To mark Logistics Day, Sealed Air, one of the world's leading packaging manufacturers, met its customer Camalo, a specialist in e-logistics for e-tailers. Here's a look back at a discussion that highlights the importance of packaging in the customer experience.
Cédric Tisne, Sealed Air Key Account Manager: How did your partnership with Sealed Air begin?
Florent Pailhes, Associate Manager Camalo: Three years ago, we had a rather unusual Christmas: our breakage rate increased a little. Even if it was only a few parcels, they were still too many. So we called in Sealed Air, and the results of the studies and tests were very conclusive, as the breakage rate quickly approached 0. For our customers, packaging is an essential element in the experience of their own customers. According to a Kantar study, of the 35% of people who received damaged products last year, 25% said they would never recommend the supplier in question again. Improving our packaging was therefore an essential step in retaining our customers. What's more, when a parcel is damaged, we have to make a return and send the order back, which increases our costs, our carbon footprint, and our amount of work.
CT: Which Sealed Air products have you chosen?
FP: We chose to use Fill Air and New Air packaging. Fill Air is a cushioning and vacuum filling packaging that allows us to effectively protect the products we ship. But it was the New Air topping solution in particular that caught our attention. We have a multitude of products of different shapes, even odd shapes, to pack, and this proved to be very effective for us. Offered in small bubbles on small pre-cut widths, the New Air solution means we don't have any excess material and we don't have to oversize our cartons.
CT: Have you noticed any improvement in your customers' opinions since the introduction of the new packaging solutions?
FP: It's always more difficult to get feedback when everything's going well. On the other hand, when a consumer receives a broken parcel, they immediately inform the e-retailer. Since we've been working with Sealed Air, our customers no longer receive negative feedback directly concerning breakage due to the packaging and protection of the products in the parcels, quite simply. This prevents our customers from losing customers, and it also allows them to gain customers. It's the same for us.
CT: Have you noticed any improvements in terms of operational gains?
FP: As I said earlier, New Air packaging makes it possible to optimise the filling of packages and avoid having to oversize them. This not only saves on the box itself, but also on the volume taken up in the lorries. Smaller boxes mean that more can be shipped for the same volume, so transport costs are reduced, and the icing on the cake is less waste.
CT: How can packaging contribute to a positive customer experience?
FP: Packaging is an essential element when it comes to promoting a good brand image. It reflects a company's identity and efficiency, because it's partly thanks to packaging that a parcel is delivered in good condition.
CT: What about ecology?
FP: Customers are more and more sensitive to ecological issues, so this is a point that needs to be taken into account. Customers don't like over-packaging, so you have to be careful not to over-package your products or oversize the boxes so that customers have as little waste as possible to deal with. But be careful not to go to the opposite extreme: if there isn't enough packaging, the parcel may arrive damaged, leading to returns and an increase in the carbon footprint of the order.
To find out more, watch the full webinar replay presented by the two experts.
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