Selecting what shopping bags your business should use may seem like a simple decision, but there are several factors that ought to be taken into account. If you run a retail establishment, here's a guide to selecting shopping bags for your business to use.

Get Appropriately Sized Bags

Start by determining what the size of shopping bags will be needed for the products you sell. Whether it is small, medium, large or oversized bags will depend on how many products your customer's are purchasing and how large those products are.

For example, a cafe that only occasionally sells a non-food item may be able to use small bags that can hold a couple of mugs. A department store where customers frequently purchase several sets of clothes at a time will need much larger bags.

Chances are, your business will need a few different sizes of bags. If this is the case, purchase the most-used sizes in large quantities so you can get quantity discounts. For unusual sizes that are only occasionally needed, buy smaller quantities so you don't have too much capital tied up in unused shopping bags.

Check the Bags' Strength

Next, check the bags' strength. You'll want to make sure they're strong enough to hold your business' products. If they aren't, you'll either need to double bag products -- which increases how much you spend on bags -- or risk having bags break when customers are carrying them. Broken bags lead to damaged products and upset customers.

Most retailers don't have especially heavy products and can use either plastic or paper bags. If your business sells particularly heavy items, however, look for paper shopping bags. They're stronger than plastic bags.

Consider Any Privacy Concerns

Before moving onto branding, consider whether your customers would be embarrassed to be seen with the products your business sells. If there are any privacy concerns related to the products your business carries, make sure the shopping bags you select are opaque so others can't see what customers have purchased.

This isn't an issue for most businesses. For example, people generally don't care if they're seen carrying sweatshirts, food or electronics. Businesses that sell medical products, lingerie or smoking paraphernalia, however, need to keep privacy in mind.

Choose a Color That Matches

With all practical matters taken care of, it's time to turn your attention to selecting shopping bags that complement your overall branding efforts.

Begin this phase of the selection process by picking a color that complements your company's logo and decor. The best option is usually a color that matches your business' current color scheme.

If a match isn't available, a neutral color will work fine. Just try to avoid any colors that clash -- you don't want purple bags if your business uses a lot of red. White or silver would be a better option if red isn't an option.

Upgrade to Custom Printing

To further use shopping bags as a branding tool, have them custom printed with your business' name, logo or both. Custom printing will increase the per-bag price slightly, but the increase is small. Additionally, you won't have to pay a graphic designer to create a new image because you can just resize one of your business' current graphics.

In total, the per-unit increase is a small price to pay for the marketing and advertising that custom printed bags provide. When customers walk around with the bags, others will see your brand name and that someone made a purchase there. Each time the bag is reused is another time people will see your business' brand.

To order shopping bags that will work well for your business, contact us at BagOutlet.