3 Essentials for Shelf Ready Packaging

3 Essentials for Shelf Ready Packaging

You want customers to find your products when they are shopping yet, you have no control over how frequently retailers replenish the stock. However, by providing your products in shelf ready packaging, you make restocking a quick and easy process. This can help the visibility of your brand and boost sales.

What is Shelf Ready Packaging?

Shelf ready is a type of retail packaging, which is designed to save a lengthy unpacking and stacking process. Essentially, it is a printed delivery box, which doubles as a retail display box. The packaging is sufficiently robust to protect the items inside during transit. Yet, perforations make it easy to tear away the top section. This reveals the goods in a well-presented format, that can slide into place, ready for shoppers.

Top 3 Considerations for Shelf Ready Packaging

Shipping

The boxes need to be sufficiently robust to protect goods during shipping. They will likely be stacked and knocked in transit, so you need a practical solution that won’t split open.

Fortunately, durable corrugated cardboard boxes have been reliably used for transporting goods for decades. Speak to your packaging manufacturer for advice on whether single-walled boxes offer sufficient strength for your products.

The Retailer

Shelf ready packaging has to make life easy for the retailer. When one box is empty, retailers need to remove it and replace it in a minute or two.

Therefore, you want to include:

• Boxes in specified dimensions, so they fit perfectly in the designated position
• Clear and concise handling instructions, printed on the removable top half of the box
• A highly visible opening point
• Quality perforations that easily rip off, leaving a neat edge

With the top section removed, there should be no additional steps to the process. Another priority for the retailer is easy recycling. Corrugated cardboard can be quickly flattened for disposal in recycling bins or collections.

If you are providing counter display packaging, minimise the surface space needed to present items at the till.

Packaging that Appeals to the Customer

As with any packaging, your shelf ready boxes are a promotional tool. Factor in which surfaces are visible when the box is in situ and print information that your target customer wants to know. Bold font can help customers quickly identify the variety they are looking for.

You can also provide key points of value that influence purchasing decisions. For example, your products might be:

• British-made
• Made from 100% recycled materials
• Vegan or nut-free
• Fairtrade or cruelty-free
• Limited edition or a new range

Adding colour, font and imagery can draw the eye, but there is no need to go for expensive, full-colour finishes. Often, a flexographic print in two colours is an effective and affordable option.

Consider how the products are presented to look good and make them easy to pick up. You might want to include inserts in your shelf ready packaging to enhance presentation. Inserts may also provide a way to maximise the number of products that can be displayed in each box.

Manufacturer of Shelf Ready Packaging

As a packaging manufacturer, we can produce and print shelf ready boxes to the exact dimensions stipulated by your stockist and provide the ideal fit for your products. We’re happy to answer your questions and advise on design, inserts and print finishes.

For further information on how we can assist with any retail packaging requirements, please email enquiries@abcbox.co.uk or call 01296 436888.