There’s a fine line when it comes to packaging. You don’t want so little packaging that items get damaged, but you also don’t want to frustrate customers by overdoing it with tape and other difficult materials to break open.

One way to toe this line is frustration-free packaging; a method of packaging your shipped goods that helps you increase customers satisfaction sustainably. If your company isn’t ahead of this trend, you may want to consider switching processes. In this article, we take a look.

What is frustration-free packaging?

Simply put, the objective of frustration-free packaging is to make your products easy to ship, open, and reuse or recycle. The idea is to minimize packaging materials without compromising product safety, making it more accessible for the customer, and less costly and wasteful for you.

The term was coined by Amazon, which has a frustration-free packaging program; a set of guidelines for Amazon merchants to reduce packaging waste, lower shipping and packaging costs, and improve the customer experience.

There are benefits for you.

Ultimately, frustration-free packaging allows you to reduce packaging and shipping supplies costs, as well as the waste generated by this expense. If your brand aligns itself with sustainability or eco-friendliness as a value, this is one initiative that can show consistency with your values, all while saving money.

Other advantages it offers are reduced chances of returns chargebacks,  saving you significant money in the long run.

There are benefits for your customers.

Lowered shipping costs for you also mean lower shipping costs for your customer. Likewise, the benefit is in the name. Simple, scaled down packaging that still protects shipped goods reduce frustration for the customer during the order fulfillment process. This will improve their experience with your business and potentially increase the likelihood of return business.

Even if you’re not selling on Amazon, you can use frustration-free packaging.

Although this strategy started with Amazon, it doesn’t mean you can’t implement it on your own.

Of course, there are challenges to consider. These include:

• Finding the balance between product protection, simplicity for customers, and minimal waste.
• Implementing the change to your packaging system without disrupting operations.

Some tips to make this easier include:

• Analyzing the current packaging type you are using to assess its biggest advantages and disadvantages regarding protection, design, and other factors – what must be changed and what can stay the same?
• Investigating packaging vendors with frustration-free options – shop around, don’t go with the first option you see right out of the gate.
• Prioritizing product protection – if there’s anywhere to scale back, it’s not here.
• Considering a consultant with expertise – if you’re concerned about what packaging supplies solutions you’re paying for, a third-party, independent consultant may be able to give you peace of mind.

In conclusion…

Frustration-free packaging can save you money, reduce waste, improve your customers’ experience, and show your commitment to sustainable solutions. If your only hesitation is implementing a large scale change, there are plenty of experts and vendors who can help.