[NB] What’s the best way to pack clothes and textiles?

There are many different ways to pack clothes and textiles. If you have an online or physical store that sells clothes and other textiles, here are some good tips.

In summary, we recommend sending clothes and textiles in packaging that keeps your package compact, can be customised to your brand and, not least, is as environmentally friendly as possible. It is particularly important to take environmental considerations into account when choosing textile packaging, not least for your customers.

Five essential characteristics of good textile packaging

Clothing (and textiles in general) are flexible, lightweight items that are easy to ship via carriers. But some materials, such as linen, silk or angora, are more fragile than cotton or synthetics. They require extra protective packaging. So choosing the right packaging material is crucial for successful shipping. Below we list five important factors you should pay extra attention to when choosing suitable textile packaging.

1. Ensure environmentally friendly protection

All the way from production to delivery to the customer, it is important to protect textiles well against moisture and possible tears. Moisture, rain and dirt can completely ruin a garment. So when choosing textile packaging, make sure it can withstand this. It’s therefore smart to choose tear-resistant and water-repellent plastic, or sturdy, heavyweight kraft paper.

Both plastic and paper are easy to sort and recycle, so you contribute to the reuse of the material. It’s best to make sure that your entire packaging consists of only one raw material: either 100% plastic or 100% paper. We also call this mono-material. This is much easier to sort and process into new packaging afterwards.

Read more here: How to pack in an environmentally friendly way with mono-material packaging

2. Choose practical textile packaging

Choose packaging that is easy to assemble and close (using a glue strip or zip-lock). That way, you’ll make it much easier for your packers to prepare your orders.

3. Focus on the customer experience

Create a pleasant and unique experience for customers who open the parcel. One way to do this is by choosing “frustration-free packaging”. This type of packaging is first and foremost very compact. The smarter and more compact you pack, the better this will be for the customer experience. After all, less unnecessary packaging waste is what we all want.

Compact packaging is easy with, for example, an e-commerce bag: you push it completely flat so there’s no unnecessary air in it. Or you can choose a narrow post box that easily fits into the opening of a mailbox.

See RAJA’s range of e-commerce packaging here.

4. Easy to open and return

Clothes bought online cannot be tried on. It’s therefore not surprising that clothing has a high return rate. But returns don’t always mean you lose sales, because your customers can also order the garment again in a different size. To make returning a product easy for both the customer and you, it’s a good idea to choose packaging that is designed for returns. Examples are boxes or e-commerce bags with a double adhesive strip. The extra adhesive strip is for the customer’s use if the goods are to be returned, so that the customer can easily send the goods back in the same packaging.

It’s also handy if your packaging has a tear strip so that you can open the parcel without scissors or a knife. It’s also much safer for the goods inside the parcel.

5. Keep your packaging discreet

Garments are often personalised and can vary greatly in price. To guarantee that the customer’s order remains strictly confidential, we recommend choosing completely opaque packaging. This way, the risk of theft is also lower.

RAJA’s range of packaging for clothing and textiles

Need inspiration to find the perfect textile packaging? Check out some examples of suitable boxes and e-commerce bags below. You’ll find these, and several other products that may fit, in a range of sizes in RAJA’s online store.

E-commerce bags with double adhesive strip

• Made from flexible and lightweight plastic. It doesn’t add extra weight, so you save on shipping costs
• Very strong: tear-proof and resistant to moisture.
• User-friendly: with tear strip for easy opening and extra adhesive strip for easy return if needed.

White e-commerce bags with bottom bellows

• Water-resistant and tear-resistant e-commerce bag made of strong plastic.
• Perfect for larger products.
• Self-adhesive, permanent seal.

Kraft paper e-commerce bags with self-adhesive closure

• Good environmental choice also as textile packaging: recyclable and made from 30% recycled kraft paper.
• Resistant and practical
• Large capacity, with bellows at the bottom of the bag, for easy despatch of large products

Extra low postal boxes with top opening

• Quick to assemble – top and bottom in one.
• Extra compact: reduce the volumetric weight of your parcel. Choose a model no more than 2.5 cm high so you can deliver directly through a letterbox.
• Provides good protection for your products during postage. Several layers of cardboard on the sides make the box extra sturdy.
• Available in brown or white, and in many sizes.
• Made from 70% recycled paper

Personalised packaging: go for a great customer experience!

Personalised packaging is an absolute must when you want to take your customer experience to the next level. This packaging really makes you stand out from the competition. Here are a few simple suggestions:

• Choose packaging in the colours of your brand or collection.
• Display your slogan or write a personalised message on the packaging.
• Have your logo printed directly on the packaging. To get started, you can also choose logo printed tape or printed labels.
• Wrap your clothes with tissue paper in your brand colours.

You can also update your packaging throughout the year according to the season or upcoming holidays. This can also help increase customer loyalty or create a wow effect when customers receive your parcel.

Get your parcel delivered

Choosing textile packaging carefully is an important step, but good delivery is just as important for the customer experience. Even if the goods have the best packaging, you won’t get far without a good carrier. What criteria should you keep in mind when choosing a shipping partner?

• The quality of deliveries: on-time delivery, no damage to the products, etc.
• The services offered: full load (per pallet) or individual parcels;
• The mode of transport: by road, rail or air, by sea, or home delivery, at a pick-up point, etc;
• The traceability of the orders: real-time tracking of parcels, the possibility of rescheduling in the event of a delivery problem;
• The costs, the best payment methods and the size of any fees.

With good and solid packaging, you can protect your products in the best possible way. This will minimise returns, which can potentially cost you a lot of money. For a great customer experience, you can also stand out with frustration-free and personalised packaging that provides the best possible unboxing experience. You have plenty of options to choose from to succeed!

For even more advice on textile packaging, see our previous article on packaging for clothing and textiles. You can also contact RAJA’s customer centre on 22 51 40 00 or post@rajapack.no.