All Michigan ecommerce brands that ship through a real winter understand: One box may feel great on the loading dock in October, but by the time that box makes it through December shipping, there may be dents, soft corners, or splits at the seams. Throw in real distance between Detroit, Grand Rapids and anywhere in between and generic packaging becomes more expensive in the damaged shipments it causes than the amount of money saved on the initial cost.

That is the real world example of printed mailer boxes in Michigan designed for Michigan brands, not just for a cool product's photo shoot.

Branding a Box Most Competitors Leave Blank

A plain brown mailer does one job containing the product. A printed one does the same thing and continues to work even after the delivery truck has left, placed on a porch, or in an apartment lobby or in a picture the customer posts before he or she even opens it. That's free exposure not being used by most competitors, especially for a growing brand with a smaller ad budget against the larger brands.

This is more important than nearly any other packaging decision direct-to-consumer businesses will make. A customer ordering from a website won't have a storefront to walk into and there won't be in-person interaction to build brand recall. The box can be the initial tangible touchpoint between a digital purchase and a brand impression. To waste that one moment a business enjoys a customer's undivided attention during that one moment the customer is excited about their purchase is wrong.

CBM's direct manufacturing eliminates the added reseller mark-up that is inherent in purchasing someone else's printed mailer box and allows CBM to keep the brand upgrade competitive when orders are placed at actual order volume. The difference becomes important if the business is continually reordering, as one paid markup is a mere inconvenience, but a paid markup over every reorder for many years is a significant amount of money that could have been used to build up the business.

Designed for Michigan's True Shipping Conditions.

Here, as well as print quality, structural quality is important. A mailer that works well in mild weather can fall on its face in the winter shipping season in the Midwest with its cold temperatures, harsher last-mile handling and longer transit periods. CBM's wall strength and material selection is based on actual conditions, not on how the box looks in front of a camera prior to shipping, which results in less return damage and less likelihood of a customer opening a damaged box at the very wrong time

To achieve this level of quality of build, the brand doesn't have to be large and powerful. Free design support means that a first run doesn't have to be a one-man band, and no minimum order requirement allows a Grand Rapids startup to test a printed design on a smaller run before scaling into full wholesale production. The more order volume increases, the lower the price per unit will be, and in the process of branding the supplier's cost will decrease the longer the business maintains the same supplier.

Where Branded Mailers Make the Biggest Difference?

Return is the most obvious for subscription boxes and DTC brands, as customers will already take photos and share them with others without prompting. Whether you are shipping directly to Michigan consumers or not, the branding opportunity is the same, and it means that anything that's shipped is a marketing opportunity and a recognition opportunity – and that's certainly a bill that's paid anyway.

Have Custom Mailer Boxes Made for Michigan Shipping

One of the easiest changes you can make is using printed mailers designed for the harsh winter months of the year if your Michigan business is still sending plain unbranded boxes. To place an order for your custom box now, call 713-978-0088 or email sales@customboxesmanufacturer.com.