Packing Slip Best Practices for E-commerce
An effective packing slip includes order details, item verification, return instructions, and brand-appropriate design—all optimized for quick fulfillment. Best practices include: listing items with SKU/name/quantity clearly (for packer verification), including return instructions (reduces support tickets), adding personalization where possible (increases loyalty), and maintaining brand consistency (reinforces identity). The goal is a document that helps packers verify orders accurately while creating a positive customer touchpoint. Digital packing slips (QR codes linking to order details) are increasingly common and reduce paper waste while providing richer information.
Every package you ship includes a packing slip—but most stores treat it as an afterthought. A well-designed packing slip does more than list items; it reduces customer service inquiries, encourages repeat purchases, and reinforces your brand at the moment of highest engagement: unboxing.
The packing slip is the last piece of branded communication your customer sees before experiencing your product. It's real estate most stores waste.
This guide covers packing slip best practices that transform a functional document into a customer experience asset while maintaining operational efficiency.
Why Packing Slips Matter
Three Functions of a Packing Slip
| Function | Who Benefits | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Verification | Packer | Confirm correct items included |
| Information | Customer | Order details and return process |
| Marketing | Brand | Touchpoint for engagement |
The Customer Experience Impact
Unboxing is a high-engagement moment:
| Timing | Customer State | Opportunity |
|---|---|---|
| Opening package | Excited, attentive | First impression |
| Viewing packing slip | Information-seeking | Provide value |
| After unboxing | Evaluating purchase | Reinforce decision |
A thoughtful packing slip capitalizes on this attention.
Operational Efficiency
For fulfillment teams:
| Element | Operational Benefit |
|---|---|
| Clear item list | Faster verification |
| Large order number | Easy package matching |
| Checkboxes | Physical confirmation |
| Picking location | Faster picking |
Essential Packing Slip Elements
Must-Have Information
Required elements:
| Element | Purpose | Best Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Order number | Reference for inquiries | Large, prominent |
| Date | Timeline reference | Order date, not ship date |
| Customer name | Personalization, verification | Correct spelling |
| Shipping address | Verification | Match label exactly |
| Item list | Order verification | Name, SKU, quantity |
| Quantities | Accuracy check | Clear numbers |
Recommended Additions
Value-adding elements:
| Element | Benefit | Implementation |
|---|---|---|
| Return instructions | Reduces support tickets | Brief, clear process |
| QR code | Links to digital resources | Order details, returns |
| Social handles | Community building | Icons, not full URLs |
| Reorder info | Repeat purchases | Website, app links |
| Support contact | Issue resolution | Email or phone |
Nice-to-Have Elements
Enhancement options:
| Element | When to Include |
|---|---|
| Personalized message | VIP customers, first orders |
| Coupon code | Retention campaigns |
| Product care instructions | Complex products |
| Cross-sell suggestions | Based on order contents |
| Feedback request | Post-purchase engagement |
Packing Slip Design Principles
Layout Hierarchy
Information priority:
| Priority | Element | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Order number | Reference for everything |
| 2 | Item list | Core verification purpose |
| 3 | Return info | Common customer need |
| 4 | Brand/contact | Secondary but valuable |
Visual Design
Design best practices:
| Principle | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Scan-ability | Clear sections, adequate whitespace |
| Readability | 10-12pt font minimum |
| Brand alignment | Colors, logo, tone |
| Print-friendliness | Works in black & white |
Common design mistakes:
| Mistake | Problem | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Too much text | Overwhelming, unread | Edit ruthlessly |
| Small fonts | Hard to read | 10pt minimum |
| No hierarchy | Everything looks same | Clear sections |
| Cluttered | Chaotic impression | Whitespace |
| Off-brand | Inconsistent experience | Match brand guidelines |
Paper and Printing
Practical considerations:
| Factor | Options | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Paper size | Letter, half-letter, custom | Half-letter reduces waste |
| Paper type | Standard, recycled, branded | Recycled aligns with sustainability |
| Color | Full color, black & white | B&W unless brand requires color |
| Printing | Laser, inkjet, thermal | Thermal for high volume |
Packing Slip Templates
Basic Template
` [LOGO]
ORDER #12345 Date: January 15, 2025
Ship to: John Smith 123 Main Street City, State 12345
ITEMS: □ Widget Pro (WGT-001) - Qty: 1 □ Gadget Basic (GDG-002) - Qty: 2 □ Accessory Pack (ACC-003) - Qty: 1
RETURNS: Visit yourstore.com/returns within 30 days Questions? support@yourstore.com
Thank you for your order! `
Enhanced Template
` [LOGO] ORDER #12345 January 15, 2025
Prepared for: John Smith 123 Main Street, City, State 12345
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
YOUR ITEMS □ Widget Pro × 1 SKU: WGT-001
□ Gadget Basic × 2 SKU: GDG-002
□ Accessory Pack × 1 SKU: ACC-003
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
NEED TO RETURN SOMETHING? Scan this code or visit yourstore.com/returns [QR CODE]
Questions? support@yourstore.com
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Thanks, John! We hope you love your order.
@yourstore | #yourstore `
Warehouse-Optimized Template
` ORDER: 12345 PICK: 2024-01-15 14:32 SHIP TO: John Smith, 123 Main St, City ST 12345
BIN SKU ITEM QTY ✓ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ A-12 WGT-001 Widget Pro 1 □ B-05 GDG-002 Gadget Basic 2 □ C-22 ACC-003 Accessory Pack 1 □
TOTAL ITEMS: 4
BOX: Medium (12×9×6) WEIGHT: 2.3 lbs
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ PACKED BY: __ DATE: __ TIME: __ `
Personalization Strategies
Levels of Personalization
| Level | Example | Effort | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | "Dear Customer" | Low | Low |
| Basic | "Dear John" | Low | Medium |
| Moderate | First name + order context | Medium | Medium-High |
| High | Custom message based on history | High | High |
Personalization Ideas
By customer segment:
| Segment | Personalization |
|---|---|
| First-time buyer | Welcome message, how-to guides |
| Repeat customer | "Welcome back!" + loyalty points |
| VIP/high-value | Handwritten note, exclusive offer |
| Long absence | "We missed you" + incentive |
Automation Opportunities
Scalable personalization:
| Trigger | Automatic Personalization |
|---|---|
| Order number | First order → welcome message |
| Customer history | Repeat → loyalty acknowledgment |
| Product type | Category-specific care instructions |
| Order value | High value → premium treatment |
| Season/holiday | Relevant greeting |
Return Instructions on Packing Slips
Why Return Info Matters
Customer service impact:
| With Return Instructions | Without Return Instructions |
|---|---|
| Customer self-serves | Customer contacts support |
| 2 minutes to initiate | 15+ minutes to resolve |
| Positive experience | Frustration |
| 10% of returns need help | 40% of returns need help |
What to Include
Essential return information:
| Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Return window | "30 days from delivery" |
| Process | "Visit yourstore.com/returns" |
| Condition requirements | "Unworn, tags attached" |
| Refund timing | "5-7 business days after receipt" |
Return Slip Integration
Options for return labels:
| Approach | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-printed return label | Easiest for customer | Cost if unused |
| QR code for label | No waste, tracks usage | Requires printer |
| Instructions only | Lowest cost | More friction |
| Digital return portal | Best tracking | Requires tech |
Digital Packing Slips
QR Code Integration
What QR codes can link to:
| Destination | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Order details page | Full information, tracking |
| Return initiation | Streamlined process |
| Product registration | Warranty, updates |
| Feedback form | Review solicitation |
| Reorder page | Repeat purchase ease |
Paperless Options
Going fully digital:
| Approach | Implementation |
|---|---|
| Email-only packing slip | Order confirmation serves as slip |
| In-box card with QR | Minimal paper, full info via scan |
| App notification | Push notification with order details |
Trade-offs:
| Method | Sustainability | Customer Experience | Operational |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper slip | Lower | Higher | Standard |
| QR-based | Higher | Medium | Standard |
| Fully digital | Highest | Lower (no physical) | Simpler |
Packing Slips for Different Order Types
Single-Item Orders
Simplified approach:
| Element | Inclusion |
|---|---|
| Order number | Yes |
| Customer name | Yes |
| Item details | Yes (can be prominent) |
| Return info | Yes |
| Marketing | Optional (more space available) |
Multi-Item Orders
Clarity focus:
| Element | Best Practice |
|---|---|
| Item list | Clear checkbox format |
| Quantities | Large, unambiguous |
| Subtotals | Item count visible |
| Section breaks | Visual separation |
Subscription Orders
Subscription-specific elements:
| Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Subscription ID | Reference for changes |
| Next shipment date | Set expectations |
| Manage subscription link | Self-service |
| Variation info | What's different this time |
Gift Orders
Gift-appropriate modifications:
| Standard Element | Gift Modification |
|---|---|
| Price shown | Remove prices |
| Customer name | Show recipient name |
| Generic message | Include gift message |
| Return info | Recipient-focused return process |
Operational Integration
Fulfillment Workflow
Packing slip in the process:
| Step | Packing Slip Role |
|---|---|
| Order received | Slip generated, queued |
| Pick list created | Slip may include pick locations |
| Items picked | Used for verification |
| Items packed | Physical confirmation |
| Package sealed | Slip included or attached |
Software Integration
Systems that generate packing slips:
| System Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| E-commerce platform | Shopify, WooCommerce |
| Shipping software | ShipStation, Shippo |
| OMS/WMS | Custom solutions |
| ERP | NetSuite, SAP |
Printing Efficiency
High-volume considerations:
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|---|
| Printer speed | Thermal printers for high volume |
| Paper cost | Half-page or thermal roll |
| Matching to packages | Batch by similar orders |
| Error recovery | Reprint capability |
Measuring Packing Slip Effectiveness
Metrics to Track
| Metric | What It Indicates |
|---|---|
| Support tickets about returns | Return info clarity |
| Packing errors | Verification effectiveness |
| QR code scans | Digital engagement |
| Coupon redemption | Marketing effectiveness |
| Feedback response rate | Customer engagement |
A/B Testing Packing Slips
What to test:
| Element | Test Variations |
|---|---|
| Message tone | Formal vs casual |
| Coupon inclusion | With vs without |
| QR code placement | Top vs bottom |
| Return info format | Text vs QR |
| Personalization level | Name only vs custom message |
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Missing Return Information
Problem: Customers contact support for return process
Solution: Include clear, complete return instructions on every slip
Mistake 2: Prices on Gift Orders
Problem: Gift recipient sees what giver paid
Solution: Automatically suppress prices on gift-flagged orders
Mistake 3: Cluttered Design
Problem: Key information hard to find
Solution: Prioritize hierarchy, use whitespace, edit content
Mistake 4: Inconsistent Branding
Problem: Packing slip doesn't match brand experience
Solution: Apply brand guidelines to all customer touchpoints
Mistake 5: No Verification System
Problem: Packers can't confirm order accuracy
Solution: Add checkboxes or other confirmation mechanism
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I include prices on packing slips?
For non-gift orders, including prices can help customers verify their order. For gift orders, always suppress prices. Some stores omit prices entirely to simplify.
How do I handle partial shipments?
Clearly indicate "Shipment 1 of 2" and list only items included in this shipment. Reference remaining items with expected ship date.
Should I include promotional materials with the packing slip?
Yes, but thoughtfully. A relevant offer or brand message adds value. Multiple inserts or aggressive marketing can feel spammy.
What's the best paper size for packing slips?
Half-letter (5.5" x 8.5") works well for most orders—large enough to be readable, small enough to reduce waste.
How do I personalize packing slips at scale?
Use your e-commerce platform or shipping software's template variables. Most support automatic insertion of customer name, order number, and other data.
Sources & References
- [1]E-commerce Fulfillment Best Practices - ShipBob (2024)
- [2]Customer Experience Research - Shopify (2024)
- [3]Order Fulfillment Guide - ShipStation (2024)
Attribute Team
The Attribute team combines decades of e-commerce experience, having helped scale stores to $20M+ in revenue. We build the Shopify apps we wish we had as merchants.