Don't Get Boxed In:
The Top Ten Reasons To Choose Protective Mailers

Your "First Choice" for Shipping Small, Low-Profile Items

Paul E. McEvoy, Business Manager of Jiffy Mailer® Products, Sealed Air Corporation

If you're like most distribution managers in the mail order or fulfillment business, you're constantly looking for ways to reduce the cost of packaging and shipping without sacrificing protection. Maybe it's time to think "outside of the box" and discover the benefits of replacing boxes with protective mailers.

Compared with corrugated boxes, which are often used together with loose fill or some other dunnage material, protective mailers save time, energy, storage space, and most importantly, money. Here are the top ten reasons why protective mailers may offer your company a more cost-effective packaging solution:

The Top Ten Advantages Offered By Mailers:

1. Reduced Labor -- To package your product in a mailer requires only two simple steps: 1) insert the product into the mailer, and 2) seal. Using a box can involve up to six steps (construct box, tape bottom, insert product, add void fill, close carton, and tape shut), adding unnecessary time and money.
2. Lower Postage Expenses -- Protective mailers are lightweight and are available with protective cushioning that weighs less than standard cartons, especially when void fill materials are also used, such as bogus paper or loose fill. Shipping costs can be reduced significantly.
3. Increased Productivity -- Packaging with protective mailers helps improve volume output per packer by eliminating the carton assembly and taping process. Protective mailers also facilitate handling of additional orders during peak periods. The sooner your customers receive their orders, the happier they are.
4. Simple to Order -- Mailers are available in up to ten convenient sizes (depending on the type of mailer), making it easy to find the right mailer to fit virtually any small, low-profile product. Custom sizes are also available.
5. Lower Material Costs -- The total cost of packaging materials is minimized by eliminating several products, such as corrugated boxes, tape and loose fill.
6. Storage Space Savings -- Mailers are more compact than boxes, making it possible to reduce the space required for cartons or other packaging materials.
7. Pilfer Resistant -- The construction of protective mailers makes them more tamper resistant versus a box which can be easily opened and re-sealed.
8. Environmentally Responsive -- Less material used means less solid waste. Reduced waste sent to landfills helps the environment, and lowers costs for waste removal. In addition, most protective mailers contain recycled materials and often can be recycled with mixed paper or plastic.
9. Aesthetically Appealing -- Mailers, especially custom-printed mailers, present a high-quality image, creating a positive impression when received by a customer.
10. Improved Customer Satisfaction -- Mailers provide excellent product protection without the mess that occurs when your customer is trying to find his product buried in loose fill.

By reducing the time and money involved in the packaging/shipping process, protective mailers can provide cost-effective packaging solutions for your company. Sealed Air Corporation offers the most complete line of cushioned, non-cushioned and rigid protective mailers in the industry to accommodate the widest possible range of applications from industrial gears to books and apparel. Sealed Air's Jiffy Mailer® products provide a simple, low-cost and environmentally responsible alternative to packaging with cartons.

Bottom Line Savings

The first step in determining the benefits of using protective mailers is to conduct a Package Design and Cost Analysis. This imposes a dollar value on the reduced labor, lower postage expenses, and lower material costs of switching packaging. By conducting a side-by-side comparison between protective mailers and your existing packaging materials, it is easy to see the benefits on a cost-per-pack basis, but it also shows you how much productivity increases with the new packaging process.

By eliciting feedback from your company's repeat customers, you can measure customer satisfaction with protective mailers. Let your customers know why your company is changing the way products are packaged and include a brief questionnaire in your first mailing: Did your package arrive safely and undamaged? Are you happy with the environmental benefits of the packaging? Did you find the packaging to be aesthetically appealing?

Don't forget to ask your own workers about their satisfaction with using protective mailers. You will find that because protective mailers are simple to order and easier to use, they are preferred versus cartons.

A Sealed Air consultative sales representative is available in your area to help determine the appropriate Jiffy Mailer® product for your application. Working as a consultant with your packaging department, Sealed Air will uncover all the benefits of using protective mailers without sacrificing high-quality protection and other specific needs of your company. You'll find that moving "outside of the box" is the right step to take.