipping solutions help small- to mid-size retailers to use the right carrier and service to minimise shipping costs as well as to scale their ecommerce business by improving fulfilment reliability, speed and productivity.

Parcel Perform opens first US office

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Parcel Perform, a leading e-commerce delivery experience platform, its continuing its expansion in the United States with the opening of its first office in New York City. This development will enable Parcel Perform to provide on-site servicing of existing and new customers within the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

The company’s success in curating unique end-to-end customer journeys and optimising logistics performance for its global customer base, including Nespresso, Decathlon, and Waterdrop, has led to the doubling of its team growth to better serve its global customers with the launch of its European office in 2019 and US office in 2022.

Tiffany Jensen (pictured) has been appointed Executive Vice President, Americas for Parcel Perform, overseeing Parcel Perform’s go-to-market expansion within the United States. Her background includes over 20 years of direct and channel leadership with PGi, ON24, Andela, and nTopology, ​​where she has built and scaled global sales organisations.

With PGi, she established a world-class platform for their channels business while building a US$20m revenue stream. In addition, Jensen expanded ON24’s global strategic partnerships and alliances by 300% while directing a portfolio of some of the largest companies in the world.

“I’m delighted that Parcel Perform is doubling-down on the US market, following our extremely successful expansion in the last 24 months, defined by new hires and partnerships,” said Arne Jeroschewski, Founder and CEO, Parcel Perform. “Both my Co-Founder, Dana von der Heide, and I are thrilled to have Tiffany on board with us; she brings experience, passion, and leadership with a proven track record in building successful software businesses in the United States and Europe.

“Her appointment also highlights our ongoing success and commitment towards growing a truly global, diverse, and inclusive team at Parcel Perform.”

“I’m honoured and inspired to be joining Parcel Perform,” said Jensen. “The company has built an exciting product and has proven to the market that they are innovative, efficient, and scalable to empower the next stage of e-commerce growth. Building on this foundation, we will continue to address very real challenges that merchants across different industries face here in the US.

“I look forward to working with a truly diverse and global team, executing our growth plans, and building the Parcel Perform brand across this region.”

Data from Parcel Perform’s community and insights platform, Parcel Monitor, have revealed the growth of the US e-commerce market. The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated the growth of e-commerce over 2020, with a 71% increase in parcel volumes during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period. This trend has continued, as observed from a 43% rise in e-commerce volumes during the same period last year. The country’s cross-border e-commerce market also shows excellent potential, with 23.9% of its international shipments originating from Europe in 2021, from 19% in 2020.

In 2021, Parcel Perform raised US$20m in Series A funding led by Cambridge Capital with participation from Softbank Ventures Asia, Wavemaker Partners, and Investible.

“Parcel Perform’s continued global expansion reflects its unique value proposition as the leading platform for brands, marketplaces, and carriers in an increasingly data-first logistics market,” commented Benjamin Gordon, Managing Partner, Cambridge Capital. “We’re pleased that they’re following through on the ambitions of their Series A funding round to set up an office within the United States and have found a fantastic leader to lead their on-the-ground presence. Their ongoing commercial success and efforts at building a truly diverse team will enable them to innovate on new and exciting features that will revolutionize and define the e-commerce experience.”

Amazon has set the global standard for e-commerce logistics practitioners, offering world-class integrated check-out solutions and accurate delivery predictions to its merchants and end-consumers. Since 2016, Parcel Perform has served the US market to support and scale e-commerce logistics operations for their customers.

Its solutions have connected e-commerce brands, retailers, and marketplaces with over 800 carriers globally to provide real-time parcel tracking for over 100 million parcels daily updates. At the same time, its bespoke machine-learning engine analyses historical data from millions of past shipments to predict the date of delivery with up to 98% accuracy.

Parcel Perform’s focus for 2022 will be to increase its global market share through continued partnerships, deploying innovations in data science, and more profound efforts in customer acquisition.

 

FedEx Express extends reach of e-commerce proposition

Posted on by Keith McKinley

FedEx Express has now made its international, day-definite e-commerce service available to customers in 24 European countries with connections to 47 markets worldwide.

After a successful 10-market launch in 2021 (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands), FedEx International Connect Plus (FICP), is now available in an additional 14 countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Switzerland.

Now connecting almost 99% of the world’s GDP, services such as FICP enable e-commerce sellers to grow their business in Europe and abroad. Those businesses will be able to ship their products to online shoppers in Europe in 1-3 days, North America in 3-4 days, Asia-Pacific and the rest of the world in 3-5 days at attractive rates, improving their competitiveness in the market.

Wouter Roels, Senior Vice President Marketing International, FedEx Express Europe, said: “Worldwide e-commerce sales are expected to exceed $5tr in 2022 and grow to over $7tr in 2025, creating many opportunities for European businesses. With the latest extension of FICP to growth markets in eastern and northern Europe, FedEx Express is supporting businesses on their growth journeys by connecting them to more customers in global and intra-European markets.”

”The launch of FedEx International Connect Plus in Ireland is an exciting development for e-commerce businesses who want to reach global online shoppers with speed and efficiency,” said Brian DeCair, Vice President Operations Ireland and UK North, FedEx Express. ‘’Cross-border e-commerce is growing faster than domestic e-commerce and businesses are increasingly seeking more diversified, cost-effective solutions in order to meet consumers’ evolving needs and this new cross-border service, balancing speed with attractive prices, delivers just that.”

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the retail landscape has transformed with growth in both domestic and cross border e-commerce sales. Consumer research in 40 countries worldwide shows that, in 2020, 37% of e-commerce shoppers bought more cross border due to the pandemic. Furthermore, 28% agreed or strongly agreed that, in the future, they will buy more online from retailers based abroad.

Asked about several elements of the delivery process, consumers indicated satisfaction levels for delivery speed were lowest. In addition, 71% of consumers would pick an online retailer that offers flexible delivery options over one that doesn’t.

The service comes with the reliability of FedEx’s international, day-definite delivery, coupled with FedEx’s customs clearance expertise and tracking capabilities. E-commerce sellers can also send out notifications and shoppers have the flexibility to change the day and location of deliveries via FedEx Delivery Manager, providing them with visibility, more control and convenience over their online orders.

Kite launches 100% translucent paper bags

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Kite Packaging has launched a range of 100% paper glassine bags. Clear bags have long reflected professional presentation when used as internal packaging, particularly in the fashion or textile industries. Traditionally, a high-clarity transparent bag would have to be made from plastic, though glassine paper can now offer a sustainable alternative thanks to its glossy, translucent finish.

Manufactured from wood pulp, glassine is a recyclable and biodegradable paper that can be put out for kerbside collection in the same way as any other paper or card products. This makes it a highly unique eco-friendly packaging innovation by marrying plastic-free sustainability with a see-through texture.

Kite now supplies these bags in five different sizes all with 40gsm. Therefore, they are suitable for separating individual clothing or accessory items within a larger mailer or granting an extra layer of protection to specific parts of a package.

The glassine bags are grease-, moisture- and dirt-resistant, serving to maintain the pristine condition of the contents. By selecting a bag that will closely fit the contents, clothes can keep their neatly folded configuration to create an aesthetically pleasing unboxing experience. Furthermore, they offer increased reassurance that external elements of wind and rain, for example, cannot damage your products.

With a range of competitive wholesale prices, Kite’s new range can equip both large and small businesses wishing to elevate the professionalism of the packaging without compromising their environmental standpoint. Eco-friendly plastic-free packaging materials act as a strong marketing tool in the current ecommerce climate. The translucent pouches are an eco-friendly alternative to polythene bags by being both recyclable and biodegradable, while maintaining the see-through quality previously only achieved with plastic products.

These bags are professional forms of internal packaging boasting moisture and grease resistance to protect clothing and textile items without harming our planet.

Omni-channel integration during ongoing operations

Posted on by David Priestman

During ongoing operations, a high-performance logistics centre in Scandinavia is currently being expanded into an omni-channel logistics centre.

Since April 2012, the Finnish logistics service provider INEX Partners, a subsidiary of the retail company SOK, has been picking all general merchandise items at its Sipoo site using automated and semi-automated logistics systems from the general contractor Witron Logistik + Informatik GmbH. The 68,000 sq m facility near Helsinki used to exclusively supply the group’s 1,000 stores with more than 300,000 different items annually.

Now, the rapidly growing e-commerce business and the processing of click + collect orders will also be integrated. The goal of SOK/INEX is to process a wide variety of distribution channels centrally from a single logistics centre in a cost-efficient and flexible way. The operational start of the solution is scheduled for Q1/2022.

Flexible process structures

The INEX distribution centre in Sipoo is considered one of the most efficient logistics centres in Northern Europe, designed for a daily performance of processing more than one million units – clothing, cosmetics, sports items, electronic equipment, media, gardening equipment, and furniture.

Many of the non-food items are subject to fashion and music trends, or seasonal changes, which causes a constant change of products. Thus, highly dynamic and flexible logistics structures were required in the material flow processes right from the start. WITRON has already delivered a high degree of flexibility for the supply of approx 1,000 stores in the network.

This flexibility is now also a decisive factor in the development and logistical integration of further distribution channels such as click + collect and home shopping.

Decreasing logistics costs

The Covid-19 pandemic is not the only reason why the share of goods ordered online is also rising steadily in Finland. Whereas online orders could previously be manually picked by employees directly in the store and then shipped from there, a “critical mass” has now been reached at INEX, which means that this type of processing no longer appears economical. Also, given the increase in order volume, this process can no longer be covered by the employees in the store.

Faster, more flexible, but with significantly lower logistics costs – this is the process handling directly in the logistics centre. Here, employees pick small-volume items with the semi-automatic DPS (Dynamic Picking System) goods-to-person solution, pick-by-light guided from storage totes or storage pallets into the shipping tote.

With the semi-automatic pick-by-voice supported CPS (Car Picking System), large-volume or bulky items are stacked in the pick aisle from the storage pallet or layer trays into roll containers in a route-optimised manner. There is no physical separation between the e-commerce and the store logistics areas. Due to the generally low volume of e-commerce orders, totes used to pick orders for several online customers in parallel are created during the picking process.

In the following consolidation process, all small-volume and large-volume items are scanned and manually assigned to the respective customer order in a rack shelf, then packed and prepared for dispatch. Single-item orders will bypass the consolidation process. They will be scanned and packed directly from tote to carton. Shipping is also possible in form of click + collect orders to the stores.

High level of consistency

The processes integrated during ongoing operations are impressive in terms of their consistency. In principle, all items from the yearly 300,000 general merchandise product assortment are available to the SOK/INEX customers not only as a complete retail unit but also as “single items”. The formation of single items is generated dynamically as required in a separate process prior to picking. The logistics centre also handles all returns, which are returned to stock.

The merge of the e-commerce and click + collect distribution channels with the store business, storage, order picking, and shipping from one logistics centre is designed for future growth. Significant growth is expected in the coming years due to the successive change of the 1,000 SOK stores to the newly integrated omni-channel process and the increase of the overall e-commerce volume.

In addition to a further increase in premium customer service – both in the stores and in the online business – this means a variety of added benefits for INEX: cost-efficient and flexible processing for all distribution channels, processing with the same logistics personnel and the same technology, which includes a fast response to fluctuations and order peaks (e.g. Black Friday), no separate logistics areas and product storage for different distribution channels, a high level of sustainability in shipping, etc.

 

Improved fashion packaging for Oh Polly

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Oh Polly specialises in glamorous, celebrity-inspired fashion. Its brand focused mainly on party attire and swimwear – but when the pandemic hit, it was able to pivot to highlight its loungewear lines as nights out and holidays were no longer an option.

Loungewear saw astonishing growth during 2020 – the category grew by 143% comparing March to April. Consequently, Oh Polly faced stiff competition and so was keen to make sure its customer experience was flawless.

Whilst that was all going on, the Oh Polly team was also working on a new project – one that it hoped would improve retention rates and customer satisfaction: its packaging.

As a pure-play online retailer, Oh Polly’s packaging is a crucial part of its eCommerce strategy. Back in February 2020, it had its first meeting with the Smurfit Kappa team.

An aesthetic issue

Oh Polly was coming up against several issues with its current packaging. The first was that it had noticed that the print quality varied greatly – meaning that the boxes arrived showing different shades of its core brand pantone colour. It was keen to ensure that the packaging was uniform, as it showcases brand continuity.

Additionally, Oh Polly’s success is in part due to its brand appeal and customer retention. This is aided by the fact it boasts industry-leading Facebook and Instagram accounts and has seen great results using influencer and affiliate marketing.

Image is clearly a key facet of the Oh Polly customer experience, extending from first brand interaction to unboxing of millennial-pink packaging. Luckily, the Smurfit Kappa Experience Centre team’s expertise spans from sustainability to aesthetics, and they quickly set to work.

Smurfit Kappa’s high-quality flexographic printing equipment guarantees quality, with the assurance that the colour of the boxes would always be the one that the brand expected.

The Oh Polly team was also concerned about the packaging for its sub-brand, Bo+Tee. Designed to plumb into the ongoing fitness craze, Bo+Tee shared Oh Polly’s chic style, though with a different image.

The Bo+Tee packaging is striking, a bold black emblazoned with a holographic print. The Experience Centre team suggested using lithographic printing to deliver the sleek effect desired, maintaining the brand’s quality whilst allowing Bo+Tee to stand out.

Lithographic printing provides excellent image quality as well as great value for money, so was a clear choice for the striking Bo+Tee packaging.

Flexible and fast

That initial order was rather hurried: Back in March 2020, Oh Polly’s previous packaging supplier had required a six-week lead time to provide it with the boxes. With spiking demand due to the UK going into the first national lockdown, Oh Polly was in need of an urgent solution.

Once the request for immediate supply was delivered by Oh Polly, the Smurfit Kappa Experience Centre team made sure that the order was designed, colours and artwork approved and a full truck produced and supplied into Oh Polly’s warehouse within eight days of the request being acknowledged.

Subsequent orders were a little less rushed: they have a two-week lead time. This was a vast improvement on the previous six, and Smurfit Kappa’s flexibility allows room to react to unexpected events and pressures.

Of course, the fact that Smurfit Kappa can design and produce packaging all within the UK is also a key factor: it reduces shipping times hugely.

Labour cost and efficiency

There was another issue troubling the Oh Polly team: that its original packaging was arriving un-palletised, meaning that it had to have employees manually off-loading packaging from containers and transported across several warehouses in order to be utilised for packaging orders.

This was not only leading to damaged boxes during transit from Asia to Europe, but was hugely time-inefficient.

A simple but highly impactful solution put in place by Smurfit Kappa was to ensure all packaging is delivered safely on pallets, with strapping and topboard to ensure a quick and smooth delivery and unloading process.

Manually assembling boxes was also identified by Oh Polly and Smurfit Kappa as an area where further efficiencies could be gained.

The Smurfit Kappa Experience Centre team suggested that Oh Polly explores its machine systems product offering. Through the purchase and implantation of a box assembly machine, Oh Polly is able to significantly reduce assembly time. The Smurfit Kappa machine can assemble two different sizes of box without damaging or scuffing the paper – and can get through 24 boxes per minute.

In fact, the cost of labour for at least two employees to manually assemble the boxes would be recouped within just one year.

Joe Henderson, Oh Polly’s Head of Operations, was delighted with this suggestion: “Smurfit Kappa have saved us so much time and money with their expertise – we can’t thank the Experience Centre team enough.”

Sustainability

The convenience of shipping isn’t the only benefit of having a local packaging supplier. Reduced carbon emissions mean that Oh Polly is now more eco-friendly, just by changing suppliers.

Meanwhile, Smurfit Kappa’s Experience Centre team are sustainability experts and were keen to work on Oh Polly’s environmental impact further. All Smurfit Kappa UK production plants are FSC certified and as a vertically integrated manufacturer, it was able to provide full traceability of its packaging supply chain.

The materials used in the new packaging design are 100% recyclable – allowing customers to safely and conscientiously dispose of the boxes using kerbside recycling services.

Quality paper packaging

Because Smurfit Kappa manufactures the vast majority of the paper used to produce boxes, it is guaranteed to have stock – even when there’s a shortage. Brands won’t be waiting for their orders due to unforeseen world events.

It also means it can offer even more flexibility to clients and don’t require minimum order quantities.

Besides this, the pro-active and consumer centric approach from Smurfit Kappa, coupled with its scale, means that it is well placed to keep up with Oh Polly’s rapid growth and ambitious future plans.

Smurfit Kappa’s eCommerce Director, Hamed Ahmed, looks forward to working with Oh Polly further: “We have built a strong and transparent partnership over the last 18 months. The Experience Centre team look forward to supporting Oh Polly’s brands further as they grow and strive in this competitive market.”

Rydale improves e-commerce efficiency

Posted on by David Priestman

British clothing brand Rydale has expanded and improved its e-commerce offering thanks to the deployment of Despatch Cloud’s software technology.

Rydale is a brand that has moved to the forefront of the country clothing industry in recent years. It was a love for the great outdoors that drove the founder, John Nichols, to create this iconic brand, and the company prides itself on creating quality, reliable clothing that stands up against the unexpected weather and rugged terrain of the great British countryside.

Since its founding 68 years ago, as a small business creating items for local outdoor enthusiasts, Rydale has grown into an internationally recognised and established brand.

Alex Moore, e-commerce Manager at Rydale, speaks about the rise of the business: “Rydale is proud to be from Yorkshire. We couldn’t think of a better place to test and develop our clothing range. We’ve always been eager to grow the brand by attending events all over the country, but the rise of e-commerce presented an opportunity to expand our operation rapidly.

“However, just as for any traditional retailer, the birth of e-commerce also changed everything. We had to adapt to a whole new way of running a business and work out how to manage it, and that’s where Despatch Cloud came in.”

After an acquaintance suggested getting in touch, Moore and the team were immediately impressed with what Despatch Cloud had to offer, stating: “It was really great to speak to people who actually knew what operating a busy warehouse was like. We shared many qualities and we jumped at the chance to adopt their software.”

Full warehouse package

Rydale took on Despatch Cloud’s full Warehouse package, and the results were immediate. Moore  explains: “Many of our orders are for multiple items. For example, people will buy a shirt and jacket together. A lot of the time these items are racked on opposite ends of the warehouse, which makes picking a real chore, and time consuming. When the team at Despatch Cloud introduced us to the bulk and sort picking method, we couldn’t believe the difference it made.”

The toting functionality involves collecting all products allocated to a sale, and placing them in a pick bin. This is then taken to a sorting wall, where all the totes are assigned to orders, waiting to be filled.

Moore explains: “Each of our pickers could pick 12 orders at once with our previous system. So on a day where we had, let’s say, 144 orders, that meant either we used 12 members of staff to pick, or a picker walked around the warehouse 12 times. Bulk and sort was a revelation. It now only takes one picker to collect all 144 orders. Our warehouse efficiency went through the roof and the number of orders we could fulfil increased tenfold.”

It wasn’t just the new picking method that improved the fulfilment process, Despatch Cloud’s end-to-end barcode verification software was another feature that seemed tailor-made for Rydale’s needs. Moore elaborates: “When selling clothing, many products are similar. For example, you may have a royal blue shirt next to a navy shirt. It’s easy for a picker to collect the wrong one, but it can be really damaging to customer relationships when they do. Since adopting a triple barcode checking system, every item is scanned at the point of picking, when it is being sorted, and when it is being packed. Our rate of human error in picking is now less than 0.001%.”

This wasn’t just beneficial for eliminating errors: “This system made finding products in the warehouse simpler. All we now have to do is search on the system and we can see if an order has been picked, if it’s waiting to be sorted, or if it’s already been packed. It’s made life so much easier and means we can respond to customers quickly in relation to queries regarding their purchase, which is always a positive.”

Another customer-based benefit was Despatch Cloud’s integrated helpdesk solution. The system is linked to the warehouse management software, which means orders and customer correspondence can be linked. Moore comments: “We found our former system wasn’t optimal for us, so when Despatch Cloud showcased their software, we jumped at the chance to adopt it. Having the order linking technology means that if a customer gets in touch via email, they will be automatically linked to their order, and their full order history. This saves us a lot of time, and the positive customer reaction to our quick responses has been a real pleasure to see.”

Returns system

Another feature that has proved invaluable for Rydale is the Despatch Cloud Returns System. Moore speaks about the way the returns portal has helped Rydale: “It used to be a huge operation to get returns processed and back into stock. We did it the traditional way of placing returns together and then gradually returning them to their shelves, which could take days.

“With the new system, all that has changed. We now have 100 small bins near our returns area, into which we put any returned parcels. These returns are processed and stay in the bins where they can be picked for orders. Basically, if they pass quality control they are immediately placed back into the system.

“We prioritise picking from these bins, which saves the time and effort of returning items to their warehouse inventory location before they are picked for a new order. We call it direct-to-pick. As orders come in for items in the return bins, that product is taken out, and the bin is empty again. It’s working well for us so far and has really sped up not just our returns, but our entire order processing.”

The expansion of e-commerce shows no signs of slowing down, and it’s now more important than ever that businesses retail their products across multiple sales channels. This comes with some difficulty though, as Rydale experienced. Moore states: “Our previous system wasn’t the best for handling stock across multiple channels. We had to manually split our stock, so we would assign 50 products to one channel, 50 to another, and we had to constantly check them to make sure we had enough. This was a nightmare. Big sales events are important to us and often result in high order volumes. Trying to juggle our stock when it was selling quickly across different channels was getting tricky and we were always running the risk of overselling.”

Moore describes how Despatch Cloud helped solve this issue: “The whole team was blown away at the speed of stock updates with Despatch Cloud. We organised big sales events with huge reductions on items that meant our stock levels were in a constant state of flux, and the Despatch Cloud technology handled it with ease. The feeling of having a system you trust can’t be understated. It allows us the freedom to launch sales and promotional events without a nagging fear at the back of our minds of overselling. It’s provided us with the freedom to grow, knowing we have a system to back us up.”

Matthew Dunne, founder and CTO of Despatch Cloud, speaks fondly of his relationship with the team at Rydale, saying: “It has been a pleasure working with Rydale. To see another business from our region making such huge progress in their industry is really positive. From the start, the team at Despatch Cloud has enjoyed seeing how our technology has improved their logistic operations and we look forward to seeing what the future holds.”

Rydale continues to expand its collections of country clothing, footwear, gifts and accessories and reach new customers. Still working with Despatch Cloud, the future certainly looks bright for this British country clothing brand.

 

eCommerce packaging “must change to meet COP26 objectives”

Posted on by David Priestman

The recent COP26 summit has focused new attention on the contribution that supply and distribution chains, especially in e-commerce, make to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental ills, writes Jo Bradley, Business Development Manager, Sparck Technologies (formerly Packaging by Quadient). Many leading companies have publicly committed to change but, as consultants McKinsey note, “In many instances net-zero commitments are running ahead of companies’ own plans to meet them”.

Clearly, it will take years, and much innovation and investment in material production, product design and distribution technology, to deliver net-zero supply of the products that consumers want and need. But one step that ecommerce businesses could take, economically, effectively, and right now, is to stop delivering what consumers neither want nor need – excess packaging.

If businesses are serious about aligning their policies to COP26 objectives, then simple, obvious steps to reducing waste should be taken now.

The cardboard box is a wonderful invention, but the commonplace experience of receiving small items in grossly oversized packaging often filled with non-recyclable polyethylene or polystyrene void fill, has moved from amusing, through annoying, to downright scandalous. This is a wasteful act that undermines efforts to attain a net-zero future.

As a material, cardboard packaging may be far more environmentally acceptable than its petrochemical-based alternatives, but it is still a valuable resource that should be used as thoughtfully and sparingly as possible. Making and recycling paper and cardboard is an energy-intensive process using significant amounts of hot water, so keeping the amount of cardboard we use to an absolute minimum is an important step on the journey to achieving a net-zero supply chain.

The ecommerce sector has an opportunity, indeed, a duty, to use available technology to make right-sized packaging for each individual ecommerce order. Sparck Technologies offers CVP Automated Packaging Solutions that create ‘right-size’ boxes in seconds by scanning and measuring the goods – single or multi-item orders – cutting and erecting the box, sealing, weighing, and labelling. Interestingly, multiple corrugate feeders are becoming more popular with ecommerce businesses as different widths of cardboard can be selected automatically by the machine to minimise off-cuts – and branded board is also an option.

By minimising corrugate use, cardboard consumption reduces by 30% on average and void fill is virtually eliminated, significantly reducing packaging material costs. And as businesses are well aware, cardboard is under significant upward price pressure.

Furthermore, using smaller boxes means a greater density of product per truck or van load. A reduction in volume for a given quantity of goods of up to 50% potentially reduces the number of trucks required on trunk routes, and the empty running caused by ‘last mile’ vehicles having to return to depot to reload in mid-shift – both of which can significantly reduce transport GHG emissions and costs, as well as other environmental harms, from noise pollution to congestion.

CVP packaging solutions also conserve other scarce resources. Labour shortages are driving up staffing costs in the logistics industry, but right-size packaging can help reduce the requirement for drivers and staff within the warehouse – a CVP machine can typically replace between 8 and 20 manual packing stations. Up to 500 shipments an hour can be produced by the CVP Impack machine, and 1,100 packages an hour on the CVP Everest. They can also save on another resource that is becoming increasingly expensive – warehouse space.

Many net-zero strategies are widely believed to reduce consumer choice, or impair productivity and profit, or require large upfront investment for slow and uncertain gain, or require wholesale change to products, processes and business models throughout the supply chain. However, CVP Automated Packaging Solutions offer a compelling economic case by improving productivity while reducing transport, labour and material costs, along with an immediate and verifiable improvement in the supply chain’s carbon footprint.

Importantly, far from adversely impacting consumers, more efficient packaging will be immediately noticed and valued by the half of consumers who rate over-size packaging as one of the most annoying features of e-commerce, and the 77% who believe that the packaging a brand uses reflects its environmental values.

Right-sized packaging offers a net-zero contribution that is environmentally effective, commercially attractive, and available right now.

Returnable bags made from recycled material

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Kite Packaging has released returnable mailing bags, now available in an economical polythene material with 30% recycled content. The lightweight and compact construction conserves vehicle space, enabling more packages to be transported per truck, hence minimising the overall carbon footprint.

Returnable postal packaging appeals to the growing demand for quick and easy returns processes when shopping online. Given the unavoidable uncertainties of ordering items such as clothing from e-Commerce sites, a user-friendly procedure for returning goods is essential for securing both the initial sale and repeated purchases.

The double peel and seal strip allows the mailer to be fastened a second time after the easy-tear perforation is torn. The durable polymer construction supports the design by having suitable strength to last the multiple transit journeys.

Kite Packaging already supplies a recyclable kraft paper returnable mailing bag, but the polythene version provides a low-cost solution without gusseted seams for smaller and lighter products. The company continually expands its online product range to suit the requirements of almost all businesses and budgets to the point where it is now the largest online packaging distributor in the UK.

Smurfit Kappa opens third ‘Experience Centre’

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Smurfit Kappa UK has launched its new eCommerce focussed Experience Centre, based at the heart of the UK’s logistics “Golden Triangle” in Northampton. The third Smurfit Kappa Experience Centre to open across the UK, this new flagship centre will incorporate all of the technology, skills and knowledge that Smurfit Kappa’s Mold and Yate Experience Centres boast, but with the additional facility of its very own ISTA Certified Lab.

Responding to requests for an ISTA Lab in the UK and another Experience Centre, both of which would be convenient for customers all over the country, the team at Smurfit Kappa decided that this new venture would offer additional expertise and state of the art technology to their customers.

The existing Experience Centres are already hugely popular with customers, as they allow Smurfit Kappa to support businesses through the packaging design process from ideation to delivery.

Combining these two crucial facets of the packaging business under one roof means that customers will be able to quickly and easily source their packaging needs, from initial design elements, through test phases, and past final amendments and shelf appeal.

ISTA Lab

ISTA stands for International Safe Transit Association, and an ISTA lab has been fully certified by that organisation. ISTA is perfect for eCommerce companies suffering from packaging related issues in their supply chain as ISTA labs are designed to minimise product damage throughout the supply chain, by putting packaging thorough a rigorous testing process.

This is a particularly important matter when it comes to eCommerce ventures, in which packages are sent through the transit chain and can arrive to the customer in substandard conditions.

ISTA tests are designed to determine whether the package and product can withstand transit hazards through testing simulation, whereby real life warehousing and final mile delivery conditions are replicated.

There are certain tangible benefits to having received an ISTA certification – which can only be obtained from an ISTA lab.

What are the benefits of an ISTA certification for brands? One crucial advantage of an ISTA certification is the confidence it instils in buyers, who know that the packaging has undergone rigorous testing procedures – and so won’t cause reputational damage. In fact, an ISTA certification is often required by larger retailers like Amazon.

On top of that, you have the assurance that there will be a reduction in transit damage, and therefore product – and customer – loss.

The new Smurfit Kappa ISTA lab will not only be the company’s first in the UK, but its second globally.  Previously, design samples were sent to the Smurfit Kappa Global lab in Hoogeveen. With the advent of this new facility, Smurfit Kappa customers from all over the UK will have access to quicker testing.

It will also be able to offer customers the facility to design, manufacture, test and certify products, all under one roof, to Amazon’s Frustration Free packaging standards as Smurfit Kappa are proud members of Amazons Packaging Support and Supplier Network (APASS).

But the lab is not just for full ISTA testing, it can also be utilised for more basic requirements such as compression testing in order to validate how much weight a parcel can withstand during stacking. The lab is designed to help eliminate a range of packaging problems across the supply chain, minimising product damage and boosting manufacturers’ bottom line.

How do ISTA tests work?

There are actually a range of ISTA tests, depending on the level of certification you’re going for. The 1-Series preliminary tests cover shock tests, atmospheric preconditioning, and vibration tests.

There’s a variety of shock test options: it’s up to you and the lab to decide which type of test is most suited to your operation and supply chain. The incline-impact shock test measures how the package holds up under tilted stressors, and it’s noted that impact velocity varies according to the package’s weight.

The atmospheric preconditioning for the 1-Series covers ambient temperatures and humidity. Jumping up to the 3-Series, and more specifically Project 3K – which concerns FMCGs – we find that the atmospheric preconditioning tests become much more thorough. Depending on how the goods are going to be shipped, the test can measure the package’s hardiness in ambient, chilled, or frozen environments.

Then there are five required shock tests – including drop-on impact and flat drop tests – as well as vibration and picking tests.

It really is a rigorous process – and having a Smurfit Kappa ISTA Certified Lab in the UK will make the process much more streamlined for customers.

The Experience Centre

The other half of a perfect pairing, the Northampton Experience Centre doesn’t have the accolade of being the first of its kind in the UK.

Instead, it joins two others in Yate and Mold. The Experience Centres exist to offer Smurfit Kappa customers a wealth of industry expertise. From design elements to sustainability options, the Experience Centre team are more than happy to share their ideas, knowledge and research.

The teams at the Experience Centre are adventurous, and keen to push the boundaries of what can be done – opening up new market opportunities for customers and producing the best packaging solutions for the brief. As they say, “the best way to predict the future is to create it”.

Years of global experience delivered to Smurfit Kappa customers locally – that’s what the Experience Centre promises. They won’t take over your project, though: there’s a holistic approach that combines customer goals and desires with Smurfit Kappa’s endless knowledge.

Packaging often seems like an unknown element in eCommerce – but Smurfit Kappa’s Experience Centre takes the guesswork out of it.

The team at the Experience Centre are full of expertise, and a big reason why Smurfit Kappa is so popular. However, they are backed up by some pretty fancy software designed to demystify the packaging process.

There’s the Paper to Box database: a constantly updated log of paper grades that can be quickly combined to simulate box grades.

Then there’s Innobook: a resource intended to inspire packaging ideas, updated directly by the designers themselves.

Possibly most exciting is the Store Visualiser. Our team of graphic designers have worked hard to create a program that allows you to see your design on-shelf, alongside competitor products. It’s a wonderful tool for comparing how designs stand out – without risking the investment of having actually made the packaging – and for analysing how to improve.

As always at Smurfit Kappa, there’s a focus on sustainability. Brands often want to explore more eco-friendly options, and the team at the Experience Centre help them to better manage their environmental impact – whether that’s through sleeker designs that ship less air or FSC-certified materials.

The combination of Experience Centre with ISTA Lab means that Smurfit Kappa’s customers can reach out at any stage in their packaging journey. Whether it’s a new business who wants to branch into eCommerce and needs some guidance, or an established brand who wants to tweak their existing designs, the new packaging hub awaits. Smurfit Kappa  says no challenge is too big for its team.

 

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