Discover how the right packaging solutions can elevate your brand.

By selling directly to your customers, you offer not only convenience but greater information and education. This way, your customers can purchase the right product(s) for their needs. Selling directly also allows you to create a deeper connection with your customers. And, every interaction is an opportunity to build a stronger relationship. The enhanced relationship can then lead to future sales and even recommendations or positive reviews for your products and brand—a win-win for you and your customers.

Of course, you’re not the only one vying for your customers’ attention. Direct selling has opened many new doors for customers and online shoppers alike. And with increased opportunity comes increased competition. So, standing out is more important now than ever before. There are just so many choices!

Getting noticed may start with having an inviting, friendly, efficient buying experience online. But it continues throughout every stage of the process, including every notification, every order, every package opened and every response to questions, issues or concerns.

Fortunately, you don’t have to go through this process alone.

The Power of Packaging

The right packaging allows you to demonstrate your company’s quality and personality with every delivery. It starts by visualizing your customer opening the box, which allows you to understand how to arrange the items for the most positive customer experience.

Product packaging can also further your branding and help you deliver inviting marketing materials. When done well, it can save your company costs, reduce waste and lower the return rate.

In other words, product packaging not only delivers a personal touch, it helps set you and your brand apart to give you a leg up on your competition.

The Power of Partnering

Partnering with the right fulfillment center puts you back in the driver’s seat and gives greater control over every package to provide:

• Full customization, so your customers will know the product is from you and your unique brand.
• Support with a dedicated client services manager who understands you, your business and your goals and can provide personal attention to help you optimize strategy; discover improvements; and even uncover cost savings.
• Greater control over how your brand is presented. For instance, branded packaging, marketing materials, custom inserts and add-ons can help you direct how your products are presented and unleash a powerful unboxing experience that leaves a lasting impression.
• Real-time visibility with state-of-the-art technology that’s easy to navigate so you can see and understand customer insights. Keeping a finger on the pulse of your customers allows you to better understand their needs and what it takes to best serve them.
• Flexibility, allowing you to quickly adjust to sales spikes (such as during successful promotions, relevant holidays, etc.) or other changes.
• Speed in shipping as the marketplace now sees anything longer than two days as “slow.” Look for companies with multiple warehouses and quick shipping speeds.

The Power of a Positive Customer Experience

Positive unboxing experiences are another way to keep your customers coming back for more—and spreading the word about your company, values and personality.

Finding the right fulfillment center should help you achieve your brand’s goal and help you:

• Delight your customers with an accurate and inviting unboxing for every order to drive brand loyalty.
• Decrease costs by keeping shipments as light and small as possible while maximizing the quality and feel. That way, your material and postage costs won’t eat away at your profit margin.
• Optimize shipping and logistics to save postage costs while enhancing delivery times.

Logistics isn’t just a cost center. It’s a powerful way to drive revenue and sales to cement your customer relationships and promote long-term—even lifelong—customer relationships.

In today’s business climate, ecommerce and direct selling are always evolving, and your fulfillment should too. Create a true partnership that constantly works to improve processes, efficiencies and packaging experiences.

IRENE SCHARMACK is an esteemed leader and CEO of QuickBox Fulfillment. With a wealth of industry experience spanning over 25 years, Irene’s strong operations background has been instrumental in establishing QuickBox as a trusted name in the fulfillment industry.

From the September 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post Building Brand Identity With Every Box first appeared on Direct Selling News.

As a bonus, the new boxes feature nature-inspired patterns that are meant to be colored in, encouraging a family-friendly activity for kids eager to turn the boxes into forts and unique works of art. 

“We strive to be stewards of the earth,” said Prasad Gankanda, Young Living Chief Operating Officer. “As the global leader in the essential oils space, we are committed to preserving the environment and making a positive impact in all that we do.” 

PCA is compliant with the U.S. Lacey Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Clean Water Act, and also prioritizes managed forestry to prevent the depletion of natural resources. 

“PCA values align with our sustainability initiatives,” Gankanda said. “We’re excited that together we can amplify our shared commitment to the environment, while providing the high-quality end product that our customers expect from us.” 

The post Young Living Debuts Environmentally-Friendly Shipping Materials  first appeared on Direct Selling News.

1 / An Evolving Cross-Border eCommerce Transportation Market

The COVID-19 pandemic battered international transportation markets in cross-border eCommerce. Early in 2020, global passenger air travel and flight availability plummeted, reducing global air transportation capacity by over 90 percent. By April 2020, global freight demand had dropped by as much as 25 percent compared to 2019. However, by the end of 2020, global freight demand returned to 2019 levels. At the final mile delivery level, couriers, contractors and postal operators were plagued with rolling lockdowns, facility closures and a lack of staffing.

This confluence of events created mass global disruption and cost increases. Airlines pushed freight or stopped taking bookings in favor of higher yield shipments. Final mile carriers often couldn’t retrieve freight or effectively deliver it because of staffing shortages or lockdowns. Many abandoned their service SLAs altogether. As airlines saw increased demand on reduced capacity, they dramatically increased prices. And as carriers paid more for labor, they passed along those cost increases to customers.

Today, as the world adapts to an endemic COVID, cross-border transportation is in a unique position. Some of the same problems persist. For example, major couriers and warehouse providers still struggle to staff their operations effectively. New challenges such as fuel prices and reduced cargo capacity due to the Russian conflict have also emerged.

However, there are many reasons to be bullish on cross-border transportation performance. Globally, the Global Access Network shows a dramatic reduction in transit times from the peak of the pandemic and remains only very slightly elevated over 2019 performance.

Major couriers are reporting a slight downtick in package volumes, which may help decelerate price increases. Global passenger traffic should return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024 and continue to increase moving forward. Lastly, over the last two years, billions of dollars have been invested in new companies, technologies, and networks to improve efficiency and capacity.

2 / Decreased Consumer Spending Power

Most international consumer’s spending power is being affected, in some unique way, by a stronger U.S. dollar, country-specific inflation or both. As of July 2022, the world’s four most traded currencies, outside of the USD: EUR, JPY, GBP and AUD, have devalued against the USD by between 4-25 percent with an average drop of 14 percent year-over-year. If we look at some other key direct sales markets—Korea, Taiwan, Canada and Malaysia—we’ll find, in some cases less pronounced, but similar recent FX trends.

On the inflation front, only six of the G20 are reporting annualized inflation rates under 6 percent. Outside of the G20, many key direct sales markets are reporting high inflation rates. For example, Colombia, Thailand and Peru are reporting annualized inflation rates of 9.67 percent, 7.66 percent and 8.81 percent respectively. It’s reasonable to say that outside of a few notable exceptions, international consumers are feeling the pain.

In the face of these headwinds, the best performing companies are prioritizing three vital things. First, these companies have a robust pricing strategy. They are monitoring changes to their businesses and making market-specific price adjustments to optimized market performance. Second, many of the most successful companies are diversifying their sales channels while nurturing their current structure. Many are adding revenues from D2C eCommerce channels and new affiliate programs while continuing to support the sales leaders that still drive much of their businesses. Lastly, the most successful companies are focusing on product. They are innovating to ensure that their products stay essential as global consumers are increasingly forced to make purchase tradeoffs.

3 / Stronger Push for NFR

Less than 25 percent of global direct sales revenues are transacted in the United States. Additionally, the top 15 fastest growing direct sales markets, as measured by a 3-year CARG, are international. Simply put, global expansion is the long-term life blood for most direct sales companies. However, the last two years have shown some potential flaws in a traditional, on-the-ground only approach to expansion and growth. As the pandemic wore on, we saw a dramatic increase in companies turning to NFR to add resiliency to supply chains, test new markets or be NFR-first operationally.

At Global Access, we take some companies on the ground (opening local warehouses in country, guiding the product registration process, etc.). For other clients, we support cross-border shipments or NFR. During the pandemic, the most successful companies we worked with had at least some NFR operations. They were able to react more quickly to changes in customer preferences and buying habits, replenish inventories more quickly and cross source product.

The pandemic also pushed many traditional eCommerce brands to expand via an NFR or cross-border model. Cross-border is growing at double the pace of domestic eCommerce and global transportation networks, technologies and governments have rushed to adapt to the acceleration. It has never been easier to transact with, ship to or retain international consumers.

However, from our perspective there are a few important, necessary steps to ensure long-term NFR success. First, companies need to ensure they are compliant with all personal import and compliance laws. Second, the most successful companies provide a frictionless shopping and payment experience. Lastly, effective organizations find ways to maintain the customer-brand relationship to enhance customer LTV.

Tanner Carlson currently serves as the General Manager of Global Access. He is passionate about connecting the world’s business to the world’s consumers. Throughout his career, he has built, implemented, and maintained global software and transportation solutions and expansion strategies that support businesses of all sizes.

From the September 2022 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post Three Key Challenges Impacting Global Commerce first appeared on Direct Selling News.

OnLine ordering has quickly evolved the product packaging and shipping industry while altering customer experiences and expectations. Likewise, the direct selling industry has shifted to an online ordering experience, delivering orders directly to a customer’s door. Product and shipping packaging have become integral cogs in the overall marketing strategy to surprise and delight customers and increase retention. Recent worldwide supply chain issues have caused companies to rethink packaging budgets and strategies and to evaluate emerging trends.

“With millions of packages delivered every day, making packaging an experience is more important than ever. As packaging designers, we have to bring the excitement and adventure of shopping to your door—when you, the customer, open that nondescript box you have one foot in the door of a brand,” says Justin Hamra, Art Director at 99designs.

Here are seven key packaging trends and innovations on the rise that direct selling companies should consider.

1 / Digital Printing

Digital printing is nothing new, but switching from analog to digital printing can be a big overhaul for packaging companies. And some may not yet be fully integrated with digital. Still, this is a trend that can’t be ignored—according to PackagingStrategies.com, the global digital printing packaging market will reach $28 billion by 2024.

Digital printing offers more flexibility, speed and customization. Since digital printing can print all colors in one pass, this has revolutionized print-on-demand, reducing time for color matching and allowing for lower print quantities when necessary. Advancing technologies has greatly reduced the need for stick-on packaging labels, saving companies money and time for redesign.

2 / Personalized Packaging

Adding another layer to the positive customer experience, customizing product and shipping packages promotes the brand and makes the customer feel special. Trends include packages with unique messaging, QR codes to verify the contents, customer names and more. Personalized packaging lends itself to innovative marketing approaches like scavenger hunts that reward customers who find rare packages or labels. Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign included names on bottle labels and encouraged people to give a Coke to someone with the featured name.

3 / Fun Designs and Gradients

According to data research company Ipsos, 72 percent of American consumers say their purchasing decision is influenced by the packaging design. Minimalistic designs have been a rising trend. Using colorized gradients against a light background is both subtle and striking. Gradients add complexity without the “busy-ness.” Color mists are another popular example of gradient use.

“Many companies recognize how well strong colors, designs and dramatic effects stand out. They also see how well this trend results in increased sales volume,” an article from York Saw and Knife Company mentioned. “Strong colors like neon green and bright yellow quickly attract a person’s attention. So do effects like shining metallic sheens and reflective surfaces.”

4 / Flexible Packaging

The days of choosing between three or four rigid cardboard box sizes are long gone. Technological advancements allow for flexible packaging material, helping reduce storage space and saving shipping costs. These include wraps, bags, pouches and envelopes. Smithers Pira predicts the flexible packaging industry will reach $269 billion in 2024.

Flexible packaging materials made of polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate or polypropylene break down easier and deteriorate faster than traditional shipping packages and packing material. Other advantages include easier storage, resealing, less material, lighter weight, eCommerce friendly and the ability to ship individual products.

5 / Minimalist Package Designs

In an era of information overload, people appreciate simplicity. Too much information on packaging can get ignored, while a minimalist approach can make a bigger impact. Packaging that tells the customer what’s in it for them is key. Focus on results and how you want the customer to feel about your product and brand. Think of ways customers can use the packaging after opening, like including a coupon code on their next order or including pro tips for using the product.

6 / Recyclable and Sustainable Packaging

Online ordering has put recycled packaging top of mind for people who experience deliveries almost daily. Many people avoid purchasing items not packaged in recycled materials. More than 1,000 companies and organizations (including Walmart and PepsiCo) are part of the New Plastics Economy global commitment that aims to increase recycled packaging by 25 percent by 2025. Sustainable packaging made from paper or hemp has greatly increased in popularity. Adding messages on packages indicating a commitment to sustainability is a great way to communicate the mission to customers.

7 / Unboxing Videos

Unboxing videos have never been more popular on social media. According to Google, 90 percent of people say they discover new brands or products on YouTube. Everything from initial experience to longform product reviews are seen as trustworthy and authentic. Some companies are practically begging influencers to review their products. The design, feel and quality of product packaging are some of the first aspects of a product that are closely examined and considered in the overall experience. The rise of virtual reality technologies could make this trend even more relevant.

From the September 2022 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.

The post Seven Product Packaging and Shipping Trends on the Rise first appeared on Direct Selling News.