With winter quickly approaching, it’s time to reevaluate your product packaging to make sure it can protect your product. During the winter months, your packaging will be exposed to colder weather and potentially more moisture from snow. But you can do a few things to make sure it will continue to protect your product like it always has.
Do You Even Need to Change the Individual Product Packaging?
Start by considering whether you even need to make any changes to the product packaging itself for the winter months. When you sell your product in stores, it is shipped in large boxes with dozens of items. That larger shipping box may need some upgrades, and that may be enough to protect the packaging and products within.
And if you ship your products directly to consumers, then you will also put your product packaging within another box, at least in most cases. So, you would maybe need to adjust that exterior box.
That being said, if your product is especially sensitive to extreme temperatures, you might still need to make some minor adjustments to the packaging.
The following tips are versatile enough to apply to your first layer of product packaging or your shipping packaging, depending on your needs.
Add Temperature Recorders and Indicators
If your product is temperature-sensitive, then consider adding a temperature indicator or recorder of some sort. These will let you confirm that the package never drops below a certain temperature. That, in turn, lets you confirm that the product is still in good condition and can be sold.
Label the Packaging
Label any product or packaging that requires special handling. After all, how is everyone along the supply chain going to know to keep your boxes out of the coldest temperatures if you don’t tell them?
Add Insulation
Another excellent option is to add some insulation to your product packaging or your shipping boxes. There are various types of bubble mailers and insulated wraps that can trap heat, helping prevent the extremely cold temperatures from damaging your product.
Depending on where your products are shipped, you may need to opt for extra-strong insulation material. Always check the temperature ratings of your chosen materials.
Consider Water-Proof Poly Bags
Depending on your packaging, you may want to consider adding some snow-resistant shipping bags, such as water-proof poly bags. You are most likely to use these when shipping your product directly to the customer, but you can also get creative with their use.
Always Test the Packaging
The key to winter-proof packaging is to test it. Get a short run or a sample made and put it through all the conditions your product packaging typically experiences on its journey. You can even actually run a few boxes through the entire supply chain to confirm they fare well.
Conclusion
You may not need to adjust your product packaging for winter as long as it stays in insulated and protected shipping boxes throughout the supply chain. Whether you adjust your shipping boxes or the product packaging itself, consider adding water-proof elements like poly bags and insulation.
