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~ Ranpak ~

challenge. Of course, we will make some errors when under- Still, after shipping frames with a pitch of glass in plastic – a
taking this, but we will learn from our mistakes.” proven method – for many years, it must have been a tough call
to switch? “It was a questionable risk at the beginning,” admits
USA Tim. “We are more in the premium field of our market and
Photo frames+art.com currently is active in six markets: the deliver via parcel post. That is why we did our research before
UK, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the United States. The switching. We use protective boxes of the same material as our
focus is on expanding its reach in the USA. “We are looking packaging now, and we can conclude that breakages have not
for a third-party logistics service provider on the east coast increased.
so we can deliver faster and get stock in our warehouse. This
so we can start making a little noise there. There are some We also tested our in the box paper packaging solution Geami
huge players in the market, though, and we would be happy to WrapPak by Ranpak. Not only does Geami WrapPak work
have 0.01% of the market. We are a rather niche market, but very well for us but it also perfectly protects our products. With
it is still enormous. Doing it this way, we could test and react its double layer material, high quality die-cut kraft paper com-
quickly. Being a large player means only working with volumes. bined with a tissue interleaf – a strong and shock-absorbent
What we are doing is much more appealing – and still very material with superb cushioning and protective characteristics,
profitable,” describes Tim. surpassing traditional wrapping solutions, it offers optimal
protection.
He continues: “We want to expand to more countries than just
the USA, though. Sometimes I frighten our e-commerce man- It changes anything packed in it into a nicer product, one
agers by tapping on a map I have in my office saying we have packed with care, and a sustainable look which results in an
to go to a certain country. And actually, when using fulfilment outstanding in-the-box presentation and unpacking experience.
by a marketplace, that is pretty easy. The margin is smaller, but
they do everything for you. It is kind of formula work. Doing it
all ourselves, that’s a bit more of a hustle. Still, we are continu-
ously looking to expand to other countries. Australia and the
Nordics are looking very interesting to us, for example.”
Text: Nico Hoeijmans // Photos: Dagmar Sporck, Drestige
Packaging solution
Shipping photo frames and framed art is a delicate business,
especially with cross-border sales. Products can get damaged
easily if you do not properly prepare the shipping. We wonder
how Photo frames+art.com is dealing with this challenge.
Ease and Flow in B2B Commerce
Tim explains: “Right now, we use Geami WrapPak paper by
Ranpak. Ranpak is the worldwide leader of environmentally
sustainable in-the-box paper-based protective packaging sys-
tems and materials. The machines we have found to be very reliable, and we have
tested them, q4 is a test for any machine and these were great,
Before using this, we were taking in daily deliveries of bubble not one break down after working 12 hours a day for 8 weeks.
pack. Had we carried on in the last quarter of 2019, we would Business customers look for ease in the A digital customer portal makes doing
have to stop our trading because the amount of storage space purchasing process. With a digital custo- business with you easy:
needed for the bubble wrap would mean we could no longer
operate. Now, we have only a few pallets of paper stocked in mer portal, you offer them more than just • Offers higher efficiency and control
the corner of our warehouse. So, the first benefit is that it al- a web shop. It conveniently provides them
lowed us to grow operationally. We have the space to continue • Creates real added value for customers
manufacturing and processing.” access to your products and services from through digital offerings
the touchpoint of their choice. This is your
“Aside from that, what we really like is getting away from • Helps sales and service departments to
easy way to more customer loyalty. better target customers´ needs
plastic. We regularly get positive feedback on the fact that
the materials we use are not plastic, both from marketplaces
and customers. Biodegradable packaging is the key for us, in
this case. Geami WrapPak by Ranpak is 100% biodegradable,
renewable and curbside recyclable. The verbal internet customer Now, we are investigating if we can collaborate with the mar- Learn how to leverage the full
who takes photographs and puts them on Instagram to show ketplaces we are active on to make sure they can use the same potential of a digital customer portal:
our packaging material – that is the best advertising we can packaging as we do. We have had some good conversations www.intershop.com/en/digital-
get.” so far, and getting away from bubble wrap would be great for
customer-portal
everybody, wouldn’t it?” ••

www.intershop.com

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