22 April, 2022
Use Promotional Shopping Bags To Your Advantage
Promotional shopping bags have become a great way for many companies and cause to promote themselves and it is easy to see why. There has been a big push in Australia and many other nations to rid themselves of single-use plastic bags. This means supermarkets no longer have bags at the check-out, so people are having to use their own bags. This creates a great opportunity for businesses. You know, that if you give out a shopping bag as a free item, people are going to keep it and they are going to use it on a weekly basis. I know I have 4-5 shopping bags at any given time in the back of my car. Each time I open the boot I see them and if there is branding on them, whether I want to or not, I am reminded of that company.
The ideal promotional bag, or for that matter, any promotional item, is one that is used repeatedly and is constantly in view. Shopping bags do all of this. They will be used many times in their life cycle, so it is important if you are using them to not scrimp and buy the cheapest bag out there. If you do that, it will probably fall apart after 4-5 shops and get thrown away. Purchase something robust that will be used over and over again. Below are some handy tips for you before you purchase some for your next promotion.
1. Does it have a Gusset?: For those that don’t know, the gusset is the base area of the bag between the two sides being stitched. A bag with no gusset means both sides are stitched together at the base. Why is a gusset important? When the two sides are stitched directly together, anything at the base of the bag gets squashed as more products are added on top. If you have a gusset, the product can be put side by side in the bag and not get crushed. It’s an important element because you want people to choose your bag over others.
2. Is it strong material?: When it comes to shopping bags, people want to feel secure that their groceries are not going to split the bag and everything fall out. Make sure your bag is robust. The best you can buy is jute material. It is the hardest wearing and will never break down on you. Lighter materials such as nylon, polyester or calico material might tear or get a split in them. Again, you are wanting people to reuse your bag over and over, so get something that will last.
3. Long Handle Versus Short Handle: This one is an open debate, but for grocery shopping, we feel shirt handle bags are better. The long handle is good for the lightweight product to sling over your shoulder, but when it comes to heavy grocery bags you want to be able to have your hands down by your sides when carrying the bags, so our strong suggestion is to buy shopping bags with short handles rather than long handles.
4. Branding Area: These bags will become walking billboards advertising your company every time a person uses one to go shopping, so make sure the bag you choose has a large print area. If you can afford it, the preference is to print both sides of the bag. That way it doesn’t matter what side people are passing, they will all see your logo printed on the side. This also works well for anyone promoting a cause. People like to help out, so if you have clear branding about your charity, it may prompt some people to make a donation.
Let’s face it – plastic bags are doomed. Reusable and preferably recyclable shopping bags are the way of the future, so use this to your advantage for your next promotion.
The Promotional Bags Team