Dave and our warehouse team are excited to be holding their annual stocktake on Tuesday 3rd April – there will therefore be no despatches on this day. All will be back to normal on Wednesday 4th April.
Good luck, Dave 
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Opinion by Seth Rowden Graanmarkt 13 is a restaurant, high-end concept store and apartment in Antwerp. It is described by Base, the studio behind its graphic identity, as a special house, a crossover place full of surprises. This was articulated through a story that positioned Graanmarkt 13 as a haven for people in search of objects […]
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Opinion by Richard Baird. Piccolo is an Italian seed brand with a particular favour for those that are ideal for urban growers, people with small balcony gardens or working with limited space. It is a brand with character, with product naming that includes Slim Jim Aubergine and Spacemaster Cucumber expressing the space-smart dwarf varieties of the range. Piccolo worked […]
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We spoke about the trending interest in the subscription business model in our last article on ways to grow a floristry business online, and vaping interest growth has almost doubled that trend in terms of percentage growth attained over the past 5 years.
The trend on eCigarettes and vaping is still growing strong well into 2018 and shows no signs of letting off steam – Google Trends figures show a 1300% growth in interest and searches relating to sector over 5 years. With smoking now firmly considered a ‘pariah’ activity in the majority of social circles – Ecigs and Vaping has become a somewhat more socially acceptable alternative. Vaping has experienced explosive growth over the past 5 years inline with trending interest. A whole new industry of DIY vape oil suppliers, e-juice blenders and “mixologists” have cropped up throughout the world. The smaller players have responded rapidly to change and have secured a substantial chunk of the marketplace.
As we mentioned in our post from a few years back (ref) – the larger multinationals have responded by using their political clout to lobby for regulatory change in their favour according to ECigaretteDirect. The “Tobacco Products Directive” is now active and has been amended twice since we published our original article. Not only that, the retail model that was adopted early and easily by both small and large vendors is now being heavily competed against through the ‘convenience’ factor provided by the rise of subscription-based vape etailers.
The evidence to support or undermine the ‘health-case’ surrounding vaping is hotly contested on all sides – still with no real clear winner even in 2018. However, that hasn’t stopped vaping and ecig technology from being supported as a smoking quit-aid via the NHS here in the UK, with British American Tobacco’s option the first ‘specified’ solution. The FDA in the United States has completed the path to stamping on the vaping market, meaning that in both marketplaces, disruption is imminent.
Many of the players in the Vape market are focusing on the quality of their products – however we’re helping some savvy Ecig and Vape vendors to improve upon their service. As mentioned above, subscription-based mail-order operations have much lower overheads than retail operations, and those that know what they are doing have experienced exponential growth. This means that they must focus on quality service fulfilment of their orders – ensuring they arrive on time, in full, every time. Then there is also the mailing and packaging costs that they will incur. Given the hugely competitive environment, excessive packaging, fulfilment labour costs and a distinct lack of competitive edge could all sink a business in the short to long term.
With the Royal Mail and other carriers quite happy to have non-flammable vape oils in their network, focusing on a quality service as much as product might just help your business differentiate itself enough to survive the coming storm!
The post It’s 2018 and vaping is still trending… yet another booming subscription business model appeared first on Lil Packaging.
We spoke about the trending interest in the subscription business model in our last article on ways to grow a floristry business online, and vaping interest growth has almost doubled that trend in terms of percentage growth attained over the past 5 years.
The trend on eCigarettes and vaping is still growing strong well into 2018 and shows no signs of letting off steam – Google Trends figures show a 1300% growth in interest and searches relating to sector over 5 years. With smoking now firmly considered a ‘pariah’ activity in the majority of social circles – Ecigs and Vaping has become a somewhat more socially acceptable alternative. Vaping has experienced explosive growth over the past 5 years inline with trending interest. A whole new industry of DIY vape oil suppliers, e-juice blenders and “mixologists” have cropped up throughout the world. The smaller players have responded rapidly to change and have secured a substantial chunk of the marketplace.
As we mentioned in our post from a few years back (ref) – the larger multinationals have responded by using their political clout to lobby for regulatory change in their favour according to ECigaretteDirect. The “Tobacco Products Directive” is now active and has been amended twice since we published our original article. Not only that, the retail model that was adopted early and easily by both small and large vendors is now being heavily competed against through the ‘convenience’ factor provided by the rise of subscription-based vape etailers.
The evidence to support or undermine the ‘health-case’ surrounding vaping is hotly contested on all sides – still with no real clear winner even in 2018. However, that hasn’t stopped vaping and ecig technology from being supported as a smoking quit-aid via the NHS here in the UK, with British American Tobacco’s option the first ‘specified’ solution. The FDA in the United States has completed the path to stamping on the vaping market, meaning that in both marketplaces, disruption is imminent.
Many of the players in the Vape market are focusing on the quality of their products – however we’re helping some savvy Ecig and Vape vendors to improve upon their service. As mentioned above, subscription-based mail-order operations have much lower overheads than retail operations, and those that know what they are doing have experienced exponential growth. This means that they must focus on quality service fulfilment of their orders – ensuring they arrive on time, in full, every time. Then there is also the mailing and packaging costs that they will incur. Given the hugely competitive environment, excessive packaging, fulfilment labour costs and a distinct lack of competitive edge could all sink a business in the short to long term.
With the Royal Mail and other carriers quite happy to have non-flammable vape oils in their network, focusing on a quality service as much as product might just help your business differentiate itself enough to survive the coming storm!
The post It’s 2018 and vaping is still trending… yet another booming subscription business model appeared first on Lil Packaging.
Opinion by Richard Baird Riso D’uomo is a Milanese Carnaroli rice brand, cultivated from the same stock over hundreds of years, and grown within sight of the historic Duomo di Milano. Carnaroli is often referred to as ‘the king of rice’, and is known for its high-quality nutritional properties, cooking consistency and a ‘bite’ that makes it ideal for […]
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The nation has been covered in a white dusting of snow this week (and there’s even more to come) – and what with it being World Book Day 2018 we thought there is no better time to cosy up next to the fireplace and read your favourite book – or in this case, revisit our blog post on the correct way to package books safely for sending in the post.
You’ve all seen it. That book trader that has a good old whinge on the forums about unreasonable customers leaving them negative feedback or demanding a refund because the book they’ve bought hasn’t arrived via the mail in pristine condition. That trader is clueless as to why their website, eBay or Amazon account is littered with poor feedback, and why their business is failing to pick up.
Book packaging shouldn’t be a mission in DIY craftsmanship or a lesson in sliced-thumbs. Nor should it be an opportuntiy for your competitors to steal what is actually an easy win from underneath you. Sometimes when seeking guidance on how to do something, Google and other search engines can be your friend. Not in this case. When searching online for ‘book packaging tips’, ‘book packaging guide’ or ‘how to package books’ / ‘how to ship books’, the results are less than brilliant. Here are some of the (not sure why?) top-ranking results on how to package books in the mail:
As you can see advice on how to package books in the mail is varied, both in actual advice and quality of advice. It’s also mostly completely wrong. The best way to look at how to mail books profitably and efficiently is to look at businesses that have built their success on mailing books. Businesses like Amazon. What kind of packaging do they use to mail books every second of every day all year? WHY do they use the methods they do?
First of all, let’s look at the key challenges that books face when being sent through the mail:
Impacts:Whether it’s a hardback, a paperback, a textbook, a comic book, or a journal – all publications of any type are vulnerable to being knocked about in the mail. Whether it’s a mailing system automated ‘runner belt’, or an overzealous postman, books can and do take impact damage. This impact damage can be caused by something knocking into or onto the package containing the book, or it can be an impact inside the packaging itself, where the book has gained momentum and crashed against the packaging meant to protect it. For rare, fragile, or hardback books, this is particularly important. They often feature cover ‘overhangs’ with delicate paper-sleeves and carefully crafted bindings. One knock, one corner crush, one crease, can render the value of these books both monetarily and perceptually lessened.
Whilst technically an impact, gouges and cuts deserve their own mention, because they require specific catering for when deciding on what type of packaging to use. No book trader or dealer wants a book to turn up to a clients door with a big gouge in the cover or worse, sections ripped or cut off. So you need to protect against this.
Liquids:Oh the horror! Whether it’s grease, water, a spilt drink or anything else liquid – books, comics and other printed media do not play well with liquids of any form. So your packaging options need to consider the ‘what if’ regarding spillages near your product. (Yes, you’re right – spillages in the post logistics chain shouldn’t be a concern for you, but it all depends on how far you want to protect your products.)
Some books are worth a lot of money. Some are simply valuable to people for other reasons. Either way, the greater the perceived value of a book, the more at risk it is to being pilfered. Making sure that the packaging is not easily accessible (or the contents viewable) to ‘chancers’ doing some light-fingered shopping, is a crucial point.
If your customer needs a PHD or a chainsaw to open your book packaging, then there is a chance that you have gone a little too far in how you have packaged your book. Yes, protect it – but at the end of the day the customer needs to be able to get into the packaging without risking damaging the contents by doing so.
Who cares about the environment these days? Nobody right? Wrong actually. Sustainabaility of packaging is a huge issue – and your greener more aware customers (they’re book readers!) will most likely prefer you to be using recyclable or non-landfil-destined packaging. Sustainability and plastic bubble-mailers just don’t go together, no matter what the manufacturers or your packaging dealers say.
Finally, a consideration that is NOT all about what your customers wants! Simply put, the more packaging you use, the heavier and bigger your packaged book is going to be. So instead of just piling more packaging on, you need to be smarter about the design of the packaging you use, and how much of it you use. Many countries operate volumetric costing for posting things – including both weight and size. Some just go by weight (Books can be really heavy!). For example, in the UK the Royal Mail uses volumetric cost assessments, and operates a volumetric tariff system. If you slip into a higher volumetric tariff because your packaging is either too big or too heavy, you’re paying for a postal tariff that you shouldn’t be. This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep that all important margin on your book sales, or to reduce your price in the market – both effective tactics for succeeding!
Appearance:When packages turn up looking like they have crossed a battlefield, were put together by the wombles from loose cardboard in a bin, or like you just don’t care about the customers ‘unboxing experience’; then Houston, we have a problem. As soon as your package enters your customers world, they’re judging you. If it looks shoddy, or badly thought out, then they will not be pleased. The more you value your initial impression to the customer, the more they will think “WOW!”.
You can bet your bottom dollar that Amazon will have thought of all of the above when mailing books to customers. You don’t get to be a huge, world-beating organisation like Amazon unless you focus on things like book packaging and protecting your products during transit. If you have ever received a book or other publication that has been fulfilled by Amazon, then you’ll know that they use two key types of packaging for books and printed media:
Why do they do this? Companies like Amazon know that well made packaging that is specifically designed to cater for the crucial factors listed above is far better for protecting books in transit, and is also more cost-effective and efficient for the business. Spending time, money and energy cutting up pieces of cardboard, and taping or stapling it together with reams of plastic sheeting and bubblemailers just does not work. It’s a false economy – especially if you’re unnecessarily paying higher rate postage costs. If you want to be a back-room homestead book trader, then continue making or assembling your own packaging. If you are serious about your business, take a tip from organisations like Amazon – use ready-made book packaging to ship your books, comics, journals, textbooks, and anything else containing the all important written word.
As you’ll see if you visit our product pages, our envelopes and bookwraps (and also our flatpacks) are specially designed to cater for most of the above list – with the obvious exception being liquid resistance – which is why it is worth sealing more expensive or rare items inside a plastic waterproof envelope before being transit-packed.
Good luck in your Book Packaging endeavours! I hope this guide has been helpful to you in making better book packaging and shipping decisions.
BUY BOOK MAILERS HERE
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