Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Cost or Investment

There is a lot of consciousness around the issue of plastic bags and their environmental impact.

Despite that, the move towards reusable bags is largely led by individuals in their own quest to do small things in their daily life that make a difference. The next step is for businesses to raise this awareness even further with their packaging options.

Many retailers and other businesses ask Bag People what to offer their customers as a plastic bag alternative.

Given the range of bag styles and range of price, there is always something that will meet our customers' needs. One of the obvious "barriers" is the reusable bags cost more than plastic bags.

Part of the process for our customers in choosing a bag, is working out how the bags will be offered. They often ask :
* "Should we sell them for a profit or at least cover costs?"
* "Can we offer them free as an incentive to purchase up to a certain amount in store?"
* "Should we just give them away? The cost of this will surely be outweighed by the marketing opportunity when our customers carry our bag about."

The answer is any or all of the above. We have seen all of these options work well for our customers. Yes, eco-friendly bags are more expensive than single-use plastic bags, however, the opportunity to engage with customers at a new level is truly exciting.

Ask Bag People for more details.


Monday, November 20, 2017

What about GREEN?

Following on from our last post, have you been thinking about it?

Check out Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwashing) on the subject.

They basically say that Greenwashing is a deceptive marketing activity used to promote the perception that a product or service aims to be environmentally friendly.

They also make the observation that greenwashing can be spotted by making the comparison on spending.  Whereby more money is spent on advertising being "green" than is actually spent on environmentally sound practices.

Many suppliers of reusable bags will make all kinds of references to all the certifications and standards.

Your challenge is to test them.  Ask the question.

Their ACTUAL certification credentials are a matter of public record.  Ask the question.

They should be produced within minutes of making a request.  Ask the question.

If someone is making a statement or promise of something.  You owe it to yourself to ASK THE QUESTION.



Saturday, November 11, 2017

Look Behind the Terminology

In every day life there are terms and phrases being used which label something we won't like with far more palatable language.

Temporary wages refund surplus adjustment  =  Tax Increase
Reversed Child Care Fee Reduction Plan  =  Child Care Fee Increase

Then there's simple ones like Light (Lite) and Green.

What is Light (Lite)?  Ask around and you might be surprised to know in some cases it refers to the colour of the product or even the actual weight.

The connotation is that (when food related) it refers to the dietary composition of the product.

In a recent personal study (meaning I did it myself) when comparing 2 brands of cheese from the same producer.  One was shown without any reference to diet or nutrition and the other was shown as Lite.

When looking at the nutritional values of each, the RDI and percentages were identical.

THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THE PRODUCT WEIGHT.

The product without any references was 500g.

The LITE product was 475g.

What do you think of when you see something promoted as being "Green"?

Think - Ask - Act.