Boxed or packed notebook covers: which to stock for the shops you supply

Stock both if you can, so the retailers you supply can offer both. Boxed Super Delux rolls sell to customers who want a full roll that looks good on the shelf and covers a whole set of books. Delux packs sell to customers who look at the price first and need only a few notebooks covered. If you can stock only one, choose by the shops you supply and who walks into them, not by which one looks better.

The good news is that you are not choosing between two qualities. At Jagannath Polymers Pvt Ltd (JPPL) we use the same design and the same film in both, and only the packing changes.

That makes the choice easier than it looks.

What is the difference between Super Delux and Delux?

Super Delux is our boxed range. We pack each 14 inch (355 mm) x 8 m roll on its own in a printed box. Ten boxes make a packet, and a carton holds 200 rolls, or 180 for Floura, Student JPPL and Unique.

Delux is the same design without the box. We make the rolls shorter, from 2.5 to 5 m depending on the design, and put five rolls into one polybag. A carton holds 250 rolls.

Which designs come boxed, and which come packed?

The printed and clear designs come both ways: Classic, Combo, Lining, Clear and Floura.

The plain synthetic (HM) covers are where it differs. Star, Vidhyarthi, Student, Student JPPL and Unique come only boxed. China, our plain synthetic cover in 3 m and 4 m, comes only in packs. So a retailer who wants a cheap plain coloured cover without a box takes China, and a retailer who wants a thicker plain cover takes one of the boxed designs. See the synthetic range for the micron of each.

Why does the boxed roll cost more?

You pay for two things: the box itself, and a longer roll.

Both are worth it in the right shop.

The box does real work in a shop. It keeps the roll clean and round on the shelf, so the last roll sold in May looks like the first one sold in February. It shows the design, the size and the length, so a customer can choose without unrolling anything. It also stands on a counter or a display stand, which a polybag of five cannot do well.

The longer roll suits a family that covers a full set of books in one go. One 8 m roll covers about 18 regular notebooks of about 24 x 18 cm.

Why does Delux sell?

Price is the reason. The same design in a polybag of five, with shorter rolls, costs less per roll, and that is the number most customers see.

Delux also suits the parent who needs to cover two or three notebooks, a child who lost a cover mid-year, or a shop that sells covers one roll at a time from a loose pack. A 3 m roll covers about 6 regular notebooks.

Nobody wants to buy 8 m for six books.

How do I compare the cost properly?

Do not compare price per roll. Compare price per notebook covered. To me, this is the honest number, for you, for your retailer and for the parent.

1. Take the price of one roll.
2. Divide it by the number of regular notebooks that roll covers. On a 14 inch roll each notebook uses about 43 cm, so 8 m covers about 18, 5 m about 11 and 3 m about 6.
3. Compare the two results.

This is simple arithmetic, but it changes the conversation at your retailer's counter. A boxed roll that looks costly may cost little more per book than a short roll, or it may cost a lot more. Work it out with your own buying price, because I cannot quote prices here.

Which one should you stock for your retailers?

It depends on who their customers are.

1. A shop near a private school, or one with a display counter, usually does well with Super Delux. Parents buy a full roll in a box and expect it to look new.
2. A shop that sells mostly on price, or sells covers loose, does better with Delux and with the Standard rolls we sell by the kilo.
3. A shop with both kinds of customers should keep the best sellers in both forms. Most distributors supply all three kinds of shop, which is why I say stock both. Our four best sellers across the range are Student JPPL, Unique, Floura and Clear. Student JPPL and Unique come only boxed, so for those two the box is the only choice.

My own view is that one design in two packs is easier to sell than two different designs. The customer sees the same Classic print in a box and in a pack, and chooses by budget. No long explanation is needed.

Two limits to plan around

I want to be clear about two things before you order, because I would rather you hear them from me now than discover them when the carton arrives.

First, we do not make a boxed roll shorter than 8 m. If your customers want small boxed packs, we cannot help. Delux is our short option.

Second, we pack every Super Delux carton in one colour, except Combo. If you want Student JPPL in orange, blue and pink, that is three cartons. For one small shop that is a lot of one design. This is where a distributor earns its place: buy full cartons from us and split them into the smaller quantities your retailers need.

Storage and display tips to pass on to your retailers

1. Keep boxed rolls in the outer carton until they go on the shelf, so the boxes stay clean.
2. Stand a few boxes upright on the counter, with one roll opened and a sample notebook covered beside it.
3. Keep Delux packs sealed until you sell them. A torn polybag leaves loose rolls that collect dust.
4. Put the price per notebook on a small card next to both. It answers the question before the customer asks it.

Our full packing details are on the sizes and packing page, and the whole range is on the notebook covers page. For a carton plan for your area, send us your enquiry with the designs your retailers sell most. More about who we are is on the Jagannath Polymers website.