Packaging Changes

A while back, I did a packaging poll in the Cloth Pads community as well as a mini poll here. I'd been thinking for a while about revamping my packaging, and wanted to get people's views before I did anything.

I've always wrapped pads in tissue paper and put in a brown paper envelope with a mini business card (tied with ribbon to turn it into a handy bookmark... or at least that's the idea), care instructions if it's a first order, and a packing slip. Occasionally I'll include a Femmecup leaflet, since I am contractually obliged to promote them. While the result looks pretty, it bothers me that a) the pads aren't protected from moisture, and b) the tissue paper is likely to get discarded. The last thing I want to do is burden people with things to throw away.

So, what do people want from their pad packaging? Are extra touches nice or a nuisance? Everybody had differing views. Here are some of the interesting things I learned:

• Most people preferred minimal packaging, and wanted their pads straight in the envelope.
• A resealable bag was rated slightly higher than tissue paper.
• Most people would save tissue paper to reuse later, a slightly lower number of people would throw it away, and a few would recycle it.
• Almost everybody who participated would reuse a resealable bag.
  
• A sticker on a resealable bag would not be a hindrance to most people. A couple of people mentioned that a sticker with a reference to cloth pads would stop them from re-using it.
• Most people would not like to receive care instructions on paper if they were available online. One person came up with the idea of putting the care instructions on the packing slip so that no extra paper would be used, which received a very positive response.

If you'd like to see the actual results from the survey (in graph form), please click here.

After a lot of thought, I have decided to replace the tissue paper with a resealable bag. While I like the idea of putting the pads straight in the envelope, this leaves them vulnerable to loss or damage if the envelope tears. Since the resealable bag was the second most popular option, it seems like a reasonable compromise. It's more protective than tissue paper, and is more likely to be re-used.

I'll still include my little card (unless instructed otherwise), but the care instructions will no longer be a separate sheet. I will be printing these on the bottom of the packing slip. They'll be easy to cut off and separate from the other details, which could be useful if the items are a gift.

I will still keep tissue paper on hand, and would like to find a CubeCart mod that would enable me to offer free gift wrapping.

Until then, please do make use of CubeCart's comments facility if you have special packaging requests. During the checkout process there is an opportunity to write a comment, which I receive with the order. If you'd like me to include or omit any packaging, I'll be happy to oblige!