Published: 26th Sep 2024
As food and drinks retailers, you’ll know that brand visibility is a crucial contributor to your sales (and ultimately success) during the festive season. However, with budgets stretched to their limits, it can be difficult to find effective ways to stay ahead of the competition.
Our experience as long-time suppliers of packaging, gifting and retail display merchandise has given us valuable insight into navigating the options and capitalising on simple, inexpensive personalisaton solutions that are guaranteed to up the ante.
Join the WBC team as we unpack the power of well-placed festive branding and why we believe fabric bags are a clever way to go.
Why brand visibility matters - especially during the festive season
With shopping at its peak, the buildup towards Christmas presents a unique opportunity for retailers to increase brand recognition and, in turn, their market share. So having a well-conceived plan in place to optimise your visibility through personalised merchandise is crucial. Here’s why:
Leveraging innovative designs that show off your offerings within the seasonal context will distinguish you from your competitors.
It pins you as a sensitive, customer-centric business, fostering loyalty and trust.
Showing some Christmas spirit encourages an emotional connection, increasing buy-in and feelings of goodwill.
It shapes consumer behaviour, creating a sense of urgency which boosts impulse buying and drives sales.
If this becomes part of your long-term plan, your seasonal merchandise will spark continued interest year after year.
It gives you the opportunity to test new concepts in limited quantities so that you can decide if they are something you would like to expand on in the new year.
How fabric bags provide an effective, sustainable branding solution
At WBC, one of our most sought-after commodities is our range of high-quality fabric bags – and for good reason. These are some of their outstanding advantages:
They build awareness
Because reusable shopping bags are carried around in public spaces, your brand will get great exposure in an almost limitless number of locations, including abroad.
Their ample surface area can be customised to include your logo, contact details, image and seasonal messaging, giving you excellent scope for effective content.
They offer longevity
Durable and hard-wearing, high-quality versions will last for years, maximising your marketing exposure without the need for additional investment.
They provide good use
Whether you’re interested in shopping bags, market bags, tote bags or beer and wine bags, they come in many forms, ensuring that your customer’s needs are met.
And, at a time of year when consumers pound the pavements jostling for seasonal fare, reusable shopping bags are a sought-after commodity, providing an easier shopping experience and encouraging extra spending.
They are cost effective
Compared to other marketing tools, wholesale tote bags are a fairly cheap option, especially if you print them in bulk. With an excellent return on investment, they are a smart choice for any budget.
They are sustainable
Whether you want a responsibly sourced cotton tote bag, or something made from jute, you’ll be able to focus on maintaining an eco-friendly approach. This, in turn, will elevate your brand image and align you with like-minded consumers.
They also contribute to minimising plastic waste, providing a reusable option that can be recycled in time.
They can be fully customised
One of their key advantages, fabric bags can be customised to suit your needs, giving you the perfect platform to get your message (and brand) seen.
From selecting the material to creating a personalised design, you’ll be able to create an edgy marketing tool that will make you stand out from the crowd.
Things to consider when personalising a Christmas tote bag
At WBC, we offer a fantastic range of fabric bags in a wide variety of shapes, materials and sizes to accommodate your needs. Here are some useful pointers to help you along:
Find a bag that matches its purpose
Think about what your customers will be using it for and find one that optimises their experience.
For example, if you have a farm store or trade at a market, shoppers will need a strong canvas bag with plenty of space. Or, if you’ll be using it for wine and Champagne hampers, choose one of our fabulous jute bottle bags which come with removable dividers and house up to six of your best sellers.
Consider your design
Think of a context that attracts attention, gets your seasonal message across, enhances your brand identity and gives your business great visibility. Here’s how:
Tell your audience what you’re about and make full use of the available surface space. You will also need to decide whether you want to print it on both sides or just one. This will affect your budget, so ask about the various costs ahead of time.
Decide what colour spectrum you’ll be using, how your design will fit in with your existing marketing strategy and what type of imagery and text you want.
Include your web address and any other contact details you feel are important.
Our experienced design team will then turn your vision into reality and send a mockup to you for final approval before printing commences.
Select your printing technique
You can choose from three excellent printing techniques that will help your jute, cotton, juco or denim bag stand out from the crowd:
Screen printing: Vibrant and full of depth, this is our most cost-effective offering and uses hand-mixed, AZO-free inks to complete the process.
Transfer: This heat-based method is ideal if you’re looking to accurately replicate detailed photographic images.
Digital: Our most expensive offering, this provides a higher resolution than the others and allows for subtle enhancements, complex designs, graduated tints and multiple colour choices.
Get your fabric bags personalised in time for Christmas at WBC
Once you’ve decided on the right bag and your image, the WBC team will have them printed within seven to ten days. However, the closer we get to the festive season, the busier we are, so make sure you order them in good time!
You can also buy one of our own pre-made Christmas designs if you don’t want to invest in a personalised item.
Visit our personalisation page and let’s get creative with your fun fabric bag ideas!
Christmas purchase deadlines:
Standard orders
Last day: 19th December 2024
Branded orders
Digital transfer: 4th December 2024
Printed packaging tape: 4th December 2024
Express printed bags: 11th December 2024
Screen print: 11th December 2024