Posts Tagged ‘boxes’

Friday Feature Product: Jewelry Boxes

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Because jewelry is a top seller for Valentine’s Day, offering jewelry boxes with purchases is a nice touch for buyers. Jewelry boxes are great for keeping purchases safe, secure and unharmed from the time of purchase to when the recipient opens the box. They help keep necklaces and bracelets from becoming a tangled mess, as well as add an extra element of surprise when opening.

Many women also keep the original boxes their jewelry comes in as a way to neatly store and organize jewelry. Plus, many times stores put their brand name on their boxes so it is a good way to remind customers where they purchased their favorite jewelry items. You can easily brand boxes by adding custom sticker labels with your company name and contact information.

For many stores that carry jewelry, cotton-filled jewelry gift boxes will suffice with customer purchases. These boxes come in silver, white, kraft and gold to match any other packaging materials you offer. Many shapes and sizes are available to accommodate necklaces, bracelets, earrings, watches, pendants and rings. Additionally, they come with a piece of cotton that is sized to the box, so these are great for packaging other small, fragile items as well.

Jewelry Gift Boxes Jewelry Gift Boxes Jewelry Gift Boxes Jewelry Gift Boxes

Cotton-Filled Jewelry Gift Boxes in silver, kraft, white and gold.

Jewelry stores that want to create a dramatic presentation with their products, faux leather and black velvet boxes are perfect for creating the WOW factor. These not only look great but because they close tight, items will be stored safely wherever they go. Boxes for rings, earrings, necklaces, pendants and watches are available in black velvet with gold accents, faux leather white and faux leather black.

Black Velvet Earring Box Faux Leather White Jewelry Box Faux Black Leather Watch Box

Black Velvet Earring Box | Faux Leather Necklace Box | Faux Leather Watch Box

Since many retail stores have cut back budgets and do not offer gift boxes with purchases, your store will standout above the competition when you have these items available.

Friday Featured Product: Boxes

Friday, May 1st, 2009

Earlier this week, we discussed essential supplies for an online retailer. As we were developing that list, we noticed that the most important element was in fact the box. So, this Friday we are going to break down things to look for when selecting your shipping boxes.

Shipping boxes come in a variety of sizes. They often range from about 4”x4”x4” to extremely large boxes. However, for most consumer retail stores, you won’t need to order boxes much larger than 12”x12”x12” because larger items will come packed one to a box and you won’t need to repack it.

We suggest ordering a variety of box sizes and then seeing what you go through before ordering a large quantity of boxes. The key to saving money is to ship items in the smallest box possible. At the same time, you should try to pack an entire order in one box in order to save on shipping costs.

Why is this? Well first of all, each individual box has a unique shipping/tracking code. So your customers would have to enter in two codes in order to track their packages. Also, there is usually a flat fee associated with shipping a box. Then fees are added onto the box for additional weight. So if you ship two small boxes, you pay the flat fee twice and then the weight fees. If you ship in one slightly larger box, you only pay that flat fee once.

When selecting a box, versatility is key. We suggest using a kraft colored box made of corrugated fiberboard. Unlike standard flat cardboard, corrugated fiberboard has multiple layers including the accordion-like corrugated middle layer. This extra layer of paper allows the box to have some give, which will help cushion your products and make them less susceptible to damage during the shipping process. The kraft color will make your boxes postal ready, so you won’t have to take the extra step to cover them with paper prior to shipping.

Then don’t forget to keep some bubble wrap and stretch film on hand to wrap packages and fill the empty space in those boxes in order to ensure that those packages make it safely to their final destination.

What type of boxes do you typically use? Do you have to repack your items, or can most of them be shipping in their original packaging?

Tuesday Tip: Essential Supplies for Online Retailers

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

As the Internet continues to grow, many companies are either beginning as online only ventures, some are adding their merchandise online or some are closing their brick and mortar locations all together to become online store fronts.

As an online store, your supplies will differ from a brick and mortar location. First of all, you will not have to purchase things like displays or counters. But there are some supplies you will need to always keep stocked.

Because all online transactions end up being shipped, you need to ensure you have supplies that will keep your shipping costs low while protecting your merchandise. Here are the items necessary for putting a package together.

  • Boxes: Keep a variety of box sizes on hand so that you can ship orders in the smallest box without having to ship orders in multiple boxes. Larger orders should go in a bigger box to save on supply and shipping costs.
  • Bubble Shipping Bags: For small items or easily folded items, a bubble shipping bag is ideal because they cushion your merchandise and take up very little space.
  • Packaging Products: Have both bubble wrap and stretch film in stock in order to protect valuables and fill dead space. Plus, plastic products are more environmentally friendly than their Styrofoam counterparts.
  • Kraft Paper: In order to reuse boxes, use Kraft paper to rewrap boxes with writing on them for shipping.
  • Carton Sealing Products: Invest in a carton sealing kit that comes with a carton sealing tape gun and multiple roles of clear packing tape.

But shipping products aren’t the only things you will need in order for your new retail operation to be successful. Don’t forget organizational supplies such as shelving, tagging products, clothing racks and steamers.

Any other essential items that you needed when you started your online retail operation?

Tuesday Tip: How to Green Your Retail Store

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

As consumers increasingly turn toward green products and lifestyles, they also want their retailers to adopt green business practices. A poll recently conducted by the Global Strategy Group shows that 87% of consumers are more likely to buy products from an environmentally friendly retailer.

Now, not everyone can afford a complete revamp of their store and business practices in order to make their building and business meet green standards. In fact, by reusing resources that you already have, you are in fact being green by not wasting materials.
However, there are certain smaller things that you can do in order to help cut down on your environmental impact. In fact, many of these practices can slowly be adopted.

First, start recycling. From boxes, to packaging, to receipt paper, many retail organizations have a lot of unavoidable waste. Make recycling at least paper a standard practice in your store. Look up your local recycling center and find out if they will pick up your paper. In some areas, local schools collect newspapers and other paper to make extra money.

Another way to help green your company is to replace your light bulbs. Make sure you are replacing your old bulbs with florescent bulbs as the old ones burn out. Florescent and LED bulbs use less electricity and last longer, reducing energy and waste.

When cleaning, invest in a couple of cloth towels instead of always using paper towels. At the end of the week, take them home and throw them into one of your usual loads to reduce the amount of paper that is being thrown away.

Even your bags can go green. Switch to eco friendly bags. These types of bags are more durable and reusable so that your customers can turn them into gift bags, lunch bags or more. Plus, they are made of 25-100% post consumer materials and are 100% recyclable. Or, sell canvas bags that your customers can reuse.

No matter the change large or small, by incorporating green practices into your retail store, your customers will appreciate it and it will decrease your store’s environmental footprint.

What are some other tips you have for greening your store? How has greening your location helped increase sales and decrease costs?