Globally, business-to-consumer e-commerce sales have grown exponentially. Sales were $1.5 trillion in 2014 and are expected to grow 60% to $2.4 trillion in 2017. This impressive growth is generating a proportionate increase in the number of cartons shipped to customers. As a result, it’s more important than ever for you to know your carton sealing method is secure. Many businesses use hand-held tape guns with plastic, pressure sensitive tape to seal their cartons because it is perceived as a less expensive solution to other sealing options. However, there are several disadvantages to hand-held tape dispensing guns and plastic tape that you should be aware of.

Packaging theft is unfortunately a problem that happens all too often. Theft does not just consist of packages being stolen off of porches or door steps. Theft also includes carton tampering and products being stolen from cartons before ever making it to the destination. Below are a few steps you can take to protect your valuable products as they make their way to the end-user.

You know how important it is for you to protect the products being shipped inside your company's cartons. With multiple carton sealing solutions available, it can be difficult to decide which option is best for your application. This article describes when using water activated tape offers more benefits to your business than using alternative carton sealing solutions. Glues For Carton Sealing Solutions Hot melt glue is the most common carton sealing solution used within packaging industries. It is manufactured with thermoplastic polymers to which other materials are added for bonding to a variety of materials. When heated, it is soft and flexible. Holt melt dries quickly and creates tamper-resistant seals. It can be used be used in most environments except those with high temperatures. In high temperatures, the glue can liquefy and seep through the carton, compromising the integrity of the box and damaging the materials inside. From a production perspective, glue adapts well to high-speed production packaging lines and this is its most common application. On the downside, to adhere, hot melt glue requires heating, making it impractical for many applications. It can be messy and the fumes potentially harmful to workers.

More and more companies are deciding to create custom-printed water-activated tape using their logo or for messaging. With a custom-printed logo on the water activated tape, also known as gummed paper tape and Kraft paper tape, when your customers’ receive their package from you, your logo will be the first thing they see. This becomes your company’s “billboard”; the initial experience your customer has with your products. You want this initial experience to be positive, for this becomes your customers’ first impression. It sets the stage for opening the carton and receiving your products.

Water-activated tape(WAT) is made primarily of paper and is biodegradable, recyclable and repulpable. The reinforcement materials used reinforced water-activated tape is easily removed and recycled during the repulping process. Plastic tape undermines the recycling process even when removed from cartons beforehand. The removal process leaves behind an adhesive residue that can weaken the recycled corrugated material. This residue can potentially damage the expensive screening and filtering machinery used during the recycling process. This article explains four main reasons why using recyclable packaging products is good for your business.

In addition to all the carton sealing benefits of water-activated tape (WAT), including carton security and strength, using WAT is also a cost-effective sealing solution. In comparison to other sealing tape, you use less tape to secure your cartons, saving you money. Your employees will experience increased productivity when they use water activated tape and a water-activated tape dispenser. Increased productivity equals reduced business costs. Another potential cost-saving benefit is WAT’s ability to have printed logos or messages. Finally, if you are sending your cartons into extreme physical environments, WAT creates a bond strong enough to withstand these challenges.

You’ve bought your water-activated tape dispenser and are now completely sold on the many benefits that using the gummed tape provides your company—product security, strength, increased productivity and employee safety. To make sure you maintain all these benefits, you’ll want to keep you dispenser running in tip-top shape. If you follow these simple preventative maintenance tips, your dispenser will provide you with years of worry-free service. Note: This post was created to assist you in maintaining your Better Packages dispenser; however, these tips may be applicable for others like a gummed paper tape dispenser.

Once you have decided that water-activated tape is the right carton sealing choice for your business, you need to decide which water-activated tape (WAT) dispenser you should purchase. From the most basic perspective, you want to decide if you need a manual WAT dispenser or an electric WAT dispenser. Here is a guide on how to choose between the two types of WAT dispensers. Water Activated Manual Tape Dispenser A manual tape dispenser does not require electricity. There are several variations of manual dispensers. The most basic requires the packer to pull on the tape and then tear the tape using the blade. Other WAT dispensers have an adjustable numbered scale and a lever that you pull to have the tape wet and cut. You simply choose the measurement and pull the lever to get the length of tape you need. These dispensers often also h ave a feature in which allows the packer to dispense an infinite amount of tape. A manual WAT dispenser is a low cost option. These dispensers are desirable when transportability is necessary or the packaging station is without access to electricity.

Ideally, your customer’s experience ordering and receiving your company’s products at their home or office should be seamless. The package should arrive on time and in good condition. Unfortunately, this is not always the case for shipped cartons, sometimes because of poor packaging practices. We created this post as a tool you can use to establish consistent packaging standards to ensure carton safety.