Having an effective shipping and packaging strategy in place is crucial when looking to take an impactful approach to the delivery process of your food business. It can require smooth and precise coordination from many different internal teams including companies that you have partnered up with to provide the delivery service.
For those of you working within the food industry, it’s even more vital that you get your international food transportation up to a high-quality standard. Whether you’re shipping produce that needs to be kept in a temperature-controlled environment or simply need to ensure your produce is properly kept within a protective food packaging solution, there are a lot of things to consider when shipping your products. That’s why, today, we’re discussing the many different considerations a food brand should think about before they embark on their international shipping journey.
Protecting your products
The best start you can give your products before they leave your warehouse for their destination is to ensure that they are contained in a protective packaging solution that’s going to prevent any damage that can take place during the transportation process.
From robust packaging and shrink wrap for delicate produce, to industry specific packaging such as blue tint liners for fish produce, there is a huge range of packaging options to ensure the safe delivery of your product. As with any journey, there are sometimes unexpected bumps along the way, so it’s important you have a strong packaging solution that can withstand the shipping journey. What’s more, investing in a packaging material that’s durable for an international commute will keep your customers happy and coming back for more.
While you want the safety of your food products to be of the utmost importance, you don’t want to over-complicate your packaging and use an excessive amount. The best way to find the right solution for your products is to have a testing day in your warehouse, packaging the food in different containers to see which is most suitable and appropriate for your business’s needs.
When it comes to the shipping of food, you also need to take into consideration the temperature the food needs to be kept at, so that it stays fresh and arrives at its delivery point in a good and sustainable condition. It may cost more to ship the products using cooling technology, however, it’s worth the investment to keep your customers happy with the product delivered to them.
Stick to your budget
Arguably an obvious point to consider, once you’ve set a reasonable budget, make sure you stick to it! Packaging and shipping doesn’t always come cheaply - especially when you’re dealing with food products due to the conditions they need to be transported in. When it comes to picking your packaging and shipping service, you need to find something that’s both space-efficient so you can pack in as much food as possible, all while being cost-effective.
Stay true to your brand’s personality
For any product, the packaging used should reflect the brand image of the company manufacturing the food produce. The perfect packaging would represent both the company and appeal to the target audience. For example, if you’re a premium brand, you want your packaging to reflect this as to attract the right customers. While there may be certain requirements of your packaging that’s universal across all food brands, you still want something that differentiates your brand from others.
As well as ensuring you’re staying true to your brand’s personality, there are certain packaging trends that you may want to adhere to in your own unique way. For example, in recent years, eco-friendly packaging has taken off across multiple industries, with consumers expecting to receive the product in an environmentally-friendly material as to ensure they’re only investing in companies with a similar ethos to them. In fact, the food industry is thought to be the cause of growth and demand for eco-friendly packaging in the upcoming years.
Although it may once have been an afterthought, your packaging and how your product is presented could be what determines whether a customer buys from you or your competitor, which is why it’s crucial you choose the correct packaging solution.
Pick an innovative tracking shipping system
Once you have your products packaged and ready to ship, you might want to track them to see where in the world they are and know that they are going to be on time to meet the agreed delivery. After the produce leaves your warehouse, you don’t want to lose control over the shipping, so it’s worth using a company that has an innovative system that allows you to track your products, no matter where they are. That way, you can prepare for any delays or take comfort in knowing your products have been delivered in time.
We hope with these helpful tips you’ll find plenty of ways to find the right packaging for you that’s shipping friendly and meets all of your customers’ wants and needs.
