We will publish the results later this week so you can gauge your business against other fashionable retailers across the country and see how you stack up.  Of course, all responses are confidential and only aggregated data will be shared as an outcome of the survey.

Thanks to everyone that came to our showroom for January’s Atlanta Gift and Home Furnishings Market. Traffic was brisk and the show was a hit! It’s always great to talk to our existing and new customers face to face too.  We hope you found everything you needed

It was still back to basics, with white and kraft shoppers the most popular products. A major hit though was our new Damask Mimosa collection with a classic pattern in a contemporary, on-trend color (in the picture shown). We also developed some new coordinating so you can affordably get your name on the bag (call me for details on those though).

I hope you’ll come by to visit the Bags & Bows showroom next time you’re in the Metro Atlanta area. You can browse our line or we can just brainstorm some ideas over a cup of coffee.  For more information regarding the showroom, give me a call at 888.395.2697 or e-mail me at kkroll@deluxe.com

Hope to see you soon, or at the next big show starting July 14th and ending July 21st!

Kathy Kroll

Showroom Manager

So while Big Box stores give us all a run for our money, think about these easy and affordable ways to stand out and get noticed. Create a “signature” look for your store. You can’t afford not to. Your customers will love it.

Laura Walker

Sr. Product Marketing Manager & Retail Advocate

Questions you should be asking yourself . . . .

• What do customers and potential customers think when they see my name?
• Is it what I want them to think?
• Am I delivering on my brand promise?
• Am I promoting it in the right way to my target audience?

How can Bags & Bows help?  Personalizing is critical to getting your brand noticed and your message communicated.  See how you can affordably personalize your products with rich foils or colorful ink printing.   Do you need to create a new logo or refresh an old one?  Here are some easy and affordable solutions to get the logo design that will best support your brand.

Finally, our Bags & Bows exclusive collections are another great way to get your name noticed and your brand remembered, from our Holiday Wish, Joy, Peace and Believe Collection to our Wisteria Collection with elegant purple flowers.  Please take a look at our latest exclusive retail packaging products.

Laura Walker

Sr. Product Marketing Manager and Retail Advocate

Just a quick note to update you on our transition to the new bagsandbowsonline.com.   We have received some very positive comments and appreciate all the kind words.  However, we do know some customers have been frustrated by a few glitches, which we are in the process of fixing now.  Because we value the business of all of our customers and want to ensure your trust, we would like to extend this unprecedented offer: FREE SHIPPING on any web order for the next two weeks, no minimum order required! This is also a great opportunity to order packaging for any holiday events, employee appreciation and event sponsorships!  Check out Bags and Bows online to start shopping.  Your shipping charges will show $0.00 when you check out.

Thank you for your continued business!

Laura Walker

Sr. Product Marketing Manager and Retail Advocate

The past fifteen months has certainly been difficult for all of us, but especially for those attempting to forecast the movement of energy pricing. Unless you have been stranded on a desert island somewhere the past year, you are well aware of the tremendous volatility in the price of oil in 2008-2009. It seems like years ago, however, it was only last summer that crude oil pricing rose from $60/barrel to a peak of $147/barrel in a matter of a few months. This incredible run-up had a major impact on the economy and directly impacted all our lives. The experts were telling us that oil prices could go as high as $200/barrel. As a result, major cost drivers in our industry such as resin products saw price escalation almost unprecedented in our lifetime. This put a tremendous amount of pressure on both sellers and buyers.

During mid-Sept, 2008 we experienced the financial industry meltdown. This event created gridlock within our economy and the oil bubble finally burst. The price of crude dropped almost as quickly as it had risen. Resin prices; material used to manufacture many of the products we use every day; dropped precipitously as a result.

I mention the events of the past year to show how things can change very quickly in this economy. I am currently projecting our cost of materials for next year and am linked in to various publications and news sources to determine 2010 commodity pricing. Based on a recent surge of good news, the economy has rebounded from its’ dismal showing in late 2008 and early 2009. It is yet to be determined whether that bounce back is sustainable or a short-term bubble due to the stimulus activity in play. The answer to this question will determine commodity pricing next year as increased demand will certainly lead to higher prices.

Projecting the future of commodity pricing is difficult given the events of the past year. However, this is my best educated guess as to how this will play out. I believe that the short term uptick in economic indicators is just that, short-term. I think we will have our good days and bad days over the next several months into the late spring, early summer of 2010. I believe a more sustained recovery will take place in the second half of 2010. Therefore, commodity pricing should remain relatively soft through the first half of 2010. It’s the second half of the year that we may begin climbing that hill on the roller coaster once again.

Although difficult to forecast the future price of resin, I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to partner with our suppliers and leverage our corporate spend as efficiently as possible. Our experienced and dedicated buying team will continue to execute world class procurement strategies to provide you the best value for all your Bags & Bows purchases. Thanks for being a valued customer of Bags & Bows!

Bob Guillemette
Sr. Strategic Sourcing Manager

Small retailers are marketing side-by-side with their competitors on joint websites. And they’re helping consumers rediscover the fun in local retail shopping.

Tracy Keating is the owner of Life Is Sweet, a candy store in Keene, New Hampshire. She is one of the drivers behind www.keenelocal.com, a website that encourages consumers to stimulate economic growth, create jobs, protect the environment and preserve their community by buying local with just 10% of the money they spend. The site makes the initiative fun, with T-shirts and stickers. It also makes buying locally easy, listing businesses by name and individual website address. Several restaurants, several jewelry stores and two candy stores share the site, among others. Why would Tracy help create and support a site that welcomes her competitor?

“Competition is not an issue,” she says. “Once you elevate one business downtown, it benefits all of downtown. We tell people, if you plan to spend $100 out and about, spend $10 of it locally. That money stays in the community and actually triples, and we all benefit.”

In the nearby town of Peterborough, the restaurants and shops of Depot Square also have a cooperative website (www.depotsquarepeterborough.com). It includes a calendar of entertaining special events, a raffle and an e-newsletter along with a page for each store, restaurant and gallery in the square, plus links to individual websites. The handsome site was designed by one of the businesses in the square, C.C. Stephens & Co., making it home-grown in every sense.

In another approach to competing with the major discounters, Roger Weinrich of Good Fortune has taken a closer look at why consumers are attracted to malls and big stores. “They’re fun,” he says, “because you can walk around like you’re in an amusement park.” Roger and his staff decided they would create that same atmosphere for their customers. From the ice cream freezer at the front of the store to the ping-pong table in the alcove, Good Fortune encourages visitors to have a good time. “We charge $5 to play ping pong,” he explains, “and we donate the money to the community kitchen. It’s a great draw in winter. We also have a Diamond Mine. We fill a container with sand and put loose diamonds in it and every Saturday customers get a chance to scoop up one pile to find a diamond. We’re experimenting with promotions a month at a time. Some of what we do is risky; we don’t know what will happen. But it’s all fun.”

THE HANNAH GRIMES CENTER, LOCATED AT 25 ROXBURY STREET IN KEENE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, PROVIDES OFFICE SPACE, WORKSHOPS AND A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH NEW AND EMERGING BUSINESSES CAN BE LAUNCHED, DEVELOPED AND GRADUATED AND OPERATES HANNAH GRIMES MARKETPLACE, AN INDEPENDENT RETAIL STORE MARKETING LOCALLY MADE AND GROWN PRODUCTS.

What is not surprising are Retailer’s top business challenges. Clearly, surviving the economic downturn is the #1 concern, followed closely by finding new customers. It makes sense. The news is filled with stories about Retailers struggling – even large, national chains that are household names are hurting and cautiously giving earnings guidance to Wall Street. If the big league retail players are hurting, you know Main Street is especially feeling the pain.

Taxes are also a top concern. This trumps concern with retaining customers. The threat of tax increases is very real at all levels of government, but should this top being concerned with retaining customers? I’m puzzled as I visit so many independent retailers and they don’t have a business card, a place to leave your information, etc i.e. a way for your to remember them and visa versa. This is such low hanging fruit for Retailers. I’ll give you an example. I recently stopped by a very cool, specialty coffee house in a trendy area of NYC. I, for once, didn’t want a cup of coffee at that moment, but was drawn into the store to look around and enjoy the atmosphere. The coffee house was located in an area I don’t visit often, so I wanted a business card so I would remember them. They didn’t have one and now the name of that coffee house is long gone from my memory.

Finding and keeping employees is not a huge concern – it didn’t even rank in the Top 5. This has traditionally been a top struggle but is probably muted by the fact that there are a large number of talented folks for hire. If you’re a smart retailer, you’re looking for good candidates now – there are a lot of experienced and mature folks out there. Hire them and reap the dividends from having a reliable employee.

So, if retailer’s top concerns are the economy, finding new customers, and taxes, what are they doing about them? I’ll give you a hint – they’re not waiting for the economy to improve – they’re taking action. Retailers understand how critical it is to get their name out there. Especially the independent retailer, who has to raise their voice above the chorus of the big box retailer. One of the top tactics retailers are increasingly doing is monitoring you, the competition. That’s right – you’re being watched by fellow retailers. They’re also increasing their visibility by leveraging signage, as well as holding periodic sales. Many are leveraging sales to keep their name top of mind with existing customers as well as giving new customers a reason to stop by.

They’re also out looking for new customers. Where are they finding them? Referrals from existing customers and vendors are top sources. More and more retailers are also embracing ecommerce and using email to connect with potential customers. Although most of them have a website, keeping it updated and search engine friendly is a concern. And a significant number of them are building a database of customers.

So, lots of action to address their concerns. What is the common thread? These tactics are all easy to implement and inexpensive.

If you’re a retailer reading this blog as we enter the holiday selling season, you know you need to get your name out there now. Think about what your competitors are doing. Ask yourself how potential customers know about your business. How are can they find you? What are you doing to retain existing customers and find that great new salesperson? The economy is on everyone’s mind, but it is by and large out of our control. What is in our control is how we proactively respond to it.

Are you facing similar business challenges? Or are you facing completely unique ones? What are you doing about them? Please share – we would enjoy hearing from you.

Want to learn more? Have comments? Contact Mike at michael.benedict@deluxe.com

One of our exciting new additions is this blog.   We came to realize that it is a great way for us to share relevant and helpful information, beyond just packaging products.  Having said that, we want this blog to be fun too, so don’t be surprised when we throw something playful in here from time to time.  You’ll hear from our Art Director and Trendspotter, Christine (our very own “Design Diva”), our Retail Advisor, Mike, who keeps up on all the latest economic news, and our guest bloggers and Retail experts that we find credible and trustworthy (the ones that can help smaller retailers vs. the “Big Box” stores).  You’ll also hear from me and others on our Product and Marketing team, and hope on occasion that you’ll respond to surveys to help us deliver the right products and services for your business.  If you’re interested in being on a Bags & Bows customer panel to assist with ongoing product insights and design feedback, just send a message to the above e-mail address.

Speaking of feedback . . . we just recently completed a survey to our Retail customers and found that many of you are simply trying to survive this economy, manage your cash flow and find new customers.  You are not alone.  Industry results for August were not that great, but better than analysts predicted.  Let’s hope we’ve hit the bottom and things start turning around.  To help, one our Retail experts has offered some great suggestions to help you make the most out of the Fall season and stimulate business.  As we’ve seen time and again, small things can make a big difference.  Check out our white paper, “Falling Into A Fall Promotion Mode”.  And Bags & Bows has some great Fall colors and designs to complement the season.  A packaging presentation printed with your company name and logo can make a powerful impression at very low cost (and we happen to have a great team of hotstampers that can get you quality printing faster than anyone else).  Consumers are likely to be very selective this year about their purchases so be sure they leave happy and impressed, and recommend your store to others.   And for low-cost packaging items, don’t forget to check out our sale room for some great deals.

Finally, you may or may not have noticed from our logo that Bags & Bows is part of Deluxe for Business, a provider of products and services that help small businesses run and grow their business.  Deluxe has partnered with other providers to bring you a “makeover” sweepstakes, an opportunity to win $15,000 worth of free products and services to help boost your business!  The makeover includes web services, full color mail materials, promotional products, packaging products and much more.  Click and See!

Laura Walker

Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Retail Packaging Products, & Retailer Advocate

Bags & Bows looks to the fashion and home furnishings/home décor industry for color cues and design trends. These areas are very reactive to their markets. Color selections come from a combination of elements: color reports, trade publications, information provided by vendors and just getting out there to shop. By actively LOOKING at what retailers, both large and small, are doing, we can put together a palette that will appeal to our customers.

Color Trends in the Fashion Industry

Twice a year, the fashion industry seizes the opportunity to introduce new fabrics, styles and colors at New York Fashion Week, one of the biggest fashion shows in the world. This event is a big part of “setting the stage” for what the fashion trends are going to be for the season and a lot of people are watching.

When it comes to the designs, the fashion designers are clearly running the show, but how do they choose their colors? Some in the industry might say their color inspiration comes from “within,” but it could be argued that there are other influencing factors that assist them when choosing their color palettes.

One influential organization is the Color Association. The Color Association has been forecasting, researching, and archiving color since 1915 and plays an integral role in consulting with industry professionals who look to leverage color in products, brands and environments.

Each season, the Association issues color reports in elegant, fabric-swatched booklet form and is the only forecasting service that selects its colors through a committee panel of eight to twelve industry professionals. The combined expertise of its committee members assures a thoughtful and innovative forecast, season after season.

The fashion world also collaborates with PANTONE, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated. PANTONE is the world-renowned authority on color and for more than 45 years they have been inspiring design professionals with their products and services.

Each season, PANTONE publishes the PANTONE Fashion Color Report featuring the top 10 colors for women’s fashions along with designer sketches, quotes and headshots. The availability of the PANTONE Fashion Color Report coincides with the beginning of New York Fashion Week. The report is free and can be downloaded from PANTONE’s Web site at www.pantone.com.

Here are the top ten colors from the Fall 2009 Fashion Color Report.

American Beauty – A true red that speaks volumes. It will leave you feeling both Patriotic and proud.

Purple Heart – Creative, exciting, captivating…these are just a few words people will be saying when they see you wearing this color.

Honey Yellow – A warm, subdued color that has a calming affect. Spice it up with a pop of Purple Heart or Burnt Sienna.

Iron – They are calling it the “new black” because it is a color that can be the foundation for any wardrobe and mixes well with any other color.

Nomad – A combination of beige and light gray. Neutral but fresh.

Crème Brulee – Grayed down beige that adds softness to any wardrobe.

Majolica Blue – Feeling deep and mysterious? Then you’ll enjoy putting on this vibrant shade of teal blue that will keep people wondering.

Burnt Sienna – What says fall better than burnt sienna…and a cup of hot cider, of course? Dress it up with a shade of Nomad or Rapture Rose.

Rapture Rose – A melding of fuchsia and pink into a color that will not only rapture, but also capture your intended audience.

Warm Olive – A rich yellow-green that matches the changing leaves of autumn.

Color Trends in the Manufacturing World

For manufactured products and services, many businesses turn to the Color Marketing Group (CMG) located in Alexandria, Virginia for ideas. CMG is a leading international non-profit association of color design professionals that have been predicting color trends for more than 45 years. They forecast Color Directions® nineteen months or more in advance for manufactured products and services.

CMG’s major focus is to identify the direction of color and design trends and interpret that information into salable colors for manufactured products across all industries.

According to CMG, the top color choices are being influenced by both the concern for the economy and optimism for the future.

Here’s a look at what CMG has named the “hot” colors for 2009…

Purple – Whether it’s a grayed-out violet or a poppy plum, purple is a color that’s here to stay. It works as both an accent color and a neutral.

Blue – It’s easy being green, but it’s better to be blue…as in blue sky and ocean. These colors remind us of our natural surroundings and how we need to protect them to save Mother Earth.

Grayed-out Browns & Grays – These are classic colors that keep us grounded, but aren’t as “harsh” as black or deep brown.

White – It’s not just a color…it’s a mindset. White represents clarity. But consider texture too. Contrast a glossy, grainy, or reflective white surface with a smooth matte color surface for a crisp, refreshing look.

Bright Accents – “Orange, turquoise, and teal, Oh my.” Or how about some reds and yellows? Add any of these colors as an accent color and watch your product “pop.”

Mauve – Sounds like a flashback to the eighties, right? Wrong! Mauve is back better than ever as both an accent and a neutral color.

Yellow – Let’s get real. With this economy, we could all use a boost and what better way to do it then to add a bright shade of yellow. Just saying the color makes you want to smile.

Color is everywhere…make every color count!

Christine Landry-Briggs
Art Director & Trendspotter.