Follow these Product Labeling Tips and Tactics to Appeal to More Customers

Product labeling is an important part of any business: Having the right information and displaying appealing graphics on your product labeling can help capture the attention of more customers – and ultimately boost product sales. However, lack of information, misleading claims, and inadequate product labeling design can get your business into some trouble. Obviously, you’ll want to avoid this! In most types of businesses and industries, and in larger companies, the responsibilities related to product labeling are usually in the hands of packaging designers and marketing or product/brand managers. In small businesses, product labeling responsibilities are often managed by the business owner or manager, who has a long list of other responsibilities in addition to product labeling.

At first, the product labeling process can seem to be overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. Product labeling can easily be managed if you follow some simple strategies and guidelines. Here are some product labeling tips and tactics to consider to simplify the process, and to help you appeal to more customers to boost your business’ bottom line:

• Be sure to include the necessary information customers expect to find on product labeling: What information do your targeted consumers expect to find on your type of product’s label? Of course, this information will depend on your industry and the types of products you’re marketing. For instance, product labeling for office supplies will have less and different information than product labeling for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines that will be ingested by consumers. It may seem obvious that food and beverage product labeling will contain more information than the label on a roll of bubble wrap, but be sure to know the type of basic information that’s required for products in your specific industry. This brings us to the next guideline…

• Know and abide by the regulations and product labeling requirements for your specific industry. Lately, in the U.S., it seems that product labeling regulations and requirements are in the news just about every day, and regulations frequently change. Different types of products manufactured and distributed in the U.S. are regulated by various organizations. Consult government and industry-specific organizational resources to make sure you’re on top of the latest product labeling requirements and information for your industry. Here are some links you might find helpful: 

v  FDA product labeling requirements: The FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) regulates food products, drugs, cosmetics and medical equipment, and there are many product labeling requirements that are specific to each of these industries. The FDA website offers specific information about food labeling requirements and cosmetics labeling requirements.

v  FTC product labeling requirements: Generally, you can assume that products that are not regulated by the FDA are covered/regulated by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). The FTC’s mission is to “prevent business practices that are anticompetitive or deceptive or unfair to consumers…” and product labeling is one of the business practices the FTC monitors. You can search the FTC website for information about all different types of products, whether they’re regulated by the FTC or not, and find helpful information related to product labeling.

v  CPSC product labeling requirements: As its name implies, the main mission of the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) is to protect consumers. The CPSC regulates a wide range of products and manages compliance to several safety acts that cover different groups of products, including the Poison Prevention Packaging Act (PPPA), the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA). Find more information about requirements related to consumer safety that may affect your product’s labeling on the CPSC website.

v  State requirements can also affect product labeling: Be sure to consult your state’s business bureau to find out if there are state regulations that might affect your product’s labeling.

• Hire a designer with experience in packaging design and labeling, if you can. Packaging designers are trained to use their artistic ability and their business sense to grab the attention of customers. Working with a packaging designer is worth the investment, as professional, vibrant designs easily grab consumers’ attention.

Overall, when it comes to product packaging and labeling, remember that your ultimate goal is to attract the attention of more customers, while also meeting the specific product labeling requirements for your industry. At Stamar Packaging, we’d be happy to discuss your packaging and product labeling needs in more detail. Give us a call at 630-282-5400, or contact us through our website.

Getting An Early Start On The Holiday Season

Here at Stamar we understand how important it is to take the time to enjoy a celebration of a holiday party. As the holiday season rolls around, it's not uncommon for us to get wrapped up in the chaos of shopping, cooking, and hosting guests that sometimes having a work holiday party gets put on the back burner. That’s why we take a slightly different approach. We start the season with the holiday party, instead of ending the season with one! This year we chose Nov. 12 to hold the 2015 Stamar Packaging Holiday Party.

We thoroughly enjoy celebrating the season with our employees and kicking off the season with the party is about more than just having a good time. It's one way we like to show appreciation to all employees because they play an essential role in Stamar Packaging's success.  It also gives way for team bonding among departments and employees, and it reinforces our company’s mission of valuing the people who work together to build all of our successes.

Every employee is vital to the work we do each day, without them we couldn’t provide the high-quality products and services that our customers have come to expect from us.  We give thanks to the entire staff for their daily performance, the customers we serve, and the opportunities to come in the new year. We wish everyone a very Happy Holiday Season and thank you for keeping up with all things Stamar.

Products Pop With The Right POP Displays

There is a great deal of competition to draw attention to products. Point of Purchase (POP) displays are an ideal way to attract a customer to a product. A POP display can entice the customer to buy it.

Unfortunately, not all POP displays are effective. It takes experience, design skill, ingenuity, and quality materials to make an eye-pleasing and effective display. When choosing Stamar for POP design and assembly, you get all of the above abilities in one place!

As experts in packaging, we offer outstanding capabilities for creating a successful design and then build the display to highlight the product. The process begins with the design and then through our contract packaging services we gather the right materials and assemble a kit. This kit is then sent out to the clients or distribution centers for delivery to retail outlets.

Since this is a custom service, we can design and build displays of any shape or size. The one thing all displays have in common is Stamar Packaging’s quality design for an easy setup and eye-catching display.

As an example of our POP assembly services, we were contracted to design and build displays for a new line of hot cocoa mixes from Land O’Lakes.

The cocoa mixes are packaged in single-cup packets and sold individually. We created the design, built the packaging, and then assembled it all into a display kit. The final kits were sent to the distribution centers and then to supermarkets.  Next time you are in the market for a hot cocoa treat look for our display!

Stamar Packaging is responsible for many POP displays and offers a versatile contract packaging service that can handle all kinds of products. Contact us for more information or visit our website for a complete overview of our products and services.

One Way Pallet Wrap Can Grow Your Sales

Do you use pallet wrap? There may be an opportunity if you do to get your brand out to a wider audience.  

Stamar Packaging has been a packaging company for over 30 years. Over those 30 years, we have become a trusted name not only custom packaging but also, just in time warehousing, pallet wrap and branding merchandising for companies.  We're always looking for more opportunities to better serve our customers.   We have developed a keen skill in realizing a solution to a customer’s problem before they realize they have the problem.

Take our Just-In-Time warehousing, for instance, we had an instinct that our customers lacked storage space because they were ordering items consistently to refile their stockpile in their allotted space. When we introduced JIT storage, we were praised for helping them save time, money and most of all stress.

Now we have found an opportunity to further advertise for our customers on a product they already use. Introducing Printed pallet wrap with logo advertisement space.

There are several benefits to advertising your company on pallet wraps.  

First it will reach more eyes making them aware of you brand all through an item you already purchase.  It can include the logo, website, contact info and more.  

Furthermore, the pallet printed wrap can now give clear instructions to its handlers including messages like "Do Not Double Stack" "Fragile Handle with Care" or "USDA Organic". These warnings better help inform the handler and also ensures the safety of your products arriving at its final destination without damage.

Another threat it avoids is the tampering of products during storage or transit.  This security effort helps damaged shipments become readily identifiable as it can be easily detected if the skin has been broken or tampered with.

Lastly, the new skin printed wrapped pallet helps reduce misplaced, or shipment loss as all contact info is directly on it.

As you can see using advertisements or messages on your printed pallet wrap may be a great addition to your brand and overall shipment.

To get more information about Stamar's Printed pallet wrap check out our website or call us at 630.282.5400.  

As always to get the most up-to-date information about Stamar and the packaging industry follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Don't Underestimate the Power of Using Promotional Items to Boost Your Company’s Brand

In Marketing Your Business, Don’t Underestimate the Power of Using Promotional Items to Boost Your Company’s Brand

If you're a business owner or manager responsible for customer service, sales or marketing, you know about the importance of establishing a marketing plan for your business. An article on Inc.com says, “Marketing – whether advertising, public relations, promotional literature, etc. – is an investment in the growth of your business… Do your homework and create a smart marketing program.” We agree! Your marketing plan probably includes branding tactics to help boost your company’s brand.

You may be saying to yourself, “Branding is for those big companies… I run a small business…” But whatever the type and size of your business, it’s still important for you to promote your company’s brand. Branding always matters.

An article published by The Marketing Donut says, “If you’ve got a business, then you’ve got a brand. What you do with it is up to you… If you were to replace the word ‘branding’ with ‘reputation” it might get your attention. You care about your reputation, right?” Branding is all about the impressions you make. It can keep your company’s name at the top of your customers’ (and potential customers’) minds so that they come to you when they’re ready to buy.

Part of what we do at Stamar is provide our customers with promotional items to help them with their marketing and branding efforts. As we like to say, at Stamar we have promotional products covered. Half of our business is focused on promotional merchandise and packaging products. (BTW, in case you don’t know, the other half of our business is focused on corrugated.)

Ready to promote your company’s brand? You can learn more about the promotional products Stamar offers, and you can check out our flip-through catalog by visiting our website. Or give us a call at 877-782-6273 and we'd be happy to tell you more.

How Just-in-Time is Just What’s Needed for Saving Time and Money

These days, efficiency is a big buzzword in business, and for good reason; creating ways to maximize efficiency means major time- and cost-savings, and better business all around.

Within this umbrella term, just-in-time falls under the category of one of the best ways to maximize efficiency. It means sending and/or receiving something just when you need it—and not earlier—in order to save space, time, and money.

To that end, Stamar Packaging happily offers just-in-time (JIT) warehousing, which is a very large and popular aspect of our business.

So how does this work? Simply put, we can store your items for you until you need them. This allows you to free up your warehouse and manufacturing space, for items that make you money. Warehousing your excess products in our facilities for weeks or even months, and shipping them to you until when you are ready to use them.

By utilizing our JIT warehousing, you eliminate the costs and hassle associated with storing hundreds of different items, while freeing up and simplifying your inventory and storage system. This improves your cash flow and allows you to focus on the more important responsibilities of running a business.

You not only benefit from our space, but from the years of experience and expertise that we have, which are an instrumental and invaluable money-saving resource.

Finally, our fast, reliable, efficient delivery means you get your products as soon as you need them—and always on time.

In business, every second, inch, and dollar count. You can free up your clutter and boost your efficiency in one fell swoop with JIT warehousing. 

Stamar Celebrates the Blackhawks

For the third time in six years, Chicago hockey fans had a lot to celebrate when our Blackhawks once again won the Stanley Cup Championship. In Chicago, we work hard and play hard, and we're a very proud city. This was certainly evident as two million people joined in the festivities along the celebratory parade route.

At Stamar Packaging, we were no exception. We are proud members of the Chicago community—and huge Blackhawks fans!—and like any good, close-knit group, we all joined together to celebrate the big win.

In fact, we had an entire Blackhawks Day, dedicated to the team, and everyone here wore Blackhawks gear and joined in the fun. We're always emphasizing teamwork and comradery, and this extends to our sports. After all, we all work very hard together, making sure we produce the very best products and deliver the highest quality service. But like any good Chi-towner, we love to let down our hair and celebrate all the things that make our city great—including the Blackhawks.

After all, like our local sports, we are all part of a team dedicated to success, and we celebrate together as well as we work together. We can’t wait for the next Chicago win!

Introducing On-Demand Packaging®: The Right-Sized Box, Every Time

Today’s businesses have their work cut out for them. We're living in an instant-gratification world, and clients and consumers demand immediate results. From information to entertainment, insurance discounts to data, the theme of business has to be instantaneous.

Enter On-Demand Packaging®.

Yes, it’s as good as it sounds, and frankly, it’s revolutionary. We at Stamar have teamed up with Packsize to bring our customers their innovative packaging system that produces the right sized box every time, for every product.

The Packsize system prints boxes made-to-order, completely customized each and every time to fit the product they are containing. This means a box or corrugated design will fit your product while speeding up your entire packaging, shipping, and order fulfillment process. Combining WMS integration capabilities with unlimited design flexibility, packaging waste shrinks as your profits grow.

Let’s look at the specific benefits that come from this offering:

• Minimize void fill: Packaging is made to fit your product, with no wasted space
• Reduce box management: Eliminate the need to stock and manage multiple packaging options
• Increase throughput: Orders are turned around much faster, making room for more to be fulfilled
• Minimize damages: Made-to-fit means made-to-protect, which also means higher customer satisfaction rates
• Increase sustainability: Less material, less waste, smaller footprint, and a happier planet
• Reduce shipping costs: You’re only paying for the exact size you need, and have the ability to negotiate better rates

While enjoying this innovative packaging method that’s designed to increase efficiency and better optimize your supply chain, you’ll continue to benefit from the proven experience, history, and expertise of Stamar Packaging. Anyone who’s worked with us knows we are not a supplier—we are a packaging partner—and this partnership in success is only enhanced by our On-Demand Packaging® offering.

In this need-it-now, less-is-more world in which we’re living, On-Demand Packaging® can take your business to the next level; we’re happy to help bring you there.

The Many Benefits Of Working With Fulfillment Services

There are several benefits in partnering with fulfillment services for businesses & manufacturers.

Many challenges arise when fulfillments are conducted within the company.  The advantages of partnering with fulfillment services are vast and include better bottom lines, improved security, customer satisfaction, and lower inventory & distribution costs.  Not to mention using fulfillment services can save many headaches along the way.

When a company tries to carry out the duties of fulfillment services they begin to face several roadblocks. Disorganization of orders, over compensated inventory levels and the ongoing changes of delivery expectations are just a few of the factors that challenge orders.  Of course customer satisfaction to a business can often determine their success or even survival.  Because of the challenges and needs orders require it only makes sense to leave fulfillment services to the professionals.  Ultimately, leaving it to the experts allows for more productivity on your end, because it allows more focus to be centered on other areas like product development and growth.

Why is it so challenging for companies to complete orders?

One key finding from a study of 589 supply chain execs’ discussion was that many industries face the same problems including those in manufacturing, high-tech, and retail. Across the board, they have claimed that fulfillment orders have become more complicated because customer demands have heightened, and order processing is a narrow road.  Many companies usually have a fragmented multifaceted system in place.  For example, they may have a retail store, a customer care phone line, e-commerce and electronic data interchange services in place. With all these varying channels, it makes it difficult to have a systematic way of tracking all orders.

As one vice president of supply chain operations responded: “Currently, we do not have the ability to create one invoice for a customer that has placed multiple lines of shipping from different facilities. The adoption of new technologies could help give us a better picture of what types of orders are coming in, what our average size is by volume and length, and streamline our invoicing process.” To get a hold of all the data of orders and streamline, it is not cheap either. 

Other problems that occur when businesses don't have a partnership with a fulfillment service provider, is that many companies give unrealistic delivery times, store higher than needed inventory levels, and face high supply chain costs. Also, it is only becoming more rapidly complex to complete orders due to increasing globalization & high e-commerce demand.  All of these challenges threaten the bottom line.

Here’s’ where utilizing a professional fulfillment service can save the day.

1.    Integration & streamlining all orders.  Order complexity was another key challenge for supply chain professionals when managing order fulfillment. This difficulty in managing orders efficiently and accurately has been caused by a number of factors, including the explosion of order capture and fulfillment systems that many companies now operate.  Fulfillment services can integrate the different channels the orders are being placed into for a more efficient outcome and, as a result, track better inventory levels. Companies benefit because it can help lower costs, increase margins, and greatly improve customer service.

2.    They have the capabilities to forecast higher accuracy on delivery.  They are experts and they can determine with greater veracity when the end customer/retailer will receive their order. Naturally this will improve reliability and customer satisfaction that was one priority for those respondents in the study. “39 percent of supply chain executives named inaccurate order promise dates as a top inventory management challenge.”

3.    Better demand management by utilizing capabilities that establish a demand-driven organization with higher service levels and sales, more satisfied customers, and lower inventory and distribution costs.

4.    Continual monitoring.  Fulfillment services will continually monitor your orders and inventory- taking away this responsibility can lead to more productivity in other areas of the business like product development, marketing, and growth. 

To find out more about how Stamar Packaging can provide fulfillment services contact us at custserv@stamarpackaging.com or (630)282-5400.