Banding for E-Commerce

With thousands of storefronts closed in the past few months as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, e-commerce popularity has been rapidly accelerating. In fact, online spending in May totaled $82.5 billion, a 77% year-over-year increase. Further, with the convenience and efficiency that comes with e-commerce, this increased popularity is likely to stay. Banding has several advantages over traditional e-commerce packaging methods, so in order to fully take advantage of this opportunity, consider these banding benefits.

no damage to the box

E-commerce customers expect their products and packages to arrive at their door without damage. Strapping, a traditional method of bundling and securing corrugated products, tends to dig into the side of the corrugate and cause damage, making the box unusable.

Banding, however, prevents any damage to the box. The wide, gentle bands delicately wrap around the edge of the box and distribute the force in a way that eliminates damage. Additionally, banding machines offer fully adjustable tension, so the perfect band tension can be utilized to further reduce the probability of damage. As a result of banding eliminating damage to the box, returning e-commerce products is made easier, as the boxes can be reused, and thinner cardboard can be used, lowering material and shipping costs.

ultrasonic cold welding

Other corrugate bundling and securing methods use heat to weld the material to itself. Banding machines have the capability to weld the material to itself using ultrasonic technology, eliminating the need for heat generation. Ultrasonic welding results in a more consistent weld, as the weld will be secure even when humidity, dust, or cold temperatures are present, which can interfere with heat-generated welds. With a more trustworthy, consistent weld, e-commerce retailers can be more confident that their product will arrive to the customer unharmed.

adjustable sealing strength

In addition to fully adjustable tension, banding machines offer adjustable sealing strength, from slightly adherent to strong. Seals that are not quite as adherent are easier for the customer to tear and eliminate the need for sharp cutting tools to remove the band, while stronger seals ensure the band stays secure to the box. With the ability to adjust the seal strength, the perfect strength can be found to ensure that the band stays secure to the box and can be torn by hand.

banding for branding

An effective e-commerce packaging solution should not sacrifice branding – brand consistency is essential in forming a strong brand image. Fortunately, banding does not require any sacrifice in branding. Banding materials, both plastic and paper, support high quality, full color printing so brands can easily include any and all necessary imagery they would like to include with the product.

decrease void fill

Banding is perfect for multiproduct e-commerce orders that utilize automatic custom box-sizing machines. With banding, multiple products can be secured together, so that the products don’t shift after measurement and the box can be successfully built around the product. Check out this video for more details:

Additionally, products can be banded to corrugate substrates, which are then inserted into a standard sized box. These substrates ensure that the product does not move around within the box and eliminates the need for void fill. Check out this video to see this process in action.

If you are interested in or would like to learn more about these innovative e-commerce solutions, please visit our contact page to talk with one of our friendly, highly skilled representatives.