Flexible packaging is a fast growing packaging trend, but is flexible or rigid packaging right for your product and channel strategies? According to Jim Wynne, Director of Food Solutions with Veritiv, the answer may be both.

In today’s packaging world, the choice of materials can be overwhelming. While plastic packaging has proven to be a very efficient packaging material, especially when it comes to keeping food fresh, Solid Bleached Sulfate (SBS) paperboard is a more versatile and environmentally friendly option.
What is SBS paperboard?
SBS paperboard made from mostly hardwood, chemically pulped fibers that are bleached and refined. Here are some benefits of using SBS paperboard as your go-to packaging material:

Now that almost every consumer expects next-day delivery, even when they’re ordering a complete living room set and flat screen TV, most companies are trying to increase their e-commerce fulfillment velocity. In fact, a recent FLEXE survey revealed that 56% of consumers now expect one- to two-day shipping from all businesses.1
So, with e-commerce moving toward a next-day model, how do you increase your fulfillment velocity to meet ever-increasing consumer demands? Here are three ways to get products in the hands of consumers more quickly and efficiently:

Do crowded inboxes make you cranky? It could be time to step away from your computer, tablet or smartphone, and take a short walk out to your mailbox.
Physical mail is making a comeback, although it never really left in the first place. The tactile experience that physical mail provides never goes out of style. However, just like its email counterpart, it needs to be distinct and attract attention in its own unique way. Here are a few tips and strategies to make your physical mail and envelopes get noticed.

Improving results requires seeing cleaning as a holistic function of a facility. Some companies treat cleaning either as a simple housekeeping task or a necessary evil. This mentality often leads to neglecting processes, taking shortcuts and looking for the cheapest and easiest solution. The potential negative effects and expensive consequences far outpace any dollars saved upfront, and as a result, the whole facility suffers. Applying the same principles to cleaning as one would to any other critical facility function is the most effective way to experience positive results.

Did you know 66% of consumers believe the packaging of their shipment shows how much the retailer cares about them and their order? “The unboxing video trend shows that today’s consumers value experiences as much as the product, making the unboxing experience more important than ever,” says Jim Ollmann, Director, Packaging Design and Engineering Solutions with Veritiv. “Visually appealing, protective, and easy-to-open packaging helps strengthen customer loyalty.”
Enhance the unboxing experience

Did you know that 95% of second graders believe they’re creative, yet only 5% of high school grads believe the same?* As kids, school and homework force us to use logic and facts, so our brainpower lingers longer in reality. But by adulthood, we’ve acquired the fear of being wrong and know its negative consequences so we tend to use our memory and inhibition skills, not our imagination, to problem solve. These perfection tendencies can lead us away from fresh, creative thinking.

It's the great shipping debate: boxes vs. mailers!The right packaging for your product can do wonders for your business, so it’s important to get it right. Not only does it protect your product while in transit, it ensures that the product arrives in one piece—creating a positive brand experience for your customer and increasing the likelihood that they’ll choose you the next time they purchase. So how do you know if a box or a mailer is best for your product? A smart place to start is to consider the advantages of each product.
The case for boxes:

Lightweighting packaging strategies are gaining attention from innovative companies as they look for new ways to manage material cost, improve operational efficiency, and meet new sustainability targets. Lightweighting also can improve the unboxing experience for the customer or increase efficiency in assembling, palletizing, shipping, and warehousing of products. But what is it?

There are certain real-life scenarios where regular paper simply doesn’t cut it. Sometimes you need your paper to withstand frequent handling, rips, tears, stains and even harsh environmental conditions. Think restaurant menus, ID cards, POP displays, shopping bags, window signage and more.
While lamination is the traditional go-to for these above-and-beyond, luxury paper needs, it can fall on the costly side of things. Not only do you need special lamination equipment, but additional labor and production to make it all happen.