As a small business owner, you know how important packaging is for your products. It can protect your products from damage or from spoiling; it can catch the eye of your potential customers who are shopping in any brick-and-mortar store; and, most importantly, it can act as a canvas to showcase your company branding and logo.
That’s why choosing the right packaging for your products might take some trial and error. And the best way for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to test the waters is to choose short-run packaging over long-run packaging.
What is short-run packaging and how can it help business owners spend less money upfront? Keep reading for some of the top benefits of short-run packaging.
Short-Run Packaging vs. Long-Run Packaging
Long-run packaging consists of printing large quantities of a product—usually print runs of anywhere between 10,000 and several hundred thousand units—at one time.
In the past, business owners preferred long-run packaging, because it was considered more cost-effective.
For each print run, business owners and packaging manufacturers needed to factor in the initial cost to set up the equipment and create the packaging design. Typically, the more units that were printed in each run, the less it cost per unit, because the overhead costs were divided up between more units.
Now, thanks in large part to new technology and the fact that there is virtually no setup associated with digital printing, short-run packaging has taken off in the custom printing industry.
Short-run packaging is the process of printing smaller quantities, such as 100 units or less, to meet each individual business’ exact needs.
With short-run packaging, business owners can make shorter print runs, which is not only cost-effective, but also helps SMBs test out new ideas without committing to a large quantity of products.
The Benefits of Short-Run Packaging for SMBs
There are many benefits to short-run packaging compared to long-run packaging. Here are some of the advantages for SMBs.
1. Costs Less Than Ordering in Bulk
For small business owners, short-run packaging will cost less than long-run packaging. With short-run packaging, you only print what you need, and you won’t be required to pay for larger quantities of products or order in bulk.
This could save you a lot of money in the long run and keep you within your budget. You also won’t have to pay for extra warehousing or storage space for inventory you don’t need.
Every dollar counts, and the more you spend on excess packaging, the more it will affect your bottom line. Instead, you can put those cost savings toward other areas of your business, such as marketing or new product development.
2. Makes Inventory More Manageable
In the business world, anything can happen—just look at what’s happened to the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The last thing you want is to have an overstock of products in your warehouse or inventory room that is no longer relevant, because of a major event like this pandemic. This is especially true for seasonal products.
Perhaps you’re going to run a Valentine’s Day promotion and want to order custom packaging for your products during the promotion. One of the benefits of short-run packaging is that you can order the exact number of packaging units required and you won’t have to worry about purchasing more boxes than you intend to use.
Should you require more packaging, you can place another printing order, or you have the option to create a different packaging design for your next promotion.
3. Lowers Risks for Small Businesses
As mentioned above, ordering too many products can be risky for your business, because you could end up with too much inventory on your shelves.
Long-run packaging can also increase your risk of theft or damage from fires or floods. The fewer products you have in stock at a given time, the lower your chances of incurring damages (or theft losses) to your inventory.
For startups and SMBs, ordering in smaller batches also helps reduce losses due to human errors. What happens if you order 5,000 custom apparel boxes, only to find out that they don’t meet the required product specifications? You’ve just spent thousands of dollars on boxes that don’t fit your product. Mistakes happen; but with short-run packaging, at least your costs can be lower.
4. Offers Flexibility for Personalized Packaging
Short-run packaging provides you with the flexibility to personalize your packaging as often as you want. This is especially important for small businesses and startups that are still finding their footing in their respective industries.
For one, customized packaging can improve your image and help with your branding. Also, with a shorter print run, you can test out different packaging options to see which packaging your customers respond better to.
With long-run packaging, you don’t have the flexibility to order different versions of your packaging or use your packaging to perform market research.
5. Provides a Faster Turnaround
Short-run packaging can provide a shorter turnaround compared to long-run packaging, because it allows you to order smaller batches incrementally.
When you have a large print run, it’s almost impossible to get all your products delivered to you within two weeks.
Yet, with short-run packaging, you can place last-minute orders for urgent promotional material or new product launches and have peace of mind knowing that your custom packaging manufacturer will be able to handle your order quickly and efficiently.
Should you need more packaging, you could always place another order for a small batch later on.
6. Helps with Promotions or Product Releases
That brings us to our next point. One of the biggest benefits of short-run packaging is that it provides you the opportunity to try out different packaging options for small promotions and product releases.
Each time you have a new product launch or in-store promotion, you can choose a new packaging design to better market the product.
This is only possible with short-run packaging, because it allows you to scale down your order and purchase packaging on an as-needed basis.
The last thing you want is to order more than you need, only to find out that your new product wasn’t as successful as you’d hoped it would be. Then you’ll be left with all the extra packaging that’s now useless.
How Magenta Depot Can Help You with Our Short-Run Packaging Solutions
Magenta Depot helps small businesses and individuals create and order customized printed packaging online. Our goal is to simplify the traditional printing process by making it possible for business owners to design their own high-quality, low-volume, professional-looking printed packaging, at an affordable rate.
All our products are printed in Canada. We offer two-week turnaround times, with low minimums and no setup fees. To learn more about our short-run packaging solutions, contact us today to request a free, no-obligation quote.
