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You’ve spent hours securing loans, meeting with potential vendors, choosing the right products, talking with different designers about your branding, designing your logo, hiring the right employees, and scouring Pinterest and Instagram late into the night.

You’re confident.

Your new boutique is going to blow the competition out of the water.

But…you’re a little worried, too. What if you forgot something?

Are you in the final stages before you open the doors to your new business? Or, do you think your brand is in need of a marketing facelift? Take a moment and consider this: buying customized shopping bags for your store is a must for any savvy business owner. We’ve got 7 reasons why…

Why Customized Shopping Bags Are a Must Have

1. They Help You Build Your Brand

Branding doesn’t begin and end with just a logo and a festive awning sign on your storefront. Why spend all that time, not to mention money, creating a branding strategy if you’re not going to consider all the details and potential? You already know that consistency is key—you have the same profile picture on every social media platform—so why not extend this thought to your shopping bags? Using your brand colors, stickers, or custom shopping bags with logo prints can make your packaging fun and recognizable. Besides, don’t your customers deserve more? We know you’re proud of your business and brand, don’t let your packaging misrepresent that.

2. They’re (Almost) Free Advertising

Whether a customer is shopping for a gift, or they reuse your bag for their lunch a few days later, branded packaging is a win-win. From a branding perspective, the more that people see your brand, the more likely they are to remember you. Good packaging with on point branding strategies (have you ever thought about printing your social media account handles on your bags?) can encourage not-yet customers get to, and through, the doors of your store. You’d be surprised just how far cute and careful packaging can take you, and remember: how you wrap up customers’ purchases is often interpreted as an indication of how much you care about your brand.

3. They Show Customers You’re Willing to Go the Extra Mile

Customized bags aren’t just a fabulous marketing and branding opportunity. Sometimes, it’s the simple things that stand out to customers. Remember, behind every purchase, there’s a story. Maybe someone is looking for a cute top to wear on a first date. Maybe they’ve been saving for months to buy a necklace they’ve had their eye on. Or maybe they need kitchen supplies to make a special meal for a sick friend. Show you’re tapped into their narratives—let them know that you treat packaging as a part of the shopping experience. Show them you care about them. After all, they are choosing to shop with you. Don’t you want them to know you are willing to go the extra mile for them as well?

4. They Can Double as Gift Wrap

Nobody gets it more than we do…after all, we’ve grown Mid-Atlantic Packaging from the ground up. We started as a home-based business more than 35 years, so we know you wear many different hats as a business owner: buyer, stocker, accountant, cashier, therapist to that one customer who comes in once a week—you name it, it’s probably a role you’ve been in. We understand how valuable your time is—and we also know that taking too long at the register with one single customer means you’re risking losing sales with others. Be sure you’re ready to easily and quickly wrap purchases for your customers, especially during the busy holiday season, so you can focus your time where it most matters. Your customers will appreciate if you use custom shopping bags that are so gorgeous they double as gift wrap for purchases! And you can always spruce it up by adding a fun accessory or ribbon to match the season.

5. They Can Directly Target Your Market

Your boutique or shop isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” store: so don’t settle for “one-size-fits-all” packaging. You know what colors, details, fonts, and even tissue paper will make your ideal customer’s eyes sparkle, so why not design custom shopping bags with your customer in mind? Nobody is going to notice dull, lifeless packaging from across a crowded room. But with eye-catching packaging, your brand will sell itself. So your target customer can find you without having to spend hours wading through Yelp.

6. They Say “I Value My Products/Brand”

You’ve worked hard to stock your store with the top brands and products, and you’ve crunched the numbers to figure out how to remain competitive with your competition. But branding with a custom shopping bag also sends a message that you care about the products your clients are leaving your store with. They also show that you consider packaging a part of the retail experience. Trust us, customers will notice, especially when your competitor is sending shoppers out the door with “Thank You” printed plastic bags.

7. They Make Your Brand More Social-Worthy

You’ve probably seen the “Unboxing and Unwrapping” and “haul” videos that have been dominating YouTube and other social media platforms lately. As odd as they may seem, they’re a reality of our times. People are more social than ever. It used to be a simple Google search result or testimonial on your site could make or break a consumer’s purchase decision. Now, it’s more likely to be a post on Instagram or Snapchat. You never know: the customer whose shoes you just boxed up? She might have 100,000 followers or subscribers. You don’t want your packaging to be the target of a bad hashtag or negative tweet. Just like branding your shopping bags, social media hashtags and uploads from your shoppers are free advertising. Don’t underestimate the power of a social influencer. Give them something that is share-worthy…in a good way!

Do you have a vision for what you’d like your packaging to look like, or are you completely lost? Either way, Mid-Atlantic Packaging is here to help.