If you own a retail clothing shop, then you may sell casual clothing and eveningwear, especially during prom season. Whether this will be your first season selling prom attire or you have sold it for years, there are always ways to improve the satisfaction of your prom customers so that they will refer future prom-goers to your store.

One way to increase customer satisfaction when selling any type of eveningwear is to ensure you send every customer home with their new purchase in a quality garment bag. 

Read on to learn two steps to choosing the right garment bags for the prom attire you sell. 

1. Consider Your Garment Bag Material Options

When glancing at your garment bag options, you will notice they are available in a wide variety of materials. Two popular garment bag material options are vinyl and non-woven fabric bags. Each bag material has its unique advantages. 

Vinyl garment bags are: 

• Waterproof. When you send a customer off with their dress or tuxedo in a vinyl garment bag, you won't have to worry about water damage occurring, even if it is raining outside. 
• Economical. Placing each dress and tuxedo you sell in a vinyl garment bag will increase customer satisfaction without increasing your overhead costs. 
• Printable. You can have your store logo printed on vinyl garment bags for brand recognition. 
• Available in several colors. You can choose clear, black, gray, or white vinyl garment bags, along with other colors. 

Vinyl garment bags are very popular in the retail clothing industry because they protect eveningwear and other clothing from wrinkling. These bags also protect clothing from harsh outdoor elements.

In contrast, non-woven fabric bags are: 

• Breathable. These bags let clothing "breathe" since air can enter the bag through the pores of the fabric. This keeps the fabric in better condition when the clothing is not immediately taken out of the bag. 
• Water-resistant. While these bags are breathable, they still protect eveningwear from water damage. 
• Durable. This fabric is very durable during travel. 
• Printable. Your logo and store name can also be printed on these bags. 
• Available in a wide variety of colors. Along with traditional white, black, gray, and clear, these bags are also available in bright fuchsia, turquoise, and purple, along with other colors. 

Since non-woven fabric bags are breathable, they can be used for long-term storage of dresses and tuxedos as well as short-term protection from wrinkling and the outdoor elements. 

2. Choose the Right Garment Bag Length and Style

Garment bags also come in a variety of styles and your main decision will be the length of your bags. To determine the bag length you need for a particular suit style, hang the largest suit (or tuxedo) you sell and then measure from top to bottom. Choose a suit bag length that is just slightly longer than this measurement to prevent wrinkling of the bottom of the suit. 

Of course, you can instead opt to measure each garment and purchase a variety of bag lengths to accommodate each size perfectly. 

When looking at your formal dress bag options, you will have not only length options but also style options. If you sell dresses with full skirts, then you will need garment bags equipped with gusset bottoms and sides. There are A-line garment bags to accommodate A-line dresses, and standard garment bags to accommodate formal dresses with slim skirts. 

You may have to mix-and-match formal dress garment bag styles to accommodate all of the prom dresses you sell. Just like when choosing garment bags for tuxedos, ensure the bags you choose are slightly longer than your dresses to fully protect them from the environment and wrinkling.

To learn more about  garment bags, or to purchase some today, contact the BagOutlet at 800-663-0255 for all of your garment bag needs.