Many grocery stores offer consumers reusable shopping bags these days at .99 a pop, on average, and some retailers have even given them away to do their part to cut down on plastic bag waste.
Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, estimates using just one reusable bag might replace anywhere from 300 to 700 plastic bags per annum, according to The Washington Post. That represents a lot of plastic, a lot of waste and a lot less debris going into the environment.
In order to spur consumers to tote their own reusable bags when food shopping; some communities, Washington, DC among them, have added a nickel tax on disposable bags. So, those consumers who are less environmentally-conscious have likewise begun to use reusable bags—like it or not—to avoid paying the tax. Nothing new here.
Except this: a recent Washington Post article: “Nickel tax on disposable bags prompts people to turn to reusable bags” offered this interesting tidbit: “Local shoppers are assembling a wardrobe of bags that are functional, fashionable or both.”
Reusable bags as a fashion statement? Who knew? As the Post astutely points out: “…the reusable bag is becoming part of popular culture, thanks to a stable of companies that have been churning out hip models.”
This got the designer in me as well as the marketer in me thinking. How can reusable bags be taken from the ranks of the mundane to icons of taste while encouraging commitment to environmental responsibility? It seems to me smart retailers of every stripe—not just grocery chains—have a real opportunity to design such cool bags consumers will keep them in their cars and use them for anything and everything.
That means they’ll be adding to their bag collections, of course. What a great way to market a business. Think about it. Who cares that plastic and paper bags have store imprints on them? Even if they are used once more, they eventually get thrown away, and let’s remember: they hardly look cool. So when stores offer reusable bags, should they look as tired as “paper or plastic?”
One gift shop owner who sells reusable bags in Chevy Chase, Maryland was quoted in the article as saying: “People want fun bags. They are getting tired of the generic printed bags that grocery stores are giving out or selling. Bags are really a fashion statement.” She stated that her Bohemian burlap bags from England with slogan “Take an old bag shopping,” and selling for a whopping $10 each is one of her top sellers!
So how about it?
Questions:
- What would you do to take the “basic” factor out of reusable bags and put the “wow” factor in instead?
- Do you think reusable bags need to have a store logo emblazoned on them to market the retailer’s establishment and a commitment to the environment? Or do you think a distinctive design would create buzz and drive traffic to the retailer?
- If reusable bag designs do create buzz and traffic for specific retailers, do you think it will necessarily translate to more sales in their stores? Or do you think consumers will likely just purchase the cool bags?
- What kinds of retailers, other than grocery stores, might benefit from selling reusable bags and encouraging consumers to use them in their outlets?
- What can retailers do, if anything, to encourage multiple uses for their reusable bags?
I’d love to hear from you.
Ted, from what I have seen Trader Joes at least tries to add some design to reusable bags. In fact, many of the bags for sale take advantage of their surfing, “hang ten” theme.
I would suggest that if these bags are subsidized by the retailer it’s OK to keep their logo prominent on the bag. If not, it should be minimized or removed altogether.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for adding your insights to my post. I personally think consumers are more likely to keep using reusable bags if they’re fun to tote along with them. Otherwise, they’re apt to leave them at home. I’m aware that many retailers do help subsidize the cost of these reusables, but I still wonder whether it might be smarter for them to leave their logos off the bags, regardless? Thoughts on this, anyone?
What an interesting post! We are an e-tail site – http://www.gettington.com. We launched Goodie Bag(SM) with a free environmentally-friendly shopping bag that we hope our customers are using for their everyday tasks like grocery shopping. Goodie Bag is a fun feature on the site. When you create your account at Gettington, you receive a virtual Goodie Bag. Every week we add something fun to your Goodie Bag. It may be a special offer or first chance at limited inventory or a free goodie – like the Gettington Bag.
However, what makes the Gettington bag extra-special is not that it is environmentally-friendly or that it has our logo on it. It is the social story behind the bag. Our Gettington bag is made by Freeset. This organization allows women in India to change their lives from being forced into sex trade to one of diginity and productivity by making these bags. By offering the Gettington Bag as our first free Goodie, we were able to part of the Freeset story and help these women and humanity. We are very happy with work with Freeset (www.freesetglobal.com) and you will continue to see Gettington bags as periodic goodie. We also encourage any of our Gettington bag holders to post a picture of theirself and their Gettington bag on Facebook.
You can visit our blog to see the Gettington bag. And yes, it is branded.
http://blog.gettington.com/blog/the-gettington-blog/0/0/get-your-goodie-bagsm
Live Great
Paula Drum
General Manager, Gettington.com
I have long been a fan of reusable bags. Much to the embarrassment of my middle-school aged kids, I tote them everywhere from the grocery store to the department store. Maybe if they had a different design , my kids would think it was cool to save the environment and reduce plastic. As of right now, my grocery-store-issued reusable bags (a free gift, I think) will just have to do the job.
Hi Paula,
Good for you! You’ve got a great story to tell and I hope you’re using various social media platforms to get the word out about your Gettington bag. I wish you the best because your idea has great merit on numerous levels. Entrepreneurs like you generate much positive value in our economy. Thanks for sharing your story with us, Paula.
Hi Karen,
You’ve raised a good point about teaching our children our values. I’d like to suggest this: cool bag designs would encourage our kids to tote reusable bags with them. No doubt about it. But whether reusables are cool or plain jane, your example speaks volumes, Karen. I suspect your kids will learn all about conservation and adopt your practices as they grow up because you care about the environment. Parents are kids’ first and best teachers. Thanks for sharing your observation on this issue; you’ve made us all think.
[...] Mininni, columnist for marketing resource blog MarketingProfs, wasn’t startled by most peoples’ reasons to take up the mantle of reusable bags when [...]
This is a great post. It takes very little effort to buy a few reusable bags and toss them in your car or purse. Considering the plastic waste we produce with trips to the farmer’s market, store, and so forth it is 150% worth that effort. Add to this the fact that there are tons of “fashionable” options available. I went looking for companies that made reusable bags specifically becuase I was so turned off by all the grocery store branding. Here is the list I came up with: http:http://gochicorgohome.com/awesome/reusable-totes-must-have-bag-season.
Nae’s Earth and Use It Again Sam bags are eco-friendly reusable bags geared toward fashion conscious people. They’re really easy to remember because they’re so light and compact. Also they’re washable and you really should wash your bags at least once a week if you use them for groceries, clothes shopping, and general shlepping like I do. The designer was sick with CFS for 20 years and it’s a great testimony to survival!