You may think bags and boxes don't make a difference with customers. Well, you only have one chance to make a good first impression, but have you ever thought about your last one? Retail bags and boxes can make all the difference in the image you leave with your customers. And if your bag breaks on the way out of the store, customers may think "cheap bags, cheap company."

If you provide shoppers with a sturdy, attractive shopping bag and pack each purchase with care, you'll add to a positive image for your company. Customers may use your bag again, increasing the odds that potential customers will spot your name around town or at least around the mall.

Here are some ways for making the most of retail bags and boxes.

1. Spend more on sturdy retail bags that eco-conscious consumers will want to re-use.

2. Make your choices of wholesale retail bags consistent with your image. If you're an upscale retailer, customers expect an attractive bag as a bit of a status symbol.

3. Ensure your bag conveys the important information: name, location, website and phone number.

Action Steps for Choosing the Right Shopping Bags and Boxes
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Consider offering recycled bags and boxes

You may want to think about the mark your company is leaving on the environment by way of your packaging choices. As a business owner, you can choose the cheapest quality retail bags and boxes possible, or opt for recycled or even biodegradable bags.

I recommend: Nashville Wraps provides an option for eco-friendly recycled paper shopping bags. Ecoproducts makes biodegradable bags for retail that are made of U.S. grown corn. Dunwoody Booth sells giftware in the form of recycled bulk gift boxes.

Use shopping bags to generate a buzz about your products

Keep customers returning by providing bags with a stand-out logo for instant recognition or a funny or thought-provoking saying. Or you may want to jump on the cloth bag bandwagon, encouraging shoppers to protect the earth (and help you promote your business).

I recommend: Necromanc has examples of clever bag ideas, including a photo of a person jump roping; the bag's black cord handles are the "jump rope." Find cloth retail bags that you can personalize with your logo at 800 Gift Box.

Offer retail bags that can do double-duty as gift bags

You can add value to your business by offering a gift wrap service using your own tastefully designed retail boxes or bags, and then adding layers of tissue paper and a signature bow with your logo. You'll save customers the time and expense of shopping for a gift bag and build your brand.

I recommend: Package your customers' purchases in sleek bags from Absorbent Ink, add in some tissue and tie it up with cloth ribbon. Polypropylene bags from Boxes and Bags Unlimited are great from packaging candy, and with your company logo on a gold foil sticker, you can put the finishing touches on any gift.

Tips & Tactics for Saving Money on Shopping Bags and Boxes

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you choose polypropylene bags to package food such as candy, make sure the bags the FDA approves for use with food.

For many retailers, choosing the retail bags, shopping bags, retail boxes and shipping cartons for purchased merchandise falls to the bottom of the to-do list. But that can be a mistake. Not only do these simple items serve a primary function of protecting your products once they leave your store, but they can also be powerful marketing tools. Customers expect a shopping bag, retail box or carton to perform to certain standards – it shouldn't break easily, for example. Your shopping bags and boxes speak volumes about your company image, reinforcing your brand with consumers. And consider this: a shopping bag with your company name on it can become a sort of walking billboard advertising your business. That's a lot of bang for your buck. To get the most out of your retail bags, boxes and cartons, consider:

1. The protection provided. Be sure the shopping bag is roomy enough and sturdy enough to carry items safely and without breakage.
2. How much storage space you can devote to retail bags and boxes. Plastic and polypropylene bags take up less room than paper; collapsible boxes, less room than hard boxes.
3. Whether form is as important as function to your business. Some small retail businesses project an image of elegance by wrapping items in tissue and placing them in flat-bottom bags with handles or elegant gift boxes with a logo; others prefer the practicality of reusable plastic or polypropylene bags with their business name, address and phone number printed on the side.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Discover the best shopping bags for your biz

There are hundreds of retail shopping bag styles available. The right choice depends on several factors: your industry, your image and your merchandise size and weight. For instance, restaurants need plastic bags with handles for take-out orders (for this polypropylene bags are ideal). Upscale boutiques often select flat-bottom shopping bags with handles.

I recommend: Paper Mart touts itself as the most complete packaging store on the Web with hundreds of retail bag styles in stock. Uline offers dozens of paper shopping, merchandise, food and specialty shopping bags as well as plastic handle bags, frosty bags, food bags and special polypropylene bags. Upscale shopping gift boxes and bags can be found at ActionBag.com.

Retail gift boxes can offer distinction, or basic protection

Retail boxes can give your products an air of distinction and can provide protection, too. A retail box life-span and walking billboard aspects can be extended when it is elegant enough to be used as a gift box.

I recommend: Find dozens of box styles at Box Depot. Uline offers retail gift boxes, display boxes, apparel boxes, food boxes and specialty boxes. KC Store Fixtures offers basic retail store supplies, including gift boxes and bags.

Select retail cartons for more specialized needs

Cartons are a must-have if you ship items to customers. The type you choose depends on the weight and size of the merchandise.

I recommend: For standard cartons, visit Paper Mart. They stock hundreds of cartons large and small and sell in quantities as low as 10 per bundle.

Look into packaging extras

If your budget only allows for the most basic shopping bags or boxes, add some flair with decorative tissue paper, ribbons or fills.

I recommend: Find the basics for all your packaging needs, including tissue in every color of the rainbow, ribbons and bows from Iowa Retail Packaging. For unique ribbons, ties, tissue, warp and fills, visit CreativeBag.com.

Creative options

If you really want to make a statement with your retail packages, choose a shopping bag or box in a unique shape or color that reflects your company image. Baskets can also make a statement.

I recommend: CreativeBag.com offers unique shopping bags and boxes in a variety of shapes, colors and materials, including felt, leather and tin containers. VeriPack offers a number of unique retail packaging supplies, including baskets.

Get printing on your shopping bags

Most retail packaging suppliers also offer shopping bag printing options. Budget-conscious business owners may want to look into pre-printed shopping bags and boxes. Custom printing options, such as ink and hot stamping, can reinforce your brand and turn your bags and boxes into ads.

I recommend: For custom printing on boxes, bags, ribbons or tissue, try Nashville Wraps. Iowa Retail Packaging offers hot stamping so you can have your logo foil placed on each shopping bag and box.

Gift boxes and bags

Create an upscale ambience by offering free wrapping using gift boxes and bags. Keep it simple by offering one or two papers and a few choices of ribbon.

I recommend: Among its full line of retail packaging offerings, Bag & Bows carries 100-foot rolls of gift wrap and ribbons in many different patterns and styles.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Track the use of your shopping bags and boxes to ensure accurate ordering. You can save money by purchasing wholesale shopping bags, but only if you'll use the whole batch.
• •  Reorder before you're close to running out; this is especially important during the busy holiday season, September through November for most retail bag and box suppliers.
• •  If your custom shopping bags run short, go generic. Most suppliers can deliver plain bags and boxes quickly to get you through the crunch. Even inexpensive polypropylene bags will suffice during a crunch (and they take minimal storage space, in case you want to keep them on-hand).

When you're looking into retail bags and boxes news and trends, the number one issue is the growing concern about plastic bags. American consumers use about 100 billion bags per year, but recycle less than 1 percent of these bags. Several major cities in the United States have actually banned retail plastic bags or threatened to charge a premium for consumers to use them. It's a very confusing time for retailers.

While the overuse of plastic bags is in the news, other trends include the use of alternatives, including paper, jute, canvas, recycled materials and reusable bags. The bottom line is that it's best to explore your options, and make thoughtful decisions about the kinds of bags and boxes you're going to use in your business. Give customers a bag or a box they can re-use, and offer recycled products where possible.

1. Choose retail bags and bulk gift boxes that achieve an objective of reducing waste, such as polypropylene bags.

2. Encourage customers to use their own bags to reduce plastic bag usage wherever possible.

3. Promote your efforts to go green by publicizing a move to recycled retail boxes, for example.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read up on the efforts to ban plastic retail bags

Some major cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, have completely banned plastic retail bags. It's important to stay on top of the news surrounding the growing scorn of plastic bags as you plan your next purchasing moves.

I recommend: The New York Times promotes discussion on the proliferation of plastic bags. The American Chemistry Council's Progressive Bag Affiliates, representing retail bag manufacturers, are working to encourage recycling in the plastic bag industry.

Offer alternatives to plastic retail bags

Major companies are now touting their efforts to safeguard our environment. Any company that bucks this trend may receive an unpleasant backlash as concern for the environment grows. You can boost your company's image by publicizing your alternatives to plastic bags, such as investing in wholesale retail bags made of paper or recycled boxes.

I recommend: Planet Ark offers ideas for retailers to reduce plastic bag usage. The DailyTitan.com features a story about Ikea dropping its use of plastic bags completely.

Use bulk shopping bags to get your company message across

You can discover important trends in the retail bag industry at sites specific to retail. One important trend as consumers become more eco-conscious are paper shopping bags, which, if sturdy enough, customers can reuse all over town, giving unmeasured free advertising to the company.

I recommend: ReusableBags.com has plenty of facts about alternatives to plastic bags. Join the discussion forum on RetailWire as they talk about the power of shopping bags as a fashionable accessory.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Conduct in-store recycling by providing a place for customers to bring back their plastic retail bags for re-use.