Aug 9, 2024 - 3-5 minutes
3 Ways to Improve Ecommerce Package Fulfillment with the Right Adhesives
Ecommerce package manufacturers are feeling pressure to stay competitive in the marketplace. Choosing the right adhesive supports your efforts in three key ways.
Ecommerce has grown exponentially in recent years due to consumer demand for more convenient shopping options. In fact, in the years leading up to 2022, some of the top ecommerce platforms experienced about a 71% increase in retailers offering online sales.2 And that growth in online shopping shows no signs of stopping.
This ever-increasing demand in online retail requires brand owners to ship more products faster and more efficiently than ever before. A vital component is the packaging used to ship products. This places greater pressure on ecommerce package manufacturers and converters to meet the rising need. Automation and efficiency are key factors in remaining competitive in this fast-growing industry.
How the Right Adhesives Can Help
Fortunately, when ecommerce package manufacturers like you choose the right adhesives, you can support key needs of large and small businesses, including:
- On-time delivery
- Secure product packaging
- Undamaged merchandise
- Resonance with the consumer
Read on to learn three key areas to consider before making your adhesive selection.
1. Boost Ecommerce Package Efficiencies
Increasing production line efficiencies is key to meeting heightened output demands. Making the right adhesive choice enables you to:
Reduce SKUs
When using corrugated packaging materials, the right adhesives enable manufacturers to use one SKU to bond across production lines. By having just one to track, inventory management of adhesive stock is streamlined. Further, production line speeds can increase, since there is no need to change out and test adhesives for each line. Manufacturers are also able to maintain better space utilization and organization.
Decrease downtime
The right adhesives support auto-feed application methods and offer low nozzle clogging and stringing capabilities. The result is fewer line stops to clean the equipment compared to other technologies. They may also allow adding directly over existing adhesives in the tank—no purging needed.
Increase Line Speeds
The right adhesives have fast set speeds, adhering to corrugated boxes in a timely manner, furthering plant productivity. Additionally, those adhesives that can withstand a variety of application temperatures and that create bonds that exhibit good fiber tear, help simplify and speed up manufacturing processes, and deliver peace of mind.
2. Increase Ecommerce Package Quality
Beyond boosting efficiencies, making the right adhesive choice increases packaging quality for ecommerce vendors by offering the following:
Reduced Pop-Opens
A substandard bonding technology may cause ecommerce packages to “pop open” on the manufacturing line. Conversely, the right adhesive allows a strong bond to difficult substrates, with benefits including:
- Enhanced flap folding compression
- Minimized compression hold time
- Increased overall quality
Heightened Bond Security
Ecommerce packaging may be exposed to a variety of temperatures before reaching the desired destination. The right adhesives support a wide temperature range, maintaining performance throughout weather and climate extremes.
Additionally, your adhesive choice should provide durable bonding to difficult substrates, such as ones with shorter paper fibers and low surface energy. Without this capability, the package may open prior to delivery, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and possible loss of contents.
3. Enhance Ecommerce Package Consumer Appeal
Along with boosting efficiencies and increasing quality, the right choice of adhesive helps packaging resonate with consumer preferences for reduced environmental impact. In particular, they yield:
Reduced Overall Package Weight
The right adhesives support intermittent coating patterns, which enable less adhesive consumption per package and reduced raw material consumption. They also lead to overall lighter package weight when compared to other solutions.
This, in turn, helps reduce the packaging weight on delivery trucks to improve fuel efficiency and control consumer shipping costs.
Increased Volume of Sustainable Materials Used
According to Corrugated Packaging Alliance, corrugated is the single most recycled packaging material; further, nearly half of the average corrugated box contains recycled fiber.
The right adhesives form fast, strong bonds to even the most difficult sustainable substrates, such as highly recycled board stock.
Other technologies may be unable to sufficiently bond to these preferred options. This hinders your ability as a manufacturer to reduce environmental footprint without sacrificing quality.
Enhanced Consumer Appeal With Graphics and Coatings
This same ability to wet out also supports the use of inks, dyes, and finishes that brand owners use to enhance a package’s appearance. These design elements help create a positive consumer experience and increase brand awareness along the delivery journey.
How Bostik Can Enable Your Ecommerce Packaging
Bostik’s Kizen® adhesive technology and product line can easily help fulfill your ecommerce packaging demands to ensure efficiency, quality, and ability to resonate with consumers preferences. These proprietary high-performance hot-melt adhesives, designed for case and carton sealing applications, deliver comfort, environmental benefits, and operational efficiencies with product performance and integrity.
Choosing the Right Adhesive Is Easy … With Kizen®
Kizen hot-melt adhesives for case and carton sealing can help you meet production goals and deliver excellent end-use performance. With Kizen, you can take advantage of:
- Streamlined SKUs and easier changeover
- Fast line speeds with minimized downtime
- Enhanced bond security and fewer pop-opens
- Low add-on for reduced overall product weight
- Compatibility with sustainable substrates
- The freedom to use graphics and coatings
To stay competitive in the ecommerce packaging market choose Kizen. Make a change for the better.
Contact a Bostik representative today to request an adhesive sample and learn how we can enhance your packaging of food and beverage, medical, personal care, and pharmaceutical products, as well as absorbent hygiene article manufacturing.