With many consumers wanting to avoid plastic bags due to the environmental hazards they pose, retailers are choosing to offer alternatives made from more eco friendly and reusable materials (such as calico, PET and paper). Encouraging consumers to reuse these promotional bags instead of throwing them away can be quite a challenge, so check out our ideas in the list below:
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- Include helpful reminders for consumers to bring branded bags back in store the next time they shop. Ensure that they can be folded up small and kept in a handbag or remind shoppers to keep them in their cars so that they’re never caught without one.
- Charge consumers a small fee for the bag. When people have paid money for something, they’re more likely to hang onto it and reuse it because it has perceived value. If you just hand them out willy-nilly, consumers are likely to just throw them away when no longer needed.
- Offer an incentive, which can be in the form of a small discount or even a giveaway for bringing in a reusable promotional bag. If consumers know that they’re going to receive 5% off their purchase or a small bag of candy when they bring one in, they’re likely to do so.
- Ensure that consumers can put the bags to other uses besides bringing them back for subsequent shopping trips. If they can be secured with a zipper or tie, they could also be used when hitting the gym, going to the library, or even when travelling.
- Educate consumes about the importance of using environmentally friendly branded bags instead of plastic ones. Every community is a little different in their approach for disposing of plastic waste, so ensure that you know how your local council deals with it.
- Make the bags easy to clean, as the moment they get a little dirty or something is spilt in them the consumer is going to throw it away. Can they be wiped down with a damp cloth or even thrown into the washing machine to ensure that they remain clean?
