Best Packaging Components for Online Women’s Apparel Brands

As an expert in women’s apparel, you know how important it is to be stylish always and in all of the ways – and your eCommerce packaging is no exception to this rule. With things like logistics management, margins and costs, design, and more on your plate, knowing what packaging is best to ship your…

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Best Packaging Components for Online Women’s Apparel Brands

Let’s take a look at the best components for shipping women’s clothing, how your packaging can keep you on-trend, and how to simplify the packaging procurement process.

The Packaging Components That Work Best for eCommerce Women’s Apparel Brands

As a retailer, you know retail packaging is a necessity. There are some essential components and some that add a nice touch – and within these two categories there are different components you can choose based on your budget, shipment type, design goals, and needs.

The Essentials

These essential packaging components are your bread and butter of every eCommerce order. Of course, all of these can be manufactured to spec – with different sizes, printing methods, closure types, and more.

Mailer Bags

Mailer bags are one of the best options for women’s apparel brands because they are versatile, flexible, durable, budget-friendly, and lightweight – making them more cost-efficient regarding shipping costs.

Poly mailer bags. These bags are flexible and the most lightweight, durable mailer bag option – plus, they tend to be more customizable with design. They can be used as a smaller order’s sole packaging solution, or as an interior packaging component to separate and wrap products within a larger bag or box.
Bubble mailers. Since these have some cushion, bubble mailers offer the best protection and are ideal for your more delicate pieces that have buttons, embroidery, and details that could be broken during shipping. For delicate clothing, both soft- and hard-shell bubble mailers can work. A soft-shell bubble mailer should be sufficient, however, if you want a mailer with a more rigid exterior, hard-shell bubble mailers do the trick.
Flexible kraft paper mailers. Paper mailer bags are a great, eco-friendly alternative to their plastic counterparts. Standard kraft mailers are the way to go, but if your items need extra cushion, opt for a paper-padded mailer.

If you’re worried about show-through, films can be added to these bags to make them more opaque and minimize the likelihood of theft. If you’re shipping merchandise with details that could potentially pierce through the mailer bag, like a button or pin, you may want to go with a box instead.

Boxes

Printed corrugate boxes are best for shipments that contain a large number of items, or for more fragile items that need to be protected from getting squished. You will still want to put the clothes into a plastic bag before boxing them up to protect them from moisture, debris, pests, and odors.

Printed corrugate boxes also work best for subscription boxes or PR packages. They allow you to keep your product presentation on point, which is especially important since social media users – influencers or not – love to post their unboxing experience on their channels.

For these shipments, you can also include extra components like brochures, thank you cards, sheets of stickers, or free reusable totes. If it is the holiday season or someone’s birthday, these components are a great way to elevate the experience. Plus, your consumers will really appreciate the convenience and ability to make the delivery special if it is a gift.

The Nice-To-Haves

Additional packaging elements, while not required, are certainly a great finishing touch.

Flat Cards

Flat cards are a nice addition to your packaging marketing strategy, giving you the opportunity to promote your brand and products. Include a QR code on these assets to promote your website. Let consumers know of upcoming promotions, share exclusive discounts, and encourage them to follow you on social media. Give recipients something of value with educational content such as top care tips for their new clothes.

Reusable Totes

While these are not essential to eCommerce shipments, consumers in women’s apparel will particularly appreciate this free gift with purchase. Wrap each order in a reusable shopping bag before you put it in its shipping component or add it on top of items. This thoughtful finishing touch will instantly put a smile on your consumer’s face – and when they use it, you are getting your brand name in front of even more eyes.

Tissue Paper and Seals

Wrap delicate items in printed or plain, colored tissue paper and a branded tissue seal. If you need to keep them in place during shipping, add cushioning material, such as air pillows, kraft paper, bubble wrap, foam sheets and pouches, tissue paper, and packing peanuts. You can use these interior components in both bags and boxes to really elevate the experience. With the right packaging partner, you can customize some of them to give your business that extra level of detail.

Packaging Components Are a Necessity – But So Is Aesthetics

Your packaging’s aesthetics have a direct impact on how consumers perceive your brand and the value they get out of each purchase. In addition to boosting brand sentiment, visual design can improve brand recognition by connecting your online shopping experience to your brand as a whole. In addition, emotion is a big motivator in buying behavior, and when a consumer receives their highly-anticipated order, your packaging’s look and feel should amplify the happiness they felt at the point of purchase.

Throughout the packaging design process, focus on aligning your packaging with your branding. Feature your company’s colors, logo and/or name, and other critical elements dominantly – and don’t be afraid to have fun and take it to the next level. This may be as simple as adding an interior component like a “thank you” card. Or, you may want to amp up the style of exterior components by incorporating a metallic pink finish, covering it with a floral print, or putting your brand name all over the package in big, bold letters. If that is not your vibe, you can also keep it simple with understated earth tones, monochromatic colors, geometric prints, or placing your brand name front and center. The options are endless.

The key is to align your packaging with your brand as closely as you can to boost brand recognition, drive awareness, and generate excitement when a consumer sees a package from you at their doorstep.

You Know Packaging Is Important and What Components You Need – Now What?

You are likely busy leading a team, growing your brand, managing vendor relations, and innovating new concepts for your company. With all of this on your plate, it is understandable that you may not have time to fully dive into the logistics and strategy behind retail packaging. Factor in values-based consumerism and you may find yourself overwhelmed – choosing a standard packaging manufacturer that doesn’t give you the support you need to elevate your business.

This is where a full-service packaging provider can help! At Edge2Edge, we specialize in women’s clothing packaging – specifically, helping brands translate their values and style into packaging that sets them apart. With packaging strategy consulting and advisement, high-volume manufacturing, and innovative attitudes, we’ve helped brands like Gap, Harper Coats, WearLIVELY, and more navigate the world of custom retail packaging with flair.