Executing Marketing Campaigns at the Pack Station

The pack station in an order fulfillment facility is not the first place that typically comes to mind when planning out how to execute a marketing campaign. In reality, the pack station should be. The key to effectively mobilizing a print marketing campaign to existing clients can be done with some simple automation. Doing so does not require a multi-million-dollar investment, it simply needs Automated Pack Station solutions.

61% of shoppers say they are more likely to make a repeat purchase if their order comes with a “surprise giveaway” (according to this Dotcom Distribution study). With such a high probability of securing repeat business, it makes sense to include promotional items in clients’ orders. You do not have to be an increase in staff warehouse staff to accomplish your goals. You simply need to automate the labor-intensive tasks of inserting product and branded items at the pack station, ensuring that your marketing campaigns capture the highest returns.

Here are examples of marketing programs we have assisted our clients with:

1. Samples and Gift Cards

   Sample sized products are simple, low-cost add-ons to a client order. Not only do clients enjoy receiving additional product, but it gives your company a chance to let them try a product they may not have considered before. With online shopping skyrocketing, including product samples in orders is a value-added service that echoes the in-person experience of receiving a recommendation from a salesperson. Depending on the size/shape of the product, an automatic friction feeder (such as our LC In-Feeder) can feed these samples into open cartons, totes, or packages as they pass by on the conveyor.

2. Personalized Notes and Thank You Cards

   Sending out personalized cards and notes thanking clients for their order becomes too time consuming when a company is fulfilling thousands of orders per day. This is usually something you only see from a small shop, where the owner is writing the client’s name on the card and inserting it into the package. With a print on demand solution (see: Print Feeder) seamlessly integrated into the order fulfillment process, the client’s name or personalized message can be included in the note upon printing and automatically inserting it into the passing tote, carton or package.

3. Packing Slips and Return Labels

   According to the previously referenced study, 63% of consumers expect a return label to be included with their order. Ease of returns is a highly significant factor for consumers considering a purchase online that they usually would have made in a store. Return labels can be printed on demand to include the client’s return address and put in an adhesive pouch that is stuck on the outside of the carton (check out the Autoslip). Alternatively, a separate document can be printed and included inside the box (our  Print Feeder is more than capable of handling this chore).

The solutions that PSI machines provide are practical, efficient, and worthwhile in any operation that has the need to streamline their outbound shipping process.