When is a box not just a box? When is it more than cardboard and packaging materials? When is a box no longer merely a box but a strategic asset?
The big, important change happens the minute a product goes inside the box. From that moment forward, it’s part of the product itself — not just a piece of packaging. The box is responsible for both safeguarding the product and presenting it as a desirable commodity.
In a market where more and more companies are shipping goods to customers all over the U.S. and the world, custom shipping boxes have suddenly become a vital element of commerce. Marketing teams are aware of the presentation value of custom boxes, and product and logistics teams have found them to be invaluable tools for making sure an item’s packaging performs its intended duties.
AirSea Containers works with retailers and wholesalers nationwide to create high-performance custom shipping boxes. We’re here to help our clients expand their reach, deliver quality products and build their brands. Did you ever think a humble box could do so many things? Read on to find out why we’re so excited to offer custom boxes and shipping materials to our customers.
THE PERFECT BOX FOR YOUR BUSINESS GOALS
It wasn’t so long ago that nearly all shipped goods came in plain cardboard boxes. Today, however, the branded shipping box has cemented itself firmly as an indispensable part of the 21st-century commercial landscape. One small-business blog describes packaging as “the marriage of form and function presented in a beautiful package designed to entice customers to buy the product and then to continue buying it.” That’s what any business wants — so AirSea is here to help!
Custom shipping boxes don’t just help organizations build their brands, either. They can also enable totally new business models to penetrate and thrive in new markets. Innovations in packaging and design are a vital step to creating the vibrant new business models that have come to characterize 21st-century commerce.
Custom shipping boxes can help you align the materials you’re using with the goals you’re pursuing, whether you’re creating an exciting new brand, launching a daring business model or something else. We only need to look at a few major examples to see how true this is:
- Amazon: As Amazon’s Prime shipping boxes showed up on more and more doorsteps, the company leveraged their ubiquity by making the boxes themselves a huge part of their brand. Amazon’s smiling, singing boxes are now an instantly recognizable element of their commercials.
- Loot Crate: Subscription-box services were some of the first companies to effectively leverage their boxes as part of their branding. The tremendously popular Loot Crate, which ships video game fans a monthly box of game memorabilia, is instantly recognizable by its sleek black-and-orange box. Inside that box, a snappy blurb encourages fans to share the box’s contents on social media.
- Blue Apron: Twenty years ago, who would have predicted that we’d be able to order whole meals online and get perishable ingredients shipped directly to our doors? It wouldn’t have been possible without the highly specialized shipping and packing solutions Blue Apron employs. Their recyclable packaging, specially designed insulation and distinctive branded shipping box all combined to help Blue Apron become the hit it is today.
One thing all these brands have in common is that none of their customers will ever enter a physical storefront — although Amazon has started opening a few. Awnings, floor displays, signs and other staples of brick-and-mortar commerce are largely unavailable to companies working within these business models.
That’s why their distinctive packaging is such an important element of their brands. When you’re an eCommerce-focused business — particularly a retail one — it’s essential to leverage the branding opportunities you’re given! All these brands have used custom shipping boxes to show the world that the eCommerce channel doesn’t have to be faceless. In fact, it can and should be quite the opposite.
The effects aren’t just aesthetic, either. Developing customized shipping boxes has enabled these brands to expand their reach nation- and world-wide in a way that’s never been possible before. Businesses like Blue Apron engineer their packaging solutions to deliver new products to new markets in innovative ways. With the right combination of innovative package design and carefully selected accessories, so can you!
BOOSTING BOX PERFORMANCE WITH SHIPPING ACCESSORIES
Outside of any cosmetic or branding concerns, a box also needs to perform its intended duties. The best boxes are specifically designed for their applications. They’re tailored to offer the exact performance aspects that will ensure successful delivery of the product to a delighted customer every time.
AirSea’s wide range of shipping materials and accessories can help you ensure your product gets to its destination safely. What’s more, as the Green Living blog notes, the use of biodegradable and eco-friendly packing materials is important to creating a model of sustainable business. That’s part of why we now offer numerous eco-friendly packaging materials to help minimize your business’s environmental impact. Those products, as well as our traditional packaging offerings, include high-performance shipping materials such as:
- Air Pillows: These air-filled cushions are the perfect padding and shock absorption solution. Their flexible shape makes them great for filling in awkward gaps and hole sizes. Best of all, they’re made with Opus Bio plastic, a completely biodegradable plastic that leaves no toxin or metallic residue behind.
- Dunnage Air Bags: A heavy-duty cousin to the air pillow, these air bags are ideal for preventing cargo from shifting during train, truck or air transport.
- Refrigerant Gel Packs: Refrigerant chemicals like dry ice and others can be tricky to handle and environmentally problematic. Our refrigerant gel packs are biodegradable, non-toxic and reusable.
- Poly Bags: These are great for keeping less fragile items together and preventing shifting in transit.
- Shrink and Bubble Wrap: These classic shipping solutions are as effective as ever. If you’re shipping fragile goods, shrink and bubble wrap are a time-tested solution for shock insulation and package immobilization.
- Packing Peanuts: Not only do we carry the original Styrofoam packing peanuts — we also now offer a biodegradable alternative with even better performance!
- Shipping Tape and Accessories: AirSea offers over a dozen varieties of shipping tape, including water-activated and plastic adhesive. We also offer essential accessories like tape dispensers.
- Vermiculite: Vermiculite is a silicate material noted for its incredible absorbent and cushioning properties. We offer several vermiculite grades up to our top-of-the-line Extra-Coarse Non-Dusty 4A grade. For a high-performance cushioning material that also solves moisture concerns, Vermiculite is the professional’s choice.
For our customers who ship hazardous materials, we also carry a variety of hazmat shipping solutions, including shipping drums, reusable jerricans and more. Many of these options are specifically crafted to be more environmentally friendly than competing solutions.
CUSTOM SHIPPING BOX DESIGNS FROM AIRSEA
To better meet our customers’ needs, we’ve invested in the capacity to create almost any type of corrugated shipping box. From a classic slotted box to truly unique ground-up designs, we can confidently meet the needs of most customers. Take a look at our custom shipping box offerings — and if you’re not sure what you need, we can help you figure that out, too!
- Regular Slotted: The time-honored corrugated shipping box with four top flaps that meet in the middle, these boxes stack well and sit comfortably on a shelf, making them great for fulfillment warehouses as well as archiving and long-term storage.
- Full Overlap: This box features four overlapping flaps that strengthen and reinforce the box’s top and bottom, making them an ideal choice for heavy or fragile items such as statuary or beverages in glass bottles.
- One-Piece Folder: A great option for protecting flat and narrow items, this box features five panels that “wrap” together to enclose your product. Mirrors and framed artwork are common applications for this type of box.
- Die-Cut Carton: These boxes provide extra security, thanks to their slot-and-tab systems that reduce reliance on packing tape. We have a great array of styles available for these boxes, but they do require the purchase of cutting dies to create custom designs.
- Half-Slotted Container: Similar to the regular slotted box but with an open-top design that omits the top flaps, this design is ideal for file storage and other applications where easy access is needed.
- Design-Style Tray: This versatile format can serve as a cover for another box (such as a half-slotted container), a top piece for a telescope-style box, a tray for produce displays or numerous other applications.
- Corrugated Pad: This customizable shipping accessory is perfect for separating products or protecting goods during transit. We offer both corrugated and solid fiberboard.
For more details on our shipping box design options, our blog offers a point-by-point breakdown. Once you’ve decided which design features your application demands, you can use our quick and easy custom box creator page to request a quote on custom shipping boxes.
AirSea offers both single- and double-walled corrugated cardboard at a variety of strength ratings, all the way up to heavy-duty 350# grade. We can print up to three colors on all four sides of your box, and we offer our boxes in both brown and white.
If you’ve got hazmat shipping needs, we also offer boxes for these applications. Just check “hazmat” when filling out your custom box request form and remember that hazmat boxes typically require U.N. standards testing. AirSea requires a minimum order of 500 for hazmat boxes and 150 for non-hazmat boxes. Unfortunately, we cannot offer custom printing on orders of under 500 units.
OTHER BENEFITS OF CUSTOM SHIPPING MATERIALS FROM AIRSEA
The benefits of custom shipping boxes might not all be apparent immediately. Once you’ve begun using them, you’ll notice a variety of positive effects and new capacities opening up for your business:
- Customized for Your Calendar: Running a summer promotion? Launching a limited-run product with special shipping needs? Wishing your customers happy holidays? It’s easy to order a run of custom boxes! AirSea can execute on very short lead times for non-hazmat boxes, so with just a little planning, you’ll have the perfect packaging for your seasonal and short-run needs.
- Find Your Perfect Materials: At just 150 units for non-hazmat boxes and 500 for hazmat, we offer lower minimum orders than many of our competitors. These low minimums allow your organization to experiment with the best boxes and materials for your needs. Try out different configurations, designs and visual styles to find the perfect setup.
- All-In-One Efficiency: AirSea Containers is your one-stop shop for the best packaging solutions. Get custom boxes, custom printing and all the shipping materials you need in one simple order.
- Eco-Friendly Options: We offer an industry-leading selection of environmentally friendly packaging. We want to help our customers build success that lasts, and part of that is giving them the tools to craft sustainable enterprises in the new global business landscape.
- Supplier Relationship: Business has always been about cultivating great relationships, but it’s never been more necessary than today. At AirSea, we strive to be a company worthy of building a relationship with. That means knowing our customers, knowing their needs and being able to follow through flawlessly when it matters most.
The 21st-century marketplace makes it imperative to think differently about your assets. A box can be so many things — protection, promotion, branding and more — and AirSea’s customized shipping boxes allow you to leverage all of those. When you add in our exceptional selection of materials, including eco-friendly options, you have the picture of what we strive for: truly integrated packaging solutions that allow our customers to achieve multiple objectives at once.
AirSea’s custom packaging specialists are ready to hear from you! Get started today with our custom boxes quote form, or call (866)-801-2581 to talk to one of our packaging specialists.
