Less Packaging, Greater Protection with new Amazon-Certified Shipper

Because it holds a 49% share of the e-commerce market, when Amazon speaks, its vendors listen. That’s why, when Bullet Tools, of Hayden, ID, a manufacturer of fixed-blade cutting tools for the construction industry, needed to redesign its packaging for a product sold on Amazon, it made sure to meet the online retailer’s new requirements for minimal, protective, and sustainable packaging—especially with financial penalties hanging in the balance.

Bullet Tools, as its tagline explains, offers “Cutting-Edge Solutions for Tradesmen.” This includes flooring, siding, and insulation cutters, along with blades and accessories. Its point of differentiation is that its cutters allow for dust-free installation. In particular, unlike its competitors’ tools, Bullet’s EZ Shear Laminate Flooring Cutter does not produce a (potentially deadly) cloud of silica dust, which means installers can use it to cut flooring without the need for vacuums, filters, or breathing protection.

Despite the innovative nature of the tool, Bullet was finding it difficult to get the product in front of potential customers. Selling the EZ Shear through Amazon offered the company a way to increase exposure and sales. But it soon realized that using the same packaging for online sales as it did for retail did not provide the needed product protection, and was costly and labor intensive to assemble.

In redesigning the packaging, Bullet worked with packaging supplier Multifab Packaging and protective packaging manufacturer Great Northern Laminations. The resulting shipper reduces corrugated materials and costs, provides greater product protection, is easy to assemble, and—most importantly—meets Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging (FFP) requirements.

Product protection for online sales

Bullet Tools’ cutters are sold by dealers at retail locations across the U.S. and worldwide, but it was e-commerce that really helped grow sales of the company’s EZ Shear cutter. “Getting our EZ Shear Laminate Flooring Cutter on the Internet means that when people search ‘how to cut hardwood,’ our cutters come up,” says Joshua Brand, Bullet Tools Purchasing & Inventory Manager. “Since Amazon is the third most popular search engine in the world, having our products listed and reviewed there has created customers who might not otherwise know about Bullet Tools and has spurred tremendous growth.”

While its cutter was a hit online, its packaging—a double-wall corrugated case with inserts—wasn’t. The EZ Shear is designed New packaging for Bullet Tools flooring cutter uses two laminated paperboard edge protectors riveted together that are placed into the bottom of the case for product protection.with a hefty blade and cutting mechanism located on one side, with the rest of the tool comprising a lightweight table for feeding product under the blade. Picture something akin to a paper cutter, but much larger. Having the majority of the weight on one side created challenges, as the feet and corners often broke through the packaging. Not only that, but as volumes rose, the packaging system became too costly, time consuming, and labor intensive. A new packaging design would need to address these issues, as well as be certified to meet Amazon’s packaging requirements.

In September 2018, Bullet Tools, along with thousands of other North American companies, was notified by Amazon that it was rolling out a new incentive program (see article in Packaging World, "Amazon's New Sustainable Packaging Program Puts the Customer First") that it explained was designed to drive more sustainable packaging in order to reduce waste and damage and “delight” customers. The announcement advised vendors they would need to design their packaging to meet Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging Program Certification Guidelines by Aug. 1, 2019 or face a chargeback of $1.99 per unit.

Amazon’s Vendor Incentive Program applies to all items larger than 18 x 14 x 8 in. or 20 lb or more—specifications that definitely describe Bullet’s products—and requires that their packaging is designed and certified as Tier 1 FFP or Tier 2 Ships In Own Container (SIOC). According to Amazon, “That means they’ll be right sized, protective against damage, ready-to-ship without the need for additional packaging, and ideally easy to open and recyclable.”