Market America | SHOP.COM, has formed a partnership with Right-sized Packaging on Demand manufacturer, Packsize International. With the introduction of Packsize machine systems, Market America | SHOP.COM has already begun optimising its labour and material efficiencies. This effort has taken place across its main warehouse at its corporate headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.
To improve overall customer experience, Market America | SHOP.COM customers are receiving the products they ordered in a right-sized box. The smallest possible box size to fill the order is used. This happens through Packsize’s semi-automated X4® packaging system. The solution produces custom-sized boxes that are not too big or too small but just the right size for the specific order of each customer.
Reducing warehouse space
“By implementing Packsize technology, our company moved from six stock box sizes to over 150 box size options and is continuing to expand,” said Marc Ashley, President and Chief Operating Officer of Market America Worldwide. “Traditionally, having more sizes of boxes would mean having a surplus of boxes in various sizes. This takes up more space in our warehouse. With Packsize’s X4 packaging system, however, a machine located on-site is able to produce custom boxes at various sizes and dimensions that are already glued and labelled, at a rate of up to 300 boxes an hour.
“This allows Market America | SHOP.COM to significantly reduce the amount of warehouse space dedicated for packaging supplies. Yet reducing the amount of corrugated material – the product made from trees to make cardboard boxes – that the company uses. We are literally solving packaging constraints and improving efficiencies in our warehouse. In addition to protecting the environment. We are evaluating how to implement this same technology at all of our distribution centres around the world.
“From an efficiency standpoint, we reclaimed space in our warehouse by not having thousands of pre-sized boxes waiting to be used. The X4 technology makes the exact size shipping box each customer needs for their particular order at an on-demand basis.” said Chad Sullivan, Director of Global Distribution and Logistics at Market America | SHOP.COM
Enterprise Times: What this means for business
The trend is now irreversible and here to stay. Increasingly, today’s consumers are buying online, on a daily basis, from the comfort of their own home. More online purchases mean an increase of packaging materials are used, often ending up as waste. An article in the Wall Street Journal estimates shipping demand in Q4 2020 will outpace supply by 8.7%. Daily demand for shipping is expected to reach 86.3 million packages a day. At the same time, all companies are embracing the concept of sustainability. Avoiding the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance. Excess packaging is constantly reported with annoyance by customers, as a negative side-effect of buying online.
Therefore Market America|Shop.com and Packsize’s announcement is a step in the right direction. This will improve the overall customer experience. Ensuring customers receive the products they ordered in a right-sized box – the smallest possible box size to fill the order. This makes perfect sense to ensure any enterprise can even starting the claim of sustainability.
