Product Focus: Lil envelope – cardboard envelopes, re-invented

Have you seen those rather good-looking cardboard envelopes that come through the door containing CD’s, books, posters and more? You know, the expandable ones made of cardboard? Well, whenever they are delivered to your door, there’s a good chance they’ll be one of ours.

The boffins at Lil Packaging started making these envelopes decades ago – but in the past few years, we’ve really gone for it and have innovated like crazy. Which has resulted in a product that is difficult to beat, and most definitely one of the best in the industry at what it does… which is getting product from point A to point B quickly, safely, securely and in style.

So what makes our way of doing this, just that bit special?

• We have ended up using the toughest possible card to get the right balance of mailing weight vs strength for clients – because you know… weight costs money in mailing!
• It’s fair to say we like being environmentally friendly, so Lil products are manufactured using FSC® certified environmentally sustainable materials on all products bearing the Lil name.
• Our manufacturing plant ‘contours’ the shoulders of our glue seams on these envelopes to ensure a maximum of 3 material thicknesses in the finished product. This way, we make sure our envelopes ‘fit’ in the situations they are delivered into.
• Ever tried to fold a card envelope that doesn’t want to fold? We thought the same as you did… so we included the task of pre-folding the flaps in an extra section of our machines to make it easier for our clients to close our envelopes. Simples.
• The spookiest part of producing these envelopes was when we decided to include ‘ghost creases’ on all our Lil envelopes to allow for capacity of inserted items/contents being mailed – because we’ve all had that experience trying to get a book or dvd out of a package that’s just too darn tight right?
• Fulfilment speed is a big thing in e-commerce. When you’re packing boxes and envelopes all day, every second counts to get product out and delivered quickly. Overhangs on the white release paper on our envelope flap make it quick and easy to remove. Having the fastest packaging speed for our clients is always a win! With video evidence to prove it!
• We are one of the only European cardboard envelope manufacturers that use hot melt glue, a special way of sealing envelopes that actually makes sure they stay closed until the customer has them! (See our special article on hot melt glue!)

What makes them really special is the fact that they’re continually being improved through feedback from our real internet retailers – including some of the biggest! If we identify an improvement tomorrow, the chances are it will be implemented within 4 weeks of successful testing. For example with our envelopes, it wasn’t exactly obvious to us that we should write ‘open’ on the tear strips. Several customers suggested this, and now all of the tear-strip products we do carry this instruction. When you’re close to a thing, it’s difficult to have the perspective that another viewpoint can give you – we rely on our customers for exactly that.

Because of this, our products and our service are continually improving, and ranges like our Lil envelope are continually getting better and better.

Shop Lil envelopes – click here

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Rough Trade Case Study

The now iconic Rough Trade is a group of independent record shops with sites in the UK and US. The first Rough Trade shop was opened in 1976 by Geoff Travis in the Ladbroke Grove district of west London. In 1978 the shop spawned the famous Rough Trade Records, which was to go on to be home to bands from The Smiths to The Libertines. In 1982 the two separated and the shop remains an independent entity from the label, although links between the two remain strong.

Calling all vinylphiles and music lovers – we thoroughly recommend checking out their extensive collection over at roughtrade.com

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The Challenge

With a brand as cool as Rough Trade we knew that we needed to pull out all the stops! They needed postal packaging that was quick to fulfil, offered unparalleled protection and provided their customers with an improved unboxing experience with a strong brand presence.

The Solution

• Lil packaging were able to provide Rough Trade with custom printed self sealing FLP flatpack vinyl mailers and C3 bukwrap book mailers. Utilising our “hot melt” peel and seal technology our mailers seal with 300% more tack than standard tape strips, we’re also the only company to use over hanging tape to considerably speed up assembly time.
• Our stock mailers come with a red tear strip opening for a frustration free unboxing experience and a tamper evident seal for added security.
• Over 98% of our orders are dispatched within 24 hours and combined with packaging that’s quick to assemble and pack has meant that Rough Trade can continue to provide their own speedy delivery service to their customer without the worry of running out of mailers.
• As the mailers were chosen from our extensive range of stock products we are able to provide smaller regular deliveries to avoid the issues related to lack of warehouse space and we also have extensive stock holding facilities to act as a much needed buffer during peak seasons.
• Rough Trade now have the added benefit of their own dedicated Account Manager at Lil Packaging that continues to be a consistent point of contact for packaging orders and any changing requirements.

The Outcome

“We approached Lil Packaging with the challenge of providing our customers with an improved unboxing experience and increased brand awareness. During the early stages of the project we were provided with sound advice as well as samples which not only met our requirements but also provided us with what we feel to be the best looking Vinyl and CD mailers on the market! Our new custom mailers also came with the added bonus of faster packing speeds (we were using a lot of tape at the time); improved strength and security; as well as providing our customers with frustration free tear cord seal which virtually eradicated the risk of damaging expensive vinyl records on opening (ie no scissor/knives required!). We’ve already had great feedback from our customers since the switch and zero returns due to failed packaging. As a custom printed e-commerce packaging provider, Lil Packaging comes highly recommended.”

Rough Trade, London

Just take a look at the pictures of the end product below – I hope you’ll agree they look awesome! Clever use of single sided, 1 colour flexo print saved on production costs but without compromising on the look. We love how the design of these custom mailers incorporates some of the most iconic and well recognised band logos and record sleeves from the past 40 years – it really continues the experience you’d get from the Rough Trade website and their in-store design. This is a prime example of the power of e-commerce packaging to create unboxing experiences that drive brand exposure. As the final consumer touch point, getting custom mailers right can create a lasting impression and in this case it’s definitely one that’s worth remembering.

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Are you interested in ordering custom mailers or custom printed e-commerce packaging?

If you’d like to talk to us about custom printing one of our stock items or producing something bespoke, feel free to drop us an email sales@lilpackaging.com or call us today on +44 (0)1480 396 200.

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