Helpful Guide On How To Ship Perishable Goods

It goes without saying that perishable products are by far the hardest type of shipments to process. If you’re shipping food, it is very hard to deliver it to the right destination without spoiling its quality. You’ll have to deal with humidity, extreme heat, or poor weather conditions. 

In order to avoid all this, there are a few steps that you can follow to keep the cool temperature in and the moisture out of food packages. To know how you can do this, continue reading the following guide.

Packaging Methods

Packaging food will succeed only if you use the proper packaging items. In order to keep the food inside the packaging safe, make sure that you use a plastic wrap to seal baked goods. If you’re shipping food that can easily bruise or break, like fruits or cookies, then make sure to fill the empty spaces inside the packaging with crumpled paper or bubble wrap. You can also use cold packs to maintain the low temperature for the food inside the packaging. If you’re shipping frozen goods, you can use pliable packs, which can be folded and fit into any space they’re placed in. you can also use re-freezable gel packs, which can be used multiple times and will easily fit into irregular spaces. Gel packs and dry ice are ideal for protecting frozen perishable goods; they’re even used in medical and pharmaceutical fields.

Using this type of packaging can be useful, especially if you’re trying to make free shipping profitable. For example, if you provide your first-time customers with free shipping services for better profits, you’ll ensure that your goods are in the hands of your customers more quickly, which will earn you more brand visibility and awareness. Customers will also be more inclined to commit to your product and purchase it more frequently, which means that you’ll be building a long-term relationship with them. So, you need to make sure that the shipments are always in good shape. Be sure to also check out plastic packaging manufacturing in Vietnam for more packaging options.

Packaging Types

If you’re shipping different goods that need to be kept in cold temperatures, then you’ll need to review your options. There are multiple insulation types from which you can choose, like Styrofoam boxes, Styrofoam cut sheets, insulated liners, and insulated pads. Here is a brief description of each method.

• Styrofoam Boxes: come in different sizes and have different wall thicknesses. You will, of course, need thicker walls for more durability, but this means more expenses. However, you won’t need as many ice packs or dry packs. If you’re not sure whether you should get Styrofoam boxes or not, you can ask the supplier to provide you with samples. 
• Styrofoam Cut Sheets: are made of the same material as Styrofoam boxes and can fit in any box they’re placed in. Suppliers have standard-sized Styrofoam cut sheets, but you can ask for customized sizes. Note that cut sheets are not as effective as Styrofoam in maintaining low temperatures.
• Insulated Liners: have a bubble wrap texture. They are also perfect for easily bruised or breakable products, as they can be tightly wrapped around them for protection. The extra space can be filled with bubble wrap or any other protective material.
• Insulated Pads: are often chosen over their counterparts; they are made of recycled material and, therefore, are environmentally-friendly. In addition to this, insulated pads can be as effective as Styrofoam at maintaining cool temperatures, and as reflective as insulated liners.

Shipping Speed

Perishable goods require 1-2 days for shipping, which means that this type of shipment will be more expensive than regular shipping fees, but this guarantees that your product will reach your customers faster, saving your customer’s money on shipping means that they will be more inclined to buy more products from you in the future.

Shipping Services

You’ll need to find a reliable shipping service that can guarantee 1-2-day delivery without costly shipping costs. Using FedEx or UPS might also be profitable, especially if you can negotiate a good percentage off the retail prices. If it’s your first time dealing with shipping service, make sure to limit these services only to a number of states until your brand gains more popularity. To do this, you’ll have to work on your marketing strategies and target people within these areas. After doing that, you can allow your shipping services to reach more areas.

Delivering perishable goods is all about good packaging practices and fast shipping. Be sure to follow the right steps to provide your consumers with high-quality perishable goods, and consider including part of the shipping cost in the product price if shipping prices are too high in order to ensure successful delivery and good customer experience.