The key to speed

Online retail has grown quickly in its short history and seen many changes in emphasis. This is true down to the last details of the process, such as product packaging.

Kite Packaging Managing Partner Gavin Ashe takes up the point.

"The industry has grown so quickly, and from nothing. A lot of people approached it from the point of view of the cheapest thing will do. That has changed. Pack velocity is very important. The cost of the picking and packing process is greater than the packaging itself. Speed of picking and packing is therefore critical.”

Kite works through this process with its larger customers, sending a packing technologist in to assess the process and improve the packaging design. This in turn saves time per pack, that accumulates into considerable cost savings.

Gavin has also noticed a philosophical shift in terms of product presentation, which has major implications for the packing process and packaging products.

"It used to be acceptable to deliver a £500 suit in a polythene bag. Customers would not complain. Now there is a sense that the last metre is the most important, that the customer experience when receiving and opening a parcel is critical.

"For many brands this is the only time they get to physically interact with the customer. More marketing orientated businesses are looking to create a special customer experience. The idea of getting something that looks like it has been through several sorting warehouses and then kicked down the street to your house isn’t acceptable.”

In addition, if the customer rejects a product, it simply adds cost to the retailer in the shape of returns, credit notes, etc.

Kite has patented a system called Wrap & Hold, which is aimed at eCommerce.

"One of the problems is that items are all different sizes and their order is random, so it is impossible to find a box that fits all sizes. So most of the damage is created by items banging together in the box,” he says.

"Wrap & Hold uses stretch film inside the box to secure the items, so when a customer opens it they find it wrapped and held in place. It has great energy absorption and protection properties and it presents the product in an attractive way. It is also low cost and environmentally friendly.”

The company has also recently brought AirShock to market. This is a plastic bag that is inflated with compressed air when the product is inside. Once again this creates a firm protective package.

"We have developed a whole range, with versions for iPads, laptops, wine bottles and many other items.”