Category Archives: Priority Envelope News

Despite the rise of digital marketing and the promise of AI, direct mail is experiencing a resurgence among savvy marketers who know how to cut through the digital noise with well-crafted mailers that drive response.

According to the Association of National Advertisers, direct mail boasts an impressive 161% average ROI, greater than email (44%), paid search (38%), and social media (21%). It’s no wonder, then, that 89% of marketers have increased or maintained their direct mail budgets and 70% say direct mail response has improved, per Sequel Response’s Direct Mail Benchmark Report.

Still, marketers face steep competition at the mailbox, so it’s crucial to create compelling mailers that get noticed – and that starts with envelope design. First impressions matter, so envelopes play an integral role in capturing attention, influencing open rates, and ultimately, driving response.

Envelope Design Makes Mailers Stand Out

Envelope design goes beyond artwork, as marketers have extensive customization options to differentiate their brands and make compelling first impressions, including:

• Unconventional sizes and shapes
• Materials and finishes; for example, gloss, matte, soft touch, and embossing that deliver tactile sensations
• Custom-shaped windows that tease what’s inside
• Interactivity for a one-of-a-kind opening experience
• Inside tint for branding and security

Our Extendalope is a prime example of how these elements can work together to create a powerful presentation. It features an easy-open zipper for interactivity and drop-down panels that add real estate for expanded messaging. The Extendalope yields measurable results, too. For example, one of our customers used it for a quarterly rewards mailer and increased response rates from 1% to 8%.

Envelope Design Speaks to Your Audience

The right blend of envelope design characteristics captivates your audience by:

• Eliciting emotion
• Fulfilling desire
• Addressing pain points
• Promising solutions
• Fostering trust

Consider the following examples.

Satellite TV Mailer

A satellite TV company sent a direct mailer in an oversized envelope with a large window. The mailer prompted recipients to peel a perforated, interactive opening to reveal a gift card inside. This envelope design worked because its oversized proportions couldn’t be ignored, it was fun and easy to open, and it promised a valuable benefit.

Hunger Relief Nonprofit Mailer

A hunger relief nonprofit solicited donations with an envelope made from Kraft paper to mimic a paper lunch bag. The design worked because it conveyed the primal need for food, evoking compassion and empathy for those in need.

Airline Credit Card Offer

An airline credit card offer envelope featured foil-stamped typography on a heavyweight paper with a matte finish. Collectively, these attributes suggested prestige and purchasing power that resonated with the target audience.

Direct mail is a powerful marketing strategy that is proven to outperform digital channels, but competition is fierce. When you’re developing your next campaign, don’t overlook what is arguably the most critical aspect of your mailer. First impressions matter, and you need a compelling envelope design if your mailer is to get noticed, get opened, and earn response.

Marketing agencies enlist design, copywriting, advertising, and web development partners to carry out the marketing campaigns they develop for their clients. However, they often overlook the value of establishing a relationship with an experienced packaging partner that’s committed to their success. Here are four reasons why your agency needs a packaging partner.

1. Stand Out with Increased Capabilities

A strategic packaging partner lends marketing strength to your agency. When you can harness the knowledge and capabilities of a packaging company, you can differentiate your agency and offer unique solutions to help your customers stand out.

For example, you can:

• Cater to boutique clients who need small runs and large companies with larger run requests
• Offer rapid turnaround times
• Provide CAD services and packaging mockups
• Create small, artistic packages for seasonable marketing and special promotions

Some suppliers are transactional in nature, only concerned with selling packages to bolster their bottom lines, but a true packaging partner will collaborate with you to enhance your agency with creative capabilities that lend a competitive advantage.

2. Bring Your Creative Innovations to Life

Many packaging companies try to squeeze their customers into existing die lines, but that limits your creativity and your client offering. A good packaging partner unbinds your creativity with practically limitless options:

• They won’t try to force you to choose between pre-existing packaging options
• They can bring your napkin design to life and offer end-to-end support
• They can help you develop beautiful, one-of-a-kind packaging for your clients

You don’t want your clients’ packaging to look like every other competitor out there. With a strategic supplier, you can innovate with unique shapes, sizes, die-cuts, and designs for unforgettable branding that influences perception and motivates sales.

3. Add Sustainability to Your Offering

A strategic packaging partner can help you meet corporate social responsibility standards for your company and your clients with:

• Recyclable materials
• Eco-friendly production processes
• In-house recycling
• Energy saving practices
• Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative certification

Sustainability is more important than ever to businesses and consumers, so establishing a relationship with an eco-friendly packaging partner can differentiate your agency and create a competitive advantage.

4. Identify Manufacturing and Cost Efficiencies

A lot goes into choosing the right packaging materials, designs, and production processes. While transactional suppliers are happy to sell your agency the first thing that will work, a strategic partner will collaborate with you to identify the best solution.

For example, one of our customers needed boxes for seven different types of candles at 500 quantity each. We could have simply run their order, but it would have carried a high unit cost, so we recommended an alternative: they could make a single box type with a window that would reveal the unique candle scents inside. This strategy enabled the customer to minimize the set up and change over costs of producing so many different boxes and simultaneously gave them a unique rose top closure design that differentiated their brand.

A good packaging partner has your agency’s back. They can:

• Identify ways to increase manufacturing efficiency and save money (savings you can pass on to your clients, making your agency more attractive)
• Help you choose product-compatible packaging materials and cartons that protect your clients’ investments
• Collaborate with your agency to develop unique packaging designs
• Bail you out in emergencies with rapid turnaround to meet tight deadlines

Great packaging partners are just as beneficial to marketing agencies as great design, development, copywriting, and advertising partners. Consider establishing a relationship with an experienced, knowledgeable, strategic packaging supplier to expand your offering, better serve your clients, and gain a competitive advantage for your agency.

Discover more packaging tips: 6 ways to grow your business with innovative packaging 

On the surface, brewery packaging might seem pretty straightforward. Walk into any convenience store and you’ll find hundreds of six-packs housed in similar packaging. As a brewer, how can you differentiate – both from a marketing and a business perspective – other than design?

The right packaging strategy can help your microbrews stand out, sell more, and even cost less to produce. To that end, here are three packaging considerations for breweries.

1. Unique Designs Can Cut Costs

One of our brewery customers needed to package 12-pack cans, but they didn’t have the in-house gluing capability to close their cartons. We helped by developing a unique closure that snapped together, no glue required.

The packaging technology not only provided a unique aesthetic that helped the carton stand out, but it also eliminated a step in the production process, providing flexibility with filling, and ultimately saving our customer money.

2. Switch to Sustainable Packaging

Many microbreweries use plastic 6-pack rings, but plastic isn’t eco-friendly. Indeed, most plastic is one-time use at a time when single use plastics are facing statewide bans.

Sustainable packaging is often more cost-effective than plastic. Moreover, eco-friendly packaging becomes part of your brand, especially if your brewery promotes its use of natural ingredients or caters to a new audience with THC-infused seltzers.

If you want to differentiate your brewery and promote corporate social responsibility, consider beer cartons constructed from recyclable materials and choose packaging partners who adhere to sustainable production processes. Sustainable options are available for virtually every type of packaging, including 4-, 6-, and 12-pack boxes, beer trays, and 6-pack bottle carriers.

3. Choose the Right Materials

It’s also important to choose the right materials for your microbrew packaging. Excellent beer carton materials are:

• Strong enough to hold heavy bottles and cans
• Moisture-friendly so cooler condensation won’t weaken the packaging
• Designed for enhanced printability for high quality designs
• Eco-friendly
• Cost effective

How to Overcome Common Brewery Packaging Challenges

Specialty brewers and small microbreweries face unique packaging challenges because many vendors either aren’t willing to run low quantities or limit options for low quantity runs. That’s why it’s so important to work with the right packaging partner.

Great brewery packaging partners are happy to do short runs, offer rapid turnaround times, and even offer CAD and mockup capabilities. Strategic partners like these provide an end-to-end solution, enabling you to develop unique, on-brand packaging without the expense of a full-service marketing agency.

Larger, more established brewers should likewise seek experienced packaging partners who can lower their net unit prices and identify other cost-savings strategies. For example, some offer inventory management programs that enable quicker turnarounds, and free up inventory, manufacturing space, and cash.

Brewery packaging might seem straightforward, but a lot goes into developing solutions that create competitive advantages on convenience store shelves. The good news is you don’t have to go it alone. An experienced packaging partner can offer the guidance and support needed to craft unique packaging that makes your beer attractive, communicates your brand story, and protects your brew during transport.

Discover more packaging tips:  6 ways to grow your business with innovative packaging

The legal medical and recreational cannabis industry is growing – and so is competition. A strong packaging strategy can help cannabis companies differentiate their brands, protect their products, and comply with stringent regulations. Here are five critical considerations for cannabis packaging.

Discover more ideas for packaging success on our blog:  6 ways to grow your business with innovative packaging

1. Regulations

Most jurisdictions require child-resistant packaging for cannabis products, so it’s important to choose packaging that satisfies those regulations. Child-resistant means it’s challenging, though not impossible, for children aged five and under to open the package in a reasonable amount of time while still being accessible to adults.

Cannabis packaging also needs to comply with labeling regulations, which vary by state. Leafly offers a nice overview of state-by-state marijuana packaging and labeling laws, but be sure to check with your state (and any states where your products are sold) for the latest regulations.

2. Display

In many cases, pre-packaged cannabis products are gated. Users can’t touch them because they’re behind dispensary display cases. That makes it more challenging for products to stand out against the competition, but it presents an excellent opportunity to get noticed with packaging.

If your products are displayed from a distance, tactile feel becomes less important than visual appeal. Consider how your packaging can differentiate your cannabis products and motivate buyers through unique:

• Sizes
• Shapes
• Colors and design

For example, you can augment your packaging with embossing, which enhances the appearance and feel by creating a raised design.

Keep in mind that packaging should capture brand essence and speak to your audience. Vivid colors pop, but they might be prohibitive if you’re concerned about children confusing your cannabis products for candy or cookies. Discreet earth tones suggest eco-friendliness and look recyclable, which could resonate with an audience that appreciates sustainability. Plain paperboard and dark green leaves might be your design motif.

Some customers are interested in the health benefits of cannabis and related products such as CBD. If your products cater to that audience, your packaging should reflect its medicinal qualities.

3. Sustainability

Cannabis consumers are often sensitive to sustainability, which is why plastic is typically a poor choice for cannabis packaging. In fact, MIT Technology Review reports that just 9% of the all the plastic ever produced has been recycled and 72% winds up in landfills or the environment – including 8 to 11 million tons deposited in the ocean every year. That’s why folding cartons made from naturally eco-friendly materials such as paperboard and biodegradable window films are solid choices.

Of course, sustainability isn’t limited to materials. It also includes production processes. If you have a green agenda, seek a packaging partner that has an in-house recycling program, follows energy savings practices, and belongs to organizations such as the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

4. Protection

Packaging sizes, shapes, and materials work together to protect your products. When it comes to cannabis, some products require moisture barriers to keep contents dry and glass products might need extra protection, such as inserts or certain materials and carton types, to prevent breakage.

Anti-tampering and anti-counterfeiting are additional packaging considerations, since it’s important to demonstrate packaging is unopened and you need to take measures to prevent counterfeiting that plagues the cannabis industry.

5. Flexibility and Support

Cannabis laws are constantly changing. It seems like we have new or revised regulations every three months, so it’s important to work with a packaging partner who makes it quick and easy to adapt.

It’s not just about reacting to change but anticipating it. A strategic packaging partner can proactively develop packaging that fosters long-term success. Local partners are powerful allies because they understand the landscape and want you to succeed.

Local packaging partners can help boutique cannabis companies that aren’t ready to (or don’t want to) work with full-service agencies – but also don’t want to settle for low-quality cartons that risk damage.

While transactional suppliers might try to push you into a limited selection of off-the-shelf packaging options that look like everything else and put you at a competitive disadvantage, strategic suppliers bring mockup and CAD capabilities to the table, so they can develop custom packaging no matter what size your company is. They can bring your napkin drawings to life, run small and large quantities, produce samples, and identify cost efficiencies that foster success.

A lot goes into developing high quality cannabis packaging that meets regulations, protects your products, and influences sales, but you don’t have to go it alone. Choose a packaging supplier that provides the flexibility to scale as you grow, the support to help you succeed, and views you as a true long-term partner, not just another transaction on their books.

Packaging isn’t just for storage and transport. It has a profound impact on brand perception and sales, as effective packaging presents, communicates, and protects products:

• Present: Packaging is often the first impression customers have of a product, and the right blend of design, materials, and finish can help products stand out
• Communicate: Packaging tells your brand story and explains how your product benefits customers. It can elicit emotion and earn trust
• Protect: Packaging prevents breakage and tampering, protecting your investment

Packaging is an extension of your product and brand, a tool for differentiation. The right packaging strategy can even minimize costs and increase sales. When customers compare similarly-priced products, they typically choose the product that looks and feels the best – and they’re often willing to pay more for products that present better.

With that in mind, here are six ways to grow your business with innovative packaging.

1. Consider the Customer Experience

If you’ve ever seen product unboxing videos on YouTube, you know the customer experience begins the moment they lay eyes on your packaging. Consider the customer experience and how they should feel as they open the box and unpack their products:

• Do the materials and finish lend a pleasant, on-brand, tactile sensation?
• Is the box easy to open, or is it difficult and frustrating?
• Does the box need to be reclosable or tamper-evident?
• Are the contents neatly organized and presented, or haphazardly tossed in?

Attractive, intuitive, easy-to-use packaging fosters positive customer experiences and influences brand perception.

2. Envision the Display

Great packaging motivates sales in retail environments. Think through how your products will display and consider the following:

• Retail requirements: Where will your packaging display? In aisles, endcaps, or near point-of-sale checkouts? What do retailers require for each type of display?
• Size and shape: With smaller packaging, you can fit more products on the shelf, minimize material, and potentially lower cost. Larger packaging, on the other hand, might command more attention. Standard shapes are easy to stack, while unique shapes can differentiate your brand
• Material and finish: The right blend of materials and finishes not only look fantastic, but they also feel good in customers’ hands, significantly influencing perception and sales
• Unique features: Custom closures, embossing, windows, and other unique features can help packaging stand out and sell the products within
• Brick-and-mortar vs. ecommerce: Packaging needs to display just as well online as it does in stores. Consider how your packaging will present on websites and in social posts

3. Product Compatibility and Protection

Packaging should protect its contents during transport, so consider the best shape and size to ensure your products arrive at their destinations unbroken. Extra space and inserts can offer additional protection, especially if there’s a chance delivery drivers will toss your packages from box trucks onto customers’ porches.

Packaging should also be compatible with its products. For example, frozen products likely need moisture barriers. Heavy products often require strong materials and sturdy box types.

Avoid the risks of cheap packaging vendors. Before partnering with us, one of our customers bought snap lock candle boxes on Alibaba. The packaging was weak, and the candles kept falling out. We designed a carton that fit snugly against the candles to prevent slippage and offered two closure options: a modified snap lock that would lock tighter and keep candles in place even when shaken, and an auto bottom for the ultimate bottom strength.

It is beneficial to have your packaging tested. Make a list of package and product requirements and have an independent lab conduct the tests. Common packaging tests include:

• Vibration: Tests how packaging holds up to various vibrations experienced during transport
• Drop: Tests how packaging withstands impacts, such as dropped boxes
• Compression: Tests packaging strength when compressed or crushed
• Accelerated Aging: Simulates the long-term effects of aging on packaging materials to predict their lifespan and performance over time

Storage is another important consideration, as packaging can crack when opened after sitting folded in a dry warehouse for long periods. Ideal storage conditions vary by material, but 72 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% relative humidity are pretty standard.

4. Choose Sustainable Packaging

Sustainability is an important factor for many businesses and customers. Choose high quality, eco-friendly packaging such as folding cartons. Some common materials include:

• Solid Bleached Sulfate (SBS): Premium bright white paperboard with excellent printing properties often used in food, cosmetic, medical, and other applications
• Coated Natural Kraft (CNK): A clean, natural, “eco-friendly” looking material combining the strength and durability of natural kraft paper with a coated surface that allows for a smoother, more consistent printing surface
• Coated Recycled Board (CRB): Recycled paperboard material with a coating for enhanced printability and an extra layer of protection. Generally, a natural or off-white color

Sustainability encompasses more than materials. It also includes production, so it’s best to work with eco-friendly packaging partners who have in-house recycling processes, follow energy savings practices, and are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

5. Identify Manufacturing and Cost Efficiencies

When you understand packaging manufacturability, you can identify ways to save money on premium quality packaging. For example:

• A customer came to us needing boxes for seven different types of candles at 500 quantity each
• Printing 500 boxes for seven different types of candles was certainly doable, but it would have resulted in a high unit cost
• We recommended making a single, windowed box that would allow unique candle scent labels to display through the window
• With this strategy, there was only one carton version on our end, so our customer avoided the numerous set up charges and took advantage of a lower unit cost

This example illustrates why it’s important to focus on the bigger picture or total impacted cost – not just the standard price per unit – to create efficiencies that save money.

6. Leverage Your Packaging Partner

A lot goes into developing the right packaging strategy, but you don’t have to go it alone. Local packaging partners offer end-to-end support to ensure your packaging presents, communicates, and protects – regardless of quantity.

Small businesses and boutiques would be wise to choose a strategic partner that makes them feel seen and is willing to do short runs, as many smaller companies do not have the resources of larger corporations. You don’t need a full-service agency; all you need is a packaging partner who has the knowledge and resources to bring your napkin drawing to life.

Even larger companies that have their own die lines can benefit from strategic partners, which can assist with material decisions and manufacturing efficiencies.

No matter what size your company is, be sure to avoid purely transactional companies and choose a partner that has a discovery phase in which they work to understand what you want to achieve before they furnish a quote. Expert guidance and outstanding support are invaluable for companies that want their packaging to present beautifully, communicate clearly, and protect their investments.

This is Part 4 of a 4-part series on the benefits of a strategic supplier. Read More: Part 1: Why You Need a Supplier Who Has Your Back | Part 2: Why You Need an Innovative Supplier | Part 3: How a Strategic Supplier Saves Money

The COVID-19 supply chain crisis hit one of our customers hard, both for their internal business and major customers they served. Priority Envelope was there to help our customer overcome supply chain issues and meet their production needs.

Business is never without risk, of course, but a strategic supplier can help you mitigate risk. Here’s why you should consider your strategic supplier an insurance policy for success.

1. Trusted Quality

The last thing you want is to develop a winning direct-mail marketing campaign only to have it foiled by poor-quality envelopes no one opens.

A strategic supplier doesn’t take shortcuts to meet demand. They know what they are doing and offer quality you can trust.

Strategic suppliers:

• Use quality materials, not second- or third-tier supplies
• Have the right equipment to produce premium quality envelopes that command attention and get opened
• Produce envelopes that are compatible with the inserting process, ensuring seamless production

2. Guaranteed Delivery

Missed deadlines can derail projects, especially for date-dependent mailers. Consider a mailer that must be delivered by a certain date. If the mailer lands in mailboxes after that date, an entire campaign could be wasted, with tens of thousands (or even millions) of dollars lost. A transactional supplier often can’t guarantee it will be delivered on or by the target date, but a strategic supplier can.

Strategic suppliers:

• Can guarantee delivery
• Understand what’s at stake
• Protect your investment

3. Emergency Response

Nearly every business has faced a crisis: envelope shortages, misprints, and other emergencies that threaten to halt operations or waste investment.

A strategic supplier can offer robust emergency support services to get your projects back on track. When something inevitably goes wrong, you can count on your supplier to have your back, overcome unexpected obstacles, and influence success.

Strategic suppliers:

• Provide rapid emergency response
• Overcome unexpected challenges
• Can save you from disaster

Consider how confident you are in your supplier’s ability to deliver premium quality envelopes on time, every time – then ask how helpful they’d be during an emergency. If you question their commitment to your business, it’s time to explore a strategic supplier who can serve as an insurance policy for your success.

This is Part 3 of a 4-part series on the benefits of a strategic supplier. Read More: Part 1: Why You Need a Supplier Who Has Your Back | Part 2: Why You Need an Innovative Supplier | Part 4: How Strategic Suppliers Are Insurance Policies for Success

A customer came to us with a USPS mailer project. Since we continually monitor USPS changes, we instantly identified an opportunity to use a slightly different type of envelope that could save our customer significant money.

This story illustrates how strategic suppliers understand cost pressures and will recommend money-saving solutions that maximize ROI. Here are three ways a strategic envelope supplier can save your business money.

1. Proactively Recommend Money-Saving Measures

Where many suppliers view every customer as another transaction on their books, a strategic supplier serves as a consultant who leverages their experience to help you make the best decisions for your bottom line.

For example, the previous story shows how our expertise in cost factors can help our customers get discounts on USPS services – potentially saving tens of thousands of dollars for mass mailing campaigns.

Transactional suppliers, on the other hand, won’t take the time to identify cost-savings opportunities.

Strategic suppliers:

• Serve as consultants
• Know how minor changes can yield major discounts
• Recommend ways to save

2. Balance Quality and Costs

That doesn’t mean strategic suppliers do not prioritize quality; it just means they know how to balance quality and costs.

For example, we recently recommended a customer shift from a cost prohibitive production process to flexography, which yielded envelopes that were nearly as good at a fraction of the cost.

It’s not about recommending the cheapest possible option. In many cases, the cheapest paper and window film won’t perform well, so it’s shortsighted to sell something that’s not good enough for the job just because it’s cheap. Strategic suppliers know that “cheap” options often cause expensive issues down the road, so they recommend quality solutions at cost-effective price points.

Strategic suppliers:

• Balance quality and costs
• Prevent expensive problems
• Protect their customers

3. Long-Term Savings

Cost-saving strategies aren’t limited to one-off projects. Strategic suppliers can help their customers save over time, and those savings can add up to millions of dollars over the years.

Strategic suppliers can help you:

• Obtain favorable pricing on bulk purchases
• Plan long-term procurement strategies
• Implement efficient production processes
• Leverage economies of scale

As the term implies, strategic suppliers prioritize strategy, and an intelligent strategy means high-quality envelopes at reduced costs. Consider a strategic supplier as a tool you can use to maximize ROI.

This is Part 2 of a 4-part series on the benefits of a strategic supplier. Read More: Part 1: Why You Need a Supplier Who Has Your Back | Part 3: How a Strategic Supplier Saves Money | Part 4: How Strategic Suppliers Are Insurance Policies for Success

A customer came to us with a beautifully designed envelope project; however, the processes required to produce the envelopes were cost prohibitive. We immediately identified an opportunity to use flexographic technology instead. Flexography could produce an envelope of similar quality at a fraction of the cost.

As the world continually evolves, it’s important to work with an innovative supplier who understands the current landscape and can serve as a growth partner for your business. Here are three reasons why you need an innovative supplier.

1. Modern Solutions

Innovative suppliers are in tune with the market. They study the latest trends to provide services that offer their customers competitive advantages.

They often introduce new capabilities, materials, and operational services, consistently seeking innovative ways to support their customers. They don’t sell off-the-shelf products; instead, they customize envelopes for each customer’s unique needs.

At a time when many suppliers are trying to get out of the litho convert and jet worlds to focus exclusively on flexographic, strategic suppliers offer their customers a vast array of capabilities that enable many different types of applications. They can produce envelopes others cannot.

Strategic suppliers:

• Offer custom solutions to meet modern demands
• Have vast capabilities
• Provide a competitive advantage

2. State-of-the-Art Equipment

Innovative suppliers invest in their equipment. They have contemporary machines capable of producing modern envelope styles. They can add pull strings and tabs on the side, emboss envelopes, and add special perforations that qualify their customers for USPS discounts.

Innovative suppliers routinely maintain their equipment to ensure it produces the highest quality envelopes – and that envelopes work seamlessly with the inserting process. Where inferior envelopes can hamper production and delay processes, state-of-the-art envelopes are compatible with production processes and prevent problems.

Strategic suppliers:

• Invest in their equipment
• Produce premium quality envelopes
• Streamline production and prevent problems

3. Sustainability

Many companies believe in corporate social responsibility. A strategic, innovative supplier can help you fulfill sustainability initiatives via recyclable materials, biodegradable window films, and in-house recycling programs.

Some suppliers belong to organizations such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council, so they employ sustainable sourcing practices that create an eco-friendly supply chain.

Strategic suppliers:

• Can help you achieve sustainability goals
• Provide an eco-friendly supply chain
• Complement corporate social responsibility programs

Suppliers that invest in innovation make your business more capable, sustainable, and efficient, translating into long-term competitive advantages that fuel business growth.

This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on the benefits of a strategic supplier. Read More: Part 2: Why You Need an Innovative Supplier | Part 3: How a Strategic Supplier Saves Money | Part 4: How Strategic Suppliers Are Insurance Policies for Success

A customer came to us in a panic late one Friday afternoon – they had run out of envelopes ahead of their Saturday deadline. Even worse, it was Easter weekend, when most suppliers were shut down.

Priority Envelope was there to help. We rallied our team and had their envelopes ready for pickup by 1 p.m. Saturday, ensuring our customer met their deadline.

This story illustrates the importance of working with a strategic envelope supplier. Where many suppliers view every job as merely transactional, a strategic supplier views themselves as a collaborative long-term partner – a problem-solver who has your back through thick and thin.

Ensure smooth operations and prevent disaster by asking the following three questions before you commit to an envelope supplier.

1. What Are Your Response and Turnaround Times?

Strategic suppliers are highly responsive and, as the previous example shows, capable of rapid turnaround times.

They don’t consider relationships transactional, and they don’t merely sell envelopes – they sell solutions to your problems. If there’s a printing snafu or you run out of envelopes, they’ll bail you out. They’re not just suppliers, they’re project managers and consultants, providing value-added solutions such as design support for envelopes and packaging.

Strategic suppliers work to meet your deadlines. If you call on a Friday and need it by Saturday, they’ll do what they can to make it happen. Transactional suppliers, on the other hand, will likely say they can’t even start until Monday – take it or leave it.

Strategic suppliers are:

• Quick to respond, quote, and turn
• Project managers and consultants
• Long-term partners

2. Will You Do Short Runs?

A strategic supplier prioritizes all their customers, no matter their size. Small businesses and boutiques often struggle to find suppliers who will do short runs. Even larger companies find it difficult to get suppliers to devote attention to small jobs, and some suppliers won’t take on projects below a certain volume.

Even when they agree to small runs, transactional suppliers base their commitments on the size of the deal. Strategic suppliers provide white glove service for every customer and every project.

When it comes to support, a strategic supplier doesn’t distinguish between a 1,000-piece and 5-million-piece order. They are here to serve your needs and you can expect preferential treatment at any volume.

Strategic suppliers:

• Treat all customers equally
• Provide white glove service
• Are happy to do short runs

3. How Do You Apply Your Experience to Support Customers?

Experience matters. It lends suppliers the insights to make strategic recommendations. A supplier who has been in the business for 20 years, for example, has seen it all: if you have a question, someone in their building knows the answer.

An experienced supplier understands their customers’ needs and can solve problems quickly. They’re willing to leverage their resources – such as shipping jobs between their facilities – to expand their customers’ capabilities or meet tight deadlines. The top strategic suppliers have dedicated account management teams and have even won awards for their customer support.

Tell your supplier what you’re trying to do, and they’ll figure out how to get it done. They can develop unique, creative solutions to your problems with personalized, detailed attention that makes you feel valued. In short, you can trust a strategic supplier to have your best interest at heart.

Strategic suppliers:

• Have the experience and wisdom to solve problems quickly
• Know and understand their customers
• Provide dedicated customer support

Lots of suppliers will take your business, but few will truly take an interest in your success. If you want a partner who will help you overcome challenges, solve demanding problems, and achieve your long-term business goals, you need a strategic supplier.

This is Part 1 of a 4-part series on the benefits of a strategic supplier. 

The pandemic presented all businesses with unprecedented challenges and most saw a reduction in their business and a significant percentage of employees working remotely. So, how did your company stay productive and move forward during this very challenging period in the history of our country?

At Priority Envelope, we were fortunate to be considered an “essential business” which allowed us to maintain full staffing. Here are some of the ways we worked to continue moving our company forward the past few months:

• Focus on customers– we made sure to keep in touch with our customers so we could be there to serve their needs. We wanted to make sure we did not cross that fine line between persistence and nuisance, so we remained aware not to over-communicate.
• Education & Development– this period was a good time for a refresh on education and development to ensure we maintain our industry leading standards; an investment in the team.
• Maintenance on Machines– at Priority, we have State of the Art equipment, and we want to make sure we keep it dialed in to specs to produce the best results for our customers.
• Internal and external communication– when the pace of business slows, it is a good time to meet with team members and plan for how to grow post Covid 19. Also, it is also a good time to communicate with customers via social media and let them know that you are poised and ready to assist should they need you.
• Prepare for the future– while there is nothing you can do about the past, the future is well within your control. Coming out of Covid 19, how will you grow, what are the goals, who are the targets, what is strategy and approach?

Those that used this time wisely, should be braced for growth coming out of Covid 19.