Is Custom Poly Mailer a Good Packaging Pick for E-Commerce?

Making your mark and standing out amongst competitors has become more important than ever in the evolving e-commerce landscape. Yet, there’s one extremely crucial yet often overlooked aspect of running an online business: packaging.

Product packaging isn’t just materials that protect your items during transit but an opportunity for efficient brand owners to enhance customer experience and brand identity. This is where custom poly mailers come into play. They can enable e-commerce stores to increase their brand’s visibility and make a lasting impression on their customers.

Whether a novice entrepreneur or a well-established one, this guide offers all the information you may need regarding poly mailer packaging. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to determine whether a personalised poly mailer is the right fit for your business. If you decide to take this route, you’ll learn about everything you need to discuss with your packaging provider.

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What Are Poly Mailers?

Poly bags or poly mailers are lightweight envelopes that are made using durable plastic materials. They have numerous benefits for e-commerce businesses and come in a variety of options in terms of size, colour, and design. They’re an ideal choice for e-commerce and shipping needs.

What’s the Purpose of Poly Mailer Packaging?

The primary purpose of a poly bag for e-commerce stories is to offer a robust, reliable, and cost-efficient shipping solution. Poly mailers are highly flexible and take up less space than traditional cardboard boxes, allowing businesses to easily transport and store their products. These bags are designed to accommodate a variety of items, from small electronics to books and clothing and ensure that your items reach your customers in pristine condition. 

8 Types of Poly Mailer Product Packaging Available

Different vendors offer different types of poly mailer packaging. Let’s briefly talk about the 8 common types of poly mailers you’ll come across when shopping for reliable packaging materials.

1. Layflat Poly Mailers

Layflat poly mailers are for businesses that are selling products that require little to no cushioning. It’s a flat plastic bag but can adequately hold your product in place. These bags also come with self-adhesive and you can easily stamp anything on them.

2. Recycled Poly Mailers

Recycled poly mailers are more cost-efficient and even extremely popular among e-commerce businesses. These bags are made from materials that don’t emit carbon and thus help create a good brand impression among customers.

3. Bubble-Lined Poly Mailers

These poly mailers are popular for products that need added protection and cushioning for protection. They ensure your products remain in pristine condition until they’re delivered to your customers. Moreover, most bubble-lined poly mailers are self-sealable and perfect for more fragile, smaller items.

4. Expansion Poly Mailers

If your products are more medium- or large-sized, expansion poly mailers will prove a better pick for you. These mailers have an expandable seam on both sides, making it easier to contract and expand them. 

5. Die-Cut Handle Poly Mailer

This poly mailer comes with a handle, making it convenient to carry products around. This is especially great for enhanced customer experience because nobody likes the stress of carrying a package without handles.

6. Returnable Poly Mailers

A returnable poly mailer is specifically designed to cater to businesses with a high return rate. The mailers ensure your customers can return the package with the same mailer and use the double self-adhesive tape to reseal it.

7. Clear Warning Bags

Clear warning bags typically contain a warning label, such as a suffocation warning label, clearly printed in different languages. This warning is either printed on the packaging during production or an additional sticker or stamp is added to it later on.

8. Clear Poly Mailer

Clear poly mailers offer the same benefits as a protective poly mailer, safeguarding items from dirt, lint, and moisture. In addition to this, this bag’s clear design lets you see what’s inside each package while also offering flexibility and stretchability features. 

11 Benefits of Custom Poly Mailers You Must Know

Now that you know what poly mailers are and the different options available for your e-commerce store, it’s time to consider some of the primary benefits of using this material for your product packaging. Let’s dive right in:

1. You’ll Have Eco-Friendly Options

Sustainability is increasingly becoming a priority among e-commerce consumers. According to a 2021 research study, a whopping 44% of consumers preferred buying from brands that proved a clear commitment to sustainability. You’ll find numerous eco-friendly and 100% recycled options. Some are even designed for recyclability.

When looking for custom poly mailer packaging, going for this particular type will help you reduce your business’s ecological footprint and cater to your environmentally-conscious consumers. After all, a 2019 study by Concordia University states that using green products gives shoppers a “warm glow” experience. We recommend adding a note to your packaging to highlight your sustainable choice and encourage your consumers to recycle the packaging.

The following are the various ways custom poly mailers are sustainable:

• You can reuse them with a second adhesive strip within the bag, which reduces the carbon footprint of returned items.
• They have a much lower carbon footprint because they are lightweight.
• They are water-resistant, durable, and flexible.

2. It’s Protective, Durable, & Secure

Environmental efficiency, cost savings, and marketing aside, custom poly mailers offer better functionality than most of their counterparts. This packaging is made from lightweight and durable materials, offering complete protection for your items during transit. 

Poly mailers are tear- and moisture-resistant and can be made tamper-evident. All three of these features combined can make your shipments more professional and secure. Furthermore, in addition to reducing the risk of damage and returns, poly mailers can also ensure your customer’s satisfaction with their ability to ensure your items arrive in pristine condition.

Don’t let its weight fool you—poly mailers are incredibly durable and offer adequate protection for items during transit. Because they are designed to resist moisture, punctures, and tears, you can rest assured that your product will reach your customers safely.

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3. You Can Customise It However You Like

Most poly mailer vendors offer various poly mailer colour options to choose from, allowing you to have your pick based on the experience you’re looking to create for your customers or the colours of your brand.

Whether you’re looking for mono-coloured poly mailers, such as black or white, or want to customise them with your brand design or logo, you can contact a wholesaler who will likely offer complete flexibility in branding and aesthetics.

Not to mention, this flexibility in customisation presents brands with the opportunity to increase their brand recognition and visibility during shipping. As a result, your customers will also experience a lasting positive impression on your company. We recommend incorporating your brand logo and colours on the poly mailers to deliver a branded and cohesive customer experience.

4. It Helps Create a Memorable Customer Experience

Shopping is generally a happy experience for most customers. In fact, according to one research, 81% of US consumers are happiest online when they’re shopping. You can extend this happiness and ensure satisfaction even after their package has been delivered by making your packaging fun to open and beautiful. 

With custom poly mailers, you have the option of picking gorgeous designs. We recommend adding a tear strip option, which will surely make unwrapping the package even more satisfying for your customers.

Being remembered is key to brand loyalty. Customised, sustainable packaging can ensure that your customers remember your brand for a long time. They’ll be more likely to return to your store for repeat purchases to experience the same happiness and enjoyment they felt when opening their first products package.

5. You Can Elevate Your Brand

You can show your customers how much you care about them by paying attention to the finer details. A gorgeous custom poly mailer packaging may seem small and insignificant but it can help create a huge difference. With a simple addition of your brand logo, you can create a lasting impression on your customers and elevate your brand.

6. They Help Increase Brand Awareness

A significant advantage of customising your poly mailers is that they become travelling billboards for your brand. You can customise their sizes, colours, and designs to ensure your packaging stands out in the sea of forgettable and plain parcels.

In addition to reinforcing your brand identity, poly mailer packaging can also help increase your brand’s visibility during and after delivery. Ultimately, you can turn every delivery into an opportunity to make a lasting impression on anyone who sees your package.

With your logo on the package, it’ll be bound to become well-known, turning it into a symbol and a statement in itself. By intricately designing your packaging and logo, you can encourage the same brand loyalty and brand awareness of big-name brands such as Starbucks, for example, which has become a symbol of status.

7. They Are One of the Most Cost-Effective Options

When picking your e-commerce products and packaging as a first-time business owner, your priority will likely be cost-efficiency. A great thing about this packaging option is that in addition to being visually appealing, they’re also relatively more cost-efficient compared to traditional counterparts.

You’ll find plenty of options to source high-quality poly mailers at low minimums. However, that’s not all! Your products’ package wrapped in the compact design of poly mailers won’t take up much space—both as inventory and during transit. This will allow you to ship numerous packages at once and increase your overall cost-efficiency.

8. They Are Lightweight and Space-Saving

Poly mailers are typically produced using lightweight materials, such as polyethene, which can help reduce shipping costs. This means that switching to poly mailer packaging will make your packages space-saving as well, which will enable you to further optimise your storage and shipping processes.

Poly mailers enable brands to maximise the number of packages they can transport and even store. As a result, you can enhance your overall efficiency and streamline your logistics operations thanks to this efficiency in space utilisation. 

The reduced weight of this packaging type can also lead to further environmental and cost-saving benefits, for example, it can ensure lower fuel consumption during transportation.

9. They’re Easy to Use & Efficient

Depending on the design you pick for your poly mailer packaging, most of them come with a self-sealing adhesive, which eliminates the need for extra packaging materials, such as glue or tape. This feature not only simplifies the packaging process but also helps reduce the risk of errors and saves time. 

Since poly mailers are lightweight, they’re also extremely easy to handle, which helps improve productivity and streamline shipping operations. Their design is user-friendly, and you can package and ship your products relatively more efficiently and quickly.

You can also ensure legible and clear shipping information thanks to the poly mailers’ smooth surface, which makes it easier to write addresses or apply labels. 

10. You Can Add Tailored Messaging

In addition to your logo, you can consider adding tailored messaging to your poly mailers, such as CTAs, discount codes, personalised messages, or anything else that would enhance customer engagement. These messages can encourage your customers to make additional purchases or even simply visit your website to explore.

11. It Builds Professionalism & Trust

If you’re looking to convey attention to detail and professionalism, poly mailers are a great choice. Your customers will perceive your brand as dedicated to delivering quality products and trustworthy if they receive a well-designed package. This trust can translate into more positive reviews and repeat purchases.

The Two Customisation Options Available

You’ll likely come across two different printing methods during your search for poly mailer packaging. Based on who you partner with, each customisation option is generally reserved for specific order volumes. With that said, let’s take a look at the two common customisation options you’ll find:

1. Inline Printing

If you’re looking for additional customisations in terms of structural designs, thickness, sizes, colours, and artwork boundaries, you’ll need to look for inline printing services. This type of packaging is customised during the production process and all printing requirements are fulfilled. Most vendors offer this service to businesses with high-volume orders as it’s much more streamlined and cost-efficient when there’s a bulk of them to be produced.

2. Post-Production Printing

Your vendor will offer customised printing options after the production of the packaging has already been completed. You can select the packaging options already available. While this option has a relatively quick turnaround time, it offers limited design features. For example, you can go for more constrained artwork boundaries and single-colour prints. Post-production printing is perfect for those with a low order volume.

5 Useful Tips To Help You Secure Your Products in Poly Bags

It is vital to secure your products in the packaging correctly. The following tips will help you ensure your customers receive a package with its integrity maintained and they come back with rave reviews and repeat purchases:

• Measure your products’ width, length, and depth to find the appropriate size of the poly mailer you require. 
• Select a packaging that’s a couple of inches larger than the products to ensure there’s no unnecessary movement.
• Consider placing your products in a clear poly bag and warning bag before placing them in the final, exterior poly mailer.
• You can minimise movement by using tissue paper, bubble wrap, or a bubble-lined poly mailer.
• Use the self-adhesive flap to seal the poly mailer packaging.

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Does Your E-Commerce Store Need Poly Mailer Packaging?

Custom poly mailers not only offer an unparalleled customer experience but also better cost-efficiency and sustainability to businesses compared to traditional counterparts, such as branded custom boxes. Such packaging options are more suitable for soft and durable items, such as clothing, that don’t require sturdier packaging for protection such as that of corrugated boxes. 

With poly mailers, you can also make storing and shipping your items more cost-effective. If you’re after packaging options that will reduce your overall carbon footprint, we recommend considering a partnership with a poly mailer manufacturer or distributor. It’s crucial to conduct due diligence and thorough research to find high-quality, sustainable options at competitive prices.

Furthermore, since poly mailers are easy to customise in terms of colours, designs, and printed materials, you can use them to increase brand awareness, reinforce brand image, and ensure customer satisfaction. The following are all the reasons that make poly mailer packaging a good option for e-commerce:

• They are secure, protective, and durable
• You can avail eco-friendly options
• They are cost-effective and time-efficient
• You can customise them 
• They offer versatility & flexibility
• You can promote your brand through them
• They help optimise the packaging process
• Poly mailers can withstand any type of weather
• They are lightweight and easy to ship

How Can You Get the Most Out of Your Poly Mailer Design?

It’s vital to remember that designs are one of the most crucial aspects of your packaging. There’s more to design than just aesthetics. You need to create a positive impression of your brand with each delivery. Therefore, before settling for a specific design, it’s important that you determine the importance of it. Here are a few easy to make sure your poly mailer package’s design is suitable for your e-commerce business:

• Make sure your poly mailer is thick enough to sufficiently protect your products
• Check the texture of your poly mailers to make sure they’re durable
• Add a tear strip to ensure the packaging is easy to open
• Consider making reusable for your customers
• Add release liners so your mailers stay in shape 
• Add a dual peel and seal to save costs in case of returns
• Make your poly mailer tamper-evident

How Can You Repurpose Your Poly Bags?

In addition to recycling them, you can also repurpose your eco-friendly poly bags by reusing them. You can add a little card with some tips for your customers on how to reuse your poly mailer packaging. Doing this will make your brand memorable for the customers. With that said, let’s discuss how you and your customers can repurpose your poly bags.

If you’ve selected a poly mailer with double adhesive strips, your customers can easily reuse the bag in case they want to make an exchange or a return. Repackaging the items in this case will be extremely easy and your customers can reseal the poly mailer within a few seconds. Or, if your poly mailer features appropriate design and artwork, it can also be reused to send a gift to a loved one or make a return to a different store.

In addition to this, since poly mailers are extremely durable and strong, you can still reuse them even without a second adhesive strip. Your customers can tuck and fold to secure the poly mailer and add a strip of shipping tape to reseal and ship it. Since poly bags can withstand numerous trips, your customers can rest assured that their items will be secure during transit.

Custom Poly Mailers vs. Stock Poly Mailers

As we’ve already established, poly mailers come in different designs and types. Similar to other packaging options, you’ll find them in customised or plain forms. Stock poly mailers don’t include any customisations, such as logos or labels. While they don’t represent your brand in any way, they’re still quite effective.

Custom poly mailers, on the other hand, custom poly mailers are typically customised with an inscription or artwork and a brand logo on both sides of the packaging. These poly mailers can feature numerous stickers, custom filters, and colours. If you’re looking to increase brand awareness and customer retention, a custom poly mailer will be a better fit for your business.

It is pertinent to note that stock poly mailers are extremely available. In contrast, custom poly mailers are more premium-priced but they offer more benefits in the long run. 

Poly Mailers vs. Custom Boxes

Custom boxes have been a popular choice for e-commerce stores for several years but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the best option for your products. For example, these heavy, bulky boxes aren’t great for flat items such as books and clothing. You can instead save costs on shipping these types of products in a poly bag, which can be customised to your products’ dimensions.

Furthermore, dimensions are used to estimate the shipping costs of boxes. Carriers implement such costs to account for the space and weight that your packages will occupy on the shipment carriers. Since poly mailers take up considerably less space and also weigh a lot less, they’ll ensure you’re saving as much money as you can during storage and shipments.

Concluding Thoughts

Custom poly mailers offer a powerful, cost-efficient marketing strategy to e-commerce stores looking to meet their customer’s demand for sustainability, protect their products, and enhance their brand’s visibility. They are an affordable and easy-to-use option made with high-quality materials at a comparatively low cost.

Choosing the right packaging for your e-commerce business ultimately depends on your specific goals and requirements. If you’re still confused as to which product packaging will be more suitable for your store, be sure to get in touch with our e-commerce management experts.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Offer Free Shipping to My Customers?

Offering your customers free shipping can help you stand out amongst your competitors and a sea of brick-and-mortar stores. However, it’s crucial to weigh your pros and cons before making up your mind regarding this matter. Sometimes, offering free shipping can attract price-sensitive shoppers who only prefer shopping during free shipping or sales promos. 

How Can I Offer Free Shipping to My Customers?

You can offer free shipping to your customers by slightly increasing your product prices or offering it on a minimum order value. You can also switch to more economical and affordable shipping methods but make sure your customers know the typical time duration for each free shipment.

Do I Need Any Additional Shipping Supplies?

In addition to poly mailer packaging, you’ll need to arrange shipping labels, which are crucial for online businesses. Moreover, you may require things like mailing tubes, kraft paper, bubble rolls, shipping foams, shrink film, packing peanuts, stretch wrap, and packing tape.

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