Your E-Commerce Packaging Guide

The E-commerce Packaging Guide

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Your packaging does three jobs at once. It protects the product on a rough journey, it controls your shipping and storage costs, and it’s the first physical thing your customer touches. This guide walks through how to get all three right, and what to have ready when you talk to a packaging supplier.

1. Start with what you’re shipping

Before you look at box styles, note down the basics for each product:

  • Dimensions and weight, including any retail packaging inside
  • Fragility: will it survive a drop, a squeeze or a stack of other parcels?
  • Shape: are there sharp corners or loose parts that could pierce the box?
  • Journey: is it going by post, courier or pallet, and will it be handled several times?

These answers decide the board strength, the style and the level of internal protection.

2. Choose the right style

  • Mailer boxes. One-piece boxes that fold up and lock closed, often with no tape. Popular for subscription boxes, apparel, cosmetics and gifts, because they look good when opened.
  • Shipping boxes. The classic slotted carton. Best for heavier, bulkier or lower-value goods where protection and cost matter most.
  • Boxes with inserts and dividers. Hold fragile or multi-item products firmly in place, and look neat when opened.
  • Sleeves and wraps. Add branding to a simple box, or bundle products together.
  • Specialist and made-to-measure packs. For unusual shapes or products that don’t fit a standard box, a bespoke structure can protect better and use less material.

3. Understand corrugated board

Corrugated board is made from flat paper liners with a fluted (wavy) layer between them, which gives it strength for its weight. Three choices matter:

  • Flute size. Finer flutes give a smoother surface for printing and suit lighter products and retail-style boxes. Thicker flutes give more cushioning and stacking strength for shipping.
  • Single wall or double wall. Single wall suits most lighter items. Double wall adds strength for heavy or fragile goods.
  • Paper quality. The outer liner affects print quality and appearance, and recycled or certified options may be available.

A good packaging partner will recommend a combination for your product, rather than defaulting to the strongest option, which can add cost and weight.

4. Get the size right

Size is one of the biggest hidden costs in e-commerce.

  • Too big: wasted material, more void fill, and higher shipping costs, because carriers often charge on size as well as weight.
  • Too small: crushed products, bulging corners and more returns.

Measure the product plus any inserts, then choose internal dimensions that fit snugly with the protection you need. Check your carriers’ size limits, since a box that fits a lower size band can cost less to send. If you sell several products, a small range of standard sizes often works better than a different box for each item.

5. Protect the product

  • Use inserts or dividers to stop movement inside the box.
  • Avoid empty space. Products that rattle are likely to arrive damaged.
  • Consider how the box will be stacked and handled during delivery.
  • Test before you commit. Request a sample, pack it as your team would, and try it in a real delivery.

6. Make it part of your brand

Print can be as simple as a one-colour logo or as full as a design covering the inside and out.

  • Outside print builds recognition as the parcel travels.
  • Inside print creates the unboxing moment that customers photograph and share.
  • A thank-you message, care instructions or a QR code inside the lid gives a plain delivery a personal touch.

Keep artwork bold and simple, and use a print-ready template from your supplier. See our artwork checklist

7. Plan for sustainability

Customers notice excess packaging. The easiest wins are:

  • Right-sizing, which uses less material and cuts shipping volume
  • Recyclable, single-material designs that customers can put in household recycling
  • Responsibly sourced board, such as FSC-certified stock
  • Clear on-box recycling guidance

Keep any environmental claims specific and accurate, for example “made with FSC-certified board” rather than “eco-friendly”

8. Think about the whole workflow

A box also has to work for the people packing it.

  • Assembly time: boxes that fold up quickly save labour as you grow.
  • Storage: flat-packed boxes take up far less space.
  • Consistency: standard sizes speed up packing and cut mistakes.
  • Returns: if returns are common, think about boxes that can be resealed.
  • Fulfilment: if you’d rather not pack orders yourself, ask about co-packing and fulfilment.

9. What to have ready when you ask for a quote

  1. Product dimensions and weight
  2. Quantity, now and expected over the next 12 months
  3. Preferred style, or a description of how the product is shipped
  4. Print requirements (outside, inside, number of colours)
  5. Any sustainability requirements
  6. Your timescale and delivery address

Talk to us

At Midland Regional Printers, we design, engineer and print specialist corrugated packaging at our Nottingham site, for online brands across the Midlands and the UK. Send us your product details and we’ll recommend the right style, board and print finish. Get in touch