What's The Right Carry Bag For My Business?

Retail is truly one of the most complicated businesses to be in. Picture this: you're starting a retail business in your town's main street. Aside from developing your store's unique concept, choosing your merchandise mix, and deciding on how your store's exterior and interiors will look; you're faced with the many options available on how to package the products your customers will purchase.
Do I go paper or plastic? Do I purchase off-the-shelf stock bags or should I order custom made bags with my coloured logo? If I go paper, do I choose white, brown, laminated or plain? If I decide to go the more inexpensive route and choose plastic, do I go for low density or high density polyethylene? Should I opt for a degradable plastic bag with an EPI additive?
So many choices... what is certain though is that your customers must have a way to bring home the merchandise in a practical and convenient manner.
To give you some guidance in this decision process, we've laid out some tips in the form of questions that can help you zero in on the right bag for the job.

1. Who is your target market?

Does your store sell pricey or luxurious items that appeal to a discerning upscale market? Then projecting a classy image should be your priority. For example, you can consider an elegant custom printed laminated paper bag. These bags also give more accurate print reproductions of your colours and print designs. If you tend to have a high volume of transactions with minimal profit margins on your products then plastic bags might be right for you. Just note that cost should never be the sole consideration because your bags don't just carry your merchandise, they carry your store's image as well. You need to know just how important that image is to your target market.

2. Are you trying to build awareness of your new shop?

When it comes to advertising, nothing is more effective than having your brand on bags leaving your store carried by your satisfied customers. If you choose a reusable material such as non-fabric bags, you can be further assured that your customer will keep reusing your bag, giving you longer advertising mileage. Even when using paper bags, you should consider that if the bags aren't strong enough, your advertising mileage ends as soon as the bag tears and your customer throws them into the rubbish bin. Bee Dee Bags' paper bags use a high strength grade of kraft paper and are so durable that they're called the Bags of Steel.

3. Can your bags carry your products?

Your bag supplier can give you an idea of just how much weight a bag can take. Are your products weighty? Then consider a carry bag with soft rope handles which are gentler on the hands. Is humidity or rain a problem in your location? Then you might have to use laminated paper or plastic to protect the bags from the elements. The one thing you don't want to happen is if your customer doesn't even make it home before your bag tears and your product falls out. Aside from the weight of your product, you may have to estimate the typical number and type of products that your customer buys from your shop. Even if your products are small, you may need larger bags if your customers tend to buy several items in one visit. One bag size certainly doesn't fit all so do consider getting multiple sizes. Aside from not being economical, having too large a bag would make your merchandise look like it's "drowning" inside. On the other hand, force fitting a lot of merchandise in a small bag is an obvious no-no and will make you look stingy in the eyes of your customers.

4. What is your competition using?

If your top opposition is using custom-made laminated paper bags, why settle for anything less? What image would you be sending out by your choice of carry bags? If anything, a smarter looking carry bag can give your image a boost over your competitors, so choose wisely. Set yourself apart from your competitors so that your customers can easily differentiate you from the rest.

5. Are your customers concerned about their impact on the environment?

Because they are easily recyclable and biodegradable, paper bags are seen to be better for the environment. You can also opt for degradable plastic bags which have a special additive that decomposes the bag a few months after use. Your customers will feel better about your store and their purchase when you use paper or degradable plastic. Many cities around the world are beginning to phase out conventional plastic carry bags because of their potential to harm wildlife. Don't be left behind by this trend.

Another sensible option is to use reusable non-woven fabric bags. Your customers won't throw away these bags so they don't aggravate the garbage problem and of course they will give you longer brand exposure. One important tip though is that your customers will reuse them more if these non-woven bags are suitable also for grocery shopping. So make sure you get the right size.

6. Are your bags consistent with your store's look and image?

Your bag colours should match your store's over all look. If you use a lot of bright pastel colours in your store, then a black bag may not be the right choice. Don't be limited by just printing out your logo on your bags. One idea is to use a photographic image (e.g. a model wearing your apparel) printed on white kraft paper bags. Just use any of your poster images that you currently use in-store and print these on your bag. The result would be a stunning photographic carry bag that exudes your store's fashion statement.

Don't overlook the options on your carry bag's handle. Adding a soft cloth handle to your laminated paper bag for example adds that bit of class and fashion to your image.

7. What kind of bag can I afford?

This may be a difficult question to answer considering that each business is different in size and profitability. However it might be interesting to note that most marketing experts set aside 3% to 5% of their revenue for marketing expenses. If so, what is a few cents to spend on possibly your most effective advertising medium, your carry bag? Do take the time to plan your custom bag purchase carefully. It takes up to 12 weeks to get your orders delivered so do keep an eye on your stock levels and compare against your average bag usage.

If you truly cannot afford a custom made bag (a minimum order would be 3,000 pieces), or perhaps if you don't have the luxury of time, then ordering stock carry bags may be the only other option. But even when choosing stock bags, you can still choose materials or colours that your competitors aren't using so that you can stand out and hopefully your customers will remember you for that. Bee Dee Bags has a wide range of paper and plastic carry bags in different shapes, sizes and material to choose from.

Choosing your carry bags can be a daunting task and we know it is an important marketing investment for your business. Bee Dee Bags has been supplying quality carry bags for over 35 years so you can trust our expertise in guiding you through that business decision. Call Bee Dee Bags now for the right advice on your packaging needs.