While many organizations first consider packaging automation from the standpoint of increasing productivity, reducing waste, saving space, and conserving labor, those are far from the only areas that can be impacted by an integration. With the right end-of-line automation solutions, the final output can deliver a remarkable presentation while remaining easy to open, reseal, and ultimately recycle. Read on for Ranpak’s top seven recommendations on how brands can leverage packaging automation to improve the experiences of their end customers, creating moments of surprise and delight while keeping goods safe and secure.

1. Make packaging right-sized

Right-sizing is an important element of packaging today for a host of reasons, including the fact that poorly fitted packaging can increase chances of products being damaged in transit. Packaging automation creates right sized packaging thanks to an understanding of the product mix moving through a warehouse so that box profiles can be optimized for their contents. Ranpak’s approach to right-sizing automation pairs optimal box footprints with height-reduction, which can achieve volume reduction of up to 25%. These smaller boxes improve the costs associated with shipping by controlling dimensional weight. Optimized packaging takes up less space, reducing the number of trailers needed and helping reduce the Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from shipping

Right size packaging is easier to ship, looks better, and is better for the environment. When 82% of consumers would pay more for sustainable packaging, brands that right size their packaging can help improve shipping costs while also delivering packages that their customers can feel good about.

Learn more about the importance of right-size packaging

2. Make unboxing easier

Getting a long-anticipated package can be the highlight of your day. When the excitement is tempered by difficult to open packaging, it can interrupt what is meant to be a positive experience. By using packaging automation solutions to seal boxes and apply lids, features like simple tear strips can make opening a box much simpler than unsealing taped box flaps, no scissors or cutting blades required.

3. Make packaging tamper-evident

Another benefit of packaging with tear-strips and glued seams is the ability to immediately recognize when the package has been previously opened. When boxes are manually sealed, it is possible to open the tape, remove items, and then replicate the original seal. Because automated packaging solutions are able to glue lids in place, while boxes formed for height reduction also do not feature tape-sealed bottoms or sides, it becomes much easier to identify tampered packaging with an impact on loss prevention both in the warehouse and in transit, which helps ensure that customers get a consistent order experience.

4. Deliver a branded experience

It’s been shown that consumers respond positively to personalization, becoming 78% more likely to both repurchase from and recommend companies that deliver personalized experiences.

Ranpak’s automation solutions can support packaging with unique printed designs, while the Cut’it! EVO Multi-Lid allows up to four uniquely branded lid designs to be applied by a single automated height-reduction machine. Better presentation can lead to positive brand impressions, and more repeat business overall. It makes for an instantly recognizable package on a porch or in a mail room, helping to passively spread awareness of your brand.

5. Create surprise and delight

Printing on the exterior of the box is a great option to increase brand awareness through packaging. However, it’s not the only choice, as boxes can be customized with printing on the inside as well. That includes personalization elements including greetings and thank you messages. When a customer opens their package, that moment of seeing a special design inside the package just for them can further improve the unboxing moment and the association of that positive experience with your brand. These moments are also great for social media, adding another level of passive promotion delivered entirely through your packaging choices.

6. Make your packaging curbside recyclable

When opening a package, the less that customers need to think about how to dispose of their secondary protective packaging, the better. The benefits of a simple cardboard box along with paper cushioning or void fill include the ability to swiftly dispose of extra packaging in the paper recycling bin. Paper packaging enjoys a high rate of recycling around the world. The EPRC reported a 70.5% recycling rate across the paper value chain in Europe in 2022. Paper packaging is also a strong part of a circular economy. In our 2023 Sustainability and Impact report, Ranpak shared that 70% of our aggregate paper supply was sourced from recycled pulp.

7. Facilitate a simpler return process

The costs of returns and the phenomenon of bracketing, where retail customers order multiples of a product with the intention to return all but the ones that they like or that fit them best, can make the returns process into more of a headache for businesses than it might otherwise be. Facilitating simple returns helps to minimize the receipt of unsaleable goods being shipped back, while also providing a positive experience for customers. While processing returns is a complex problem, the easy to reseal packages produced by Ranpak’s end-of-line automation solutions can reduce damages and help streamline the process of accepting returned items. Ranpak’s automation solutions produce resealable boxes while remaining compatible with a range of upstream solutions, including box forming and pad-insertion systems, as well as working within a pick-to-shipper packaging flow.

Learn more about pick-to-shipper strategies