If you own a reusable packaging business, then you’re probably already wondering how you can use AI to make it even better. The good news is that there are actually quite a few things you can do to move the needle, and some of them you probably won’t have heard of before.
Fortunately, this blog post has you covered. We look at some of the ways artificial intelligence is transforming this sector and giving businesses like yours a completely new lease on life.
Makes Carbon Credit Calculations Easy
Calculating carbon credits or just carbon savings from reusable packaging was a nightmare in the past. Often, you had to hire specific researchers to do that work for you, and even then it was challenging for them to give you any information that was even close to what you needed for compliance and to be convincing for customers.
Now, though, AI tools are changing the whole game. Premium subscriptions allow you to perform deep research on specific topics, exploring the backend of the internet and all the information out there to come to reasoned conclusions. What’s more, many of the reports they generate are audit-proof, meaning you can literally show them to internal or external teams for compliance reasons. It’s quite remarkable how complete they are, and how convincingly you can use them to portray your packaging products in the right light.
Automated Support
Another place to use AI is in the realm of automated support. When customers are missing their reusable packaging, you’re often the first person to hear about it.
Under the traditional system, they’d email you or simply call you up, asking for support. However, that’s time-consuming, drains your energy, and means it is harder to push the rest of your business forwards.
By contrast, if you automate this system with AI connected to the rest of your software, it can literally perform like a customer services agent. It can tell them how long it will be until they receive their shipment, where it is right now, what it is likely to cost, how they can order another product, and so on. All you need is an integration, like Zapier, or something custom if you have a higher budget. Chatbots calmly tell them everything they need to know, all in your brand voice.
Turn Containers Into Cash Registers
A lot of reusable packaging companies are smart at their head office (by using the best software) but dumb in the field. Pallets and containers are, after all, still just pieces of material that get lugged around for them.
However, AI can change the game here, too, and make them more intelligent. In practice, that usually means attaching RFID chips to every container or set of containers. These provide information like:
- How far a particular unit has traveled
- How many times they’ve been dropped off
- Whose forklift truck is causing them to move too abrasively
This information is super helpful and enables you to price customers to the risk they pose. If you can see how they are treating your reusable packaging, you can adjust what they pay accordingly. This incentivises your best customers to behave so they can pay less while also allowing you to accommodate your worst, along as they are willing to compensate you in some way.
Better Monitoring And Maintenance
AI could also assist you with better monitoring and maintenance in your business. Cameras combined with AI can tell you when residues build up on your containers, or when material has cracked.
The best place to put cameras is a location that containers naturally travel through. For example, you could put these devices at the start of cleaning runs to determine their condition.
For example, let’s say you have customers who use your food-grade containers. It should be possible for AI to decide when they need washing and whether, ultimately, they require retirement (because they have gone beyond the point of reasonable repair).
When you start doing this, you’ll often notice you save a lot of water and cleaning fluid. AI can literally tell whether a container needs washing so you don’t have to worry about categorising it yourself. As such, blanket wash schedules and protocols can simply disappear.
Intelligent Dynamic Pricing
If you think Uber’s dynamic pricing is intelligent, just wait to see what AI can do for your reusable container and packaging business. Systems can determine the optimal price you should charge your customers to get them to spend more.
Intelligent dynamic pricing is all about charging more at peak times. It’s not unfair because your resources really are limited and you only have a specific number of containers or packages you can hand out.
For example, suppose you work with the food industry and a brand needs containers for pumpkin spice season. Usually, you’d charge the lower rate, but because of the time of year and the level of demand, you’re well within your rights to charge more. All AI does is crunch the numbers, digest the data and tell you the actual figure that’s going to maximize your profits.
Superior Marketing
Marketing your reusable packaging business can be tough. But with the help of strategies like AI SEO, you can put enormous swathes of it on auto-pilot.
Think about how much your rivals are spending on conventional SEO companies. Usually, it’s a lot of money. However, with AI tools, you can cut the costs by 90% or more and still get the same results.
Stop Losing Containers
Finally, AI can help you if you’re in the habit of actually losing containers all the time. These systems automate things like follow-up and package recycling so you’re not constantly losing inventory.
For instance, think about how many times you’ve had a customer who has just sat on a container for a couple of months. Sixty days later, and they still haven’t returned it.
AI can help in this situation by providing them with regular reminders. These constant nudges compel them to take action and reduce the risks to you.
Faisal Ur Rehman is SEO advisor at Reusable Packaging News and co-owner and content editor at Forklift News. He brings more than six years of hands-on experience with Blue Box Packaging, a U.S. custom box manufacturer, where he gained firsthand knowledge of packaging production processes and manufacturing equipment. Faisal has also worked with Reusable Packaging News for more than four years. His coverage includes packaging compliance, reusable transport packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, material handling and supply chain logistics. Connect with Faisal on LinkedIn or view his journalist profile on Muck Rack.
