Packaging is part of the product a retail buyer receives. A useful brief follows one unit from the item itself to the carry bag, the printed piece and the master carton.
Unit presentation
Describe how the product should be presented when it arrives: stuff sack, carry bag, paper band, hangtag, polybag or retail box. Say which of those are required and which are optional. If a logo is printed, placed or sewn, note the method, the position and the artwork format you will supply.
Information on the product
List the labels the destination market needs: care, material content, country of origin, warnings and any size or capacity statement. Keep these separate from marketing claims. If a barcode or price label has a required position, include that too.
Carton and shipment
State units per carton, carton dimensions, gross weight and the shipping marks you want on the outside. Barcode, model and destination should be readable without opening the carton. If mixed colors or sizes share a carton, say how they are separated and marked.
Send it with the inquiry
Attach artwork or a packaging guide when you have it. If the artwork is not ready, describe the placement and ask for the file requirements before a sample is made. Packaging changes after sampling should be written into the final specification.
