Case study: Bright.Blue timber crates provide a premium customer experience

Bright.Blue is a UK-based technology firm specialising in “connected retail” solutions that modernise traditional vending and physical commerce. The company provides a cloud-managed platform that integrates high-impact digital displays, seamless user interfaces, and advanced payment systems into retail environments.

Their hardware (which businesses can hire for short-term events and promotions or deploy through longer-term partnership models) and software enable brands to deliver interactive product discovery and frictionless multi-item checkouts, effectively bridging the gap between the intuitive nature of online shopping and the physical immediacy of brick-and-mortar retail.

Beyond simple transaction processing, the platform offers a suite of sophisticated backend tools designed for compliance and business intelligence. These include AI-assisted age verification and digital ID scanning where age-restricted products are involved, advanced telemetry for inventory management, and real-time analytics to track consumer behaviour.

By enabling features such as virtual product slots and smart basket support, Bright.Blue helps retailers extend their reach and optimise pricing and placement strategies with data-driven insights.

The immediate challenge Bright.Blue faced was ensuring the safe shipment of its connected retail machines to customers. This transit protection was of growing importance, particularly where they provided a “hire” service for events, product launches and shows, with the unit only on site for a short period of time.

The business was using generic foam corners, corrugated cardboard and a significant amount of bubble wrap to package the units, which were large, heavy, featured delicate components (including several large screens) and were of significant value (as much as £20k each).

Whilst this solution mostly provided the required protection, there were several issues.

Challenges included the packing and unpacking process being fairly slow and labour-intensive, particularly if a machine in storage only required a software update. When attempting to store packing materials on site (e.g., at an event), they found that the bubble wrap and cardboard were often disposed of in error, requiring them to source more. The amount of single-use plastic was also a sustainability concern.

Crucially, the packaging failed to reflect the brand’s premium positioning and market reputation. This final point was vital to the business, particularly when unboxing equipment on-site at events or product launches (which were frequently for large, premium, multinational brands).

After Bright.Blue found GWP through an online search, our team quickly determined that the project would best align with our parent company, Macfarlane Packaging.

Macfarlane Westbury Technical Sales Executive, Sandy Beard, arranged a visit to Bright.Blue’s UK headquarters in Milton Keynes within days of the initial contact, meeting with key stakeholders to discuss the challenges they faced and the outcomes they sought.

Working closely with Bright.Blue, Macfarlane designers Kalon Rumens and Paul Bynoth developed a large timber crate with a foam lining that would provide the required protection for the interactive retail technology.

However, there were two crucial differences to the standard crates used for products of this size.

Firstly, the unit was designed to be assembled and disassembled quickly, thanks to clips (many cases use screws to fasten the panels together). The aim was not only to minimise assembly times but also to improve reusability.

Secondly, the crates were sprayed blue and featured stencilled branding to give the packaging a unique, premium feel, reflecting Bright.Blue’s brand and market positioning. Marine-grade paint was used to ensure further longevity and durability, and to maintain the high-quality appearance over multiple trips.

The packaging manufactured for Bright.Blue provided them with several tangible benefits.

Firstly, the new design and use of clips for assembly have minimised packing times by as much as 80%, dropping from around 30 minutes with bubble wrap to just 5 minutes with the timber crates and foam.

Eliminating bubble wrap has also dramatically improved Bright.Blues’ sustainability, removing a significant volume of single-use bubble wrap and cardboard from Bright.Blue’s event logistics. The reusability of the packs, lasting well over 10 trips before requiring refurbishment or replacement, further strengthens Bright.Blue’s environmental credentials.

The new design has also ensured that, at the time of writing, Bright.Blue have reported no damage to any of the company’s products during transit. This point is particularly crucial, not only because of the value of the equipment (circa £20k), but also to avoid the hire units being unavailable to clients.

Finally – and most significantly – the painted and branded crates have become an important part of the premium experience that Bright.Blue provides to its customers. The crates are eye-catching, reflect the business’s branding, and even provide an unboxing experience when taken to trade shows or similar events.

Dan Barnes, Chief Operating Officer at Bright.Blue, commented:

Within a couple of days of contacting GWP, we had already had initial meetings, an on-site visit, and several ideas for packaging our units. The timber crates combined with foam we received have exceeded our expectations, being much easier to use, quicker to pack and unpack, and reusable across many trips. We’re delighted with the service and packaging we have received.

Tim Pedro, Director of Sales and Innovation, added:

The experience we offer customers is central to our business. These cases look fantastic and feel completely aligned with the Bright.Blue brand. They give us a much more premium on-site unboxing experience, while also making the operational side faster, cleaner and more reliable. For us, that combination has made the project a real success.

Whilst the functionality and protection provided by industrial transit packaging are, of course, vital, in many sectors the appearance and opening experience are rarely even considered. But for Bright.Blue, working with large multinational consumer businesses and offering a premium, unique proposition, the aesthetics and unpacking process were vital. The approach and design expertise of GWP and Macfarlane Packaging were fundamental to delivering this.

If you’d like to discuss how you could improve the performance, appearance or customer experience of any packaging your business uses, please get in touch with our team today.