How to Choose the Right Packaging Company

When it comes to running a profitable business and creating customer loyalty, nothing is more important than packaging.

Who you choose to pack your products will largely determine how successful you’ll be. A professional packaging provider that offers high-quality and innovative packaging solutions without astronomical costs is what every business needs to grab customers’ attention and keep them coming back for more. 

The key to choosing the right packaging company comes down to five considerations:

• Packaging quality
• Strategic sourcing
• Freight and logistics help
• Packaging art design expertise
• Package testing for quality assurance

Quality of Packaging

Whether you’re selling products on a retail shelf or in subscription boxes, competition has significantly increased over recent years. This spike in competition means that your packaging needs to stand out amongst the crowd, and quality counts more than ever.

The quality of your packaging needs to be consistent, especially if you intend to order a large quantity. Packaging materials should not be attractive, but they should also be durable and practical. While you don’t necessarily need to dish out money for the highest quality materials on the market, it is important to compare material options when choosing a provider and speak with a specialist about the best materials for your product, brand, vision, and selling logistics.

If you’re looking to improve your packaging in a way that makes products more attractive to an eco-friendly consumer base, choose a packaging company that specializes in sustainable packaging at a price within your budget. When considering eco-friendly packaging, you’ll want to assess which raw materials are used, its total volume, the shelf space it takes up, and how you can use it to highlight your brand’s commitment to sustainability.

Related Content: Plastic-Free Packaging: How to Sustainably Package Your Products

Strategic Sourcing

The next step is finding a packaging company that is constantly looking for ways to help you save money while maintaining a single point of contact for all your packaging needs. You shouldn’t have to speak with multiple factories or providers—a trusted packaging company will be your one-stop shop for materials, and they should always work to get you the best price for those materials.

At GPP, we work with customers to remove the burden of project management from the initial packaging concept to the order delivery. We are always strategically sourcing the best materials for various needs and can guide you on quality and affordable packaging options in the retail marketplace.

Freight and Logistics Help

Choosing a company that can handle freight logistics is an enormous benefit, as it eliminates the hassle and major delays often associated with overseas production and delivery.

Your packaging company should handle all import and export procedures, take care of any necessary legal clearances, and oversee Customs processing. GPP offers one-vendor freight and logistics support, so your packaging never leaves our network during the process, from manufacture to FOB USA. We don’t use third-party forwarders, handlers, or warehouses, which means your product is moved quickly and efficiently through our own network.

Packaging Art Design Expertise

It’s a significant bonus if your packaging company offers expertise in art design and keeps its design process in-house—especially if you’re starting from square one with branding and design, or you have ideas for unique retail packaging and need help bringing them to life. This practice ensures all artists and structural engineers work with the same team on the same project, which streamlines the process and keeps products consistent.

Our unified approach at GPP includes valuable design add-ons like embossing, foils, or lamination. We strive to offer creative skills, technical knowledge, and cost-effective design support. Conducting all art design in-house allows you to easily make changes during the process and lets us produce print-ready files for our clients with CYMK conversion, layering, and alterations to UV coatings free of charge.

Package Testing for Quality Assurance

The last non-negotiable service of any professional packaging company should be third-party certified packaging testing to maintain high quality.

ISTA is considered the gold standard in testing and evaluating the performance of commercial transport packaging. These tests help companies control shipping costs, reduce product damage during shipping, and conserve resources. Third-party testing is critical to ensuring that you can trust the results. Some companies go the extra mile and offer environmental impact scorecards to help organizations reduce the ecological impact of their packaging. 

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right packaging company boils down to finding an organization that shares your company’s values, offers options that fit your exact packaging needs, and helps with every step of the packaging process.

Consider these five factors when balancing cost with quality, ease of logistics, design, and quality assurance. In today’s competitive retail marketplace, packaging makes an enormous difference in the success of your business—make sure to cover all the bases when deciding which company is right for you.