Smartbags News

Bag your Brand and get noticed at Trade Fairs this Autumn

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:01:00 GMT

Exhibiting at trade shows this Autumn? If so, you will be investing time and money on designing and staffing your stand, but have you thought about how you're going to attract potential customers to the stand on the day?

Trade fairs are big, busy places and it can be tough to get noticed. Prowling the hall pouncing on people is confrontational and doesn't make a good first impression.

Eye-catching promotional bags, that are well designed will act like beacons alerting attendees to your presence. Often people that see other attendees with a bag will actively seek out your stand to find out more.This spares you from either sitting on the stand twiddling your thumbs, or running around harassing people. It also gives you the opportunity to talk to more potential customers, engage and generate leads.

A reusable bag continues to work long after the show too. It goes back to the office (or home) and will be a physical reminder of your business after the stand has been dismantled. If the bag is practical and well-designed it will be reused many, many times and it will be an advertisement for your business each time it is reused.

August and September are busy periods in the Trade Fair calendar. If you plan to use a promotional bag as part of your trade show marketing campaign make sure you leave enough time to process your order. Made to order promotional bags take around 8 weeks to produce and deliver at the lowest cost. Last minute orders mean express pricing.

To find out more about producing an eco-friendly reusable bag for promotions, browse our product range or contact matt@smartbags.co.uk to find out more.

Trade Shows - Autumn 2012

We have put together a handy list of the UK Autmum tradeshows for you to download and print out.
Download list of UK trade fairs during August/September 2012

It's a wrap!

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:02:00 GMT

When Essex County Council were planning how they could promote their work with WRAP’s ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ campaign, they choose smartbags to produce a stylish and robust eco-friendly reusable bag.

Working with Smartbags, a bespoke Non-woven rPET Shopper Bag was produced out of rPET or 90% recycled plastic bottles. The bag is proudly emblazoned with the words: “I’m made from recycled plastic bottles”.

According to Lisa Cross, Waste Prevention and Recycling Officer, at Essex County Council the reusable bags are so popular they have to limit their appearances to ensure they aren’t snapped up too quickly.

“We’ve received a terrific response to the bags. Not only are they attractive and eye-catching, but they are durable and strong, making them a real crowd pleaser”. said Lisa.

The Council cleverly uses the eco bags as part of its integrated marketing strategy and uses them as competition prizes and incentives for people signing up to receive its online newsletter for instance.

Smartbags guided Essex County Council through the process of ordering a reusable bag from advising on the best material to meet their objectives to the most appropriate stitching and handle as well as its design, print and the final delivery.

“Smartbags made what was quite an in-depth process simple and straight-forward, “ said Lisa. “They also ensured that I was completely satisfied at every stage. “I can only describe the Shopper Bags as brilliant. The value that we have got from them has been great. There aren’t many marketing tools that would have achieved all our objectives better and for such a reasonable cost.”

Essex County Council’s rPET Shopper Bag is a strong, robust bag at 150grams and has the look and feel of cotton or canvas.

See Wrap UK and Recycle for Essex for more information on these initiatives.

To find out more about producing an eco-friendly reusable bag for promotions, please do browse our reusable bag product range or contact matt@smartbags.co.uk to find out more.

Smartbags Sponsor Independent Retailer Conference 2012

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:23:00 GMT

Smartbags are proud to announce that they are one of the official sponsors of the UK's first ever Independent Retailer Month 2012.

The campaign will run throughout July 2012 and will highlight the important role that small, local, independent retailers play in their local communities, economy and the retail sector as a whole.

Smartbags will be producing the event bags (we'll post a picture as soon as the bag is ready!). Look out for Leanne from Smartbags at the launch conference, she will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about creating a reusable bag for retail.

The campaign will be launched on 1st July at the Independent Retailer Month UK - Launch Conference 2012. The conference is the first of it's kind and is designed for the UK's independent retail community. The day will be packed full of workshops, speeches, disussions, 'ask the expert' sessions and networking opportunities. See the event brochure for a full timetable and booking information.

If you'd like to create a branded bag for your retail store and want to find out more now view our range of promotional bags or contact matt@smartbags.co.uk

The Perfect Reusable Bag for Let's Read

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 14:34:00 GMT

Smartbags guided Let’s Read through the process, from choosing the right reusable bag to suit their needs and advising on the design and manufacture, to produce a colourful, practical and desirable bag branded with the charity’s new logo.

“Smartbags were a pleasure to work with as they were there every step of the way to ensure we received our perfect bag,” said Jo Hallett, Trustee of Let’s Read.

Using the colours of Ghana’s flag for their logo, Let’s Read chose a durable, laminated non-woven PP reusable bag with a matte finish, customised with a zip at the top to protect the teaching materials from sand, dust and rain. This type of printed bag is waterproof, hard-wearing and great for printing colour designs on.

Let’s Read striking reusable bags have made a big impact. The teacher in this school has no classroom, so he hangs the reusable bag on his tree and teaches his year 4 pupils on a blackboard leaning against the tree!

"Ghanaian schools have very little storage so it was essential that in order to keep the Let’s Read materials together we needed to also provide something to carry and store them in,” said Jo Hallett, from Let’s Read.

“We’ve been delighted with the response to the printed bags. They’re a great talking point and have really raised awareness and interest in our project. The teachers love them and are proud to be part of Let’s Read. Our biggest problem is that everyone wants one now!”

The charity is also planning to use the promotional bags as a fund-raising initiative.

Let’s Read works with schools in Northern Ghana and has provided supplementary materials in a total of 50 schools, to support the teaching of English, the country’s official language.

View more details on this product - laminated non-woven bag with zipper

To find out more about using reusable bags in your marketing campaigns, contact Matt at Smartbags

A Clean Sweep

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:24:00 GMT

When Wilkins Chimney Sweep Ltd, were searching for the perfect container for sweeps to carry their brushes into customers' houses, they quickly settled on a reusable eco bag. Their criteria was that it had to look smart, be strong and sturdy and feature strong branding.

Louise Harris, Franchise Director, of Wilkins Chimney Sweep, gave Smartbags a detailed specification of the bag's requirements, from the measurements needed to its practical day to day usability function.

"Smartbags were the only company to actually sit down with us and discuss in detail what we were looking for and the job that the bag was doing to determine the best solution for us, " said Louise Harris. "It was very important to us that the bags created a professional image so the design was an essential aspect of the process".

As well as using the reusable bags to carry chimney sweeping equipment into customers' houses, Chimney Sweep also use them on their stand at franchise exhibitions.

The resuable eco bags were an integral part of the overall branding at the Franchise Show at the NEC in September 20011 and created a unified, professional image

“Reusable eco bags are a very useful weapon in a marketing department’s armoury, providing a great branding opportunity while also being highly practical,” said Smartbags founder, Matt Lewis. “They have many functions from being part of a business’ operational equipment to a highly desirable give-away item and most importantly they create a big impact without breaking the bank.”

Smartbags supply, made-to-order, Non-woven Polypropylene bags with the lowest minimum order starting at 500 units. They are sturdy, smart and printed to a company’s exact requirements, offering excellent value for money. Look at www.smartbags.co.uk or contact matt@smartbags.co.uk to find out more.

Enfield Council – Leading the Way in Buying Local

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:38:00 GMT

Enfield Council is spearheading a campaign to encourage its residents to ‘Go Green - Shop Local’ to provide a welcome boost to the local traders and create a sense of community.

After meeting Smartbags founder, Matt Lewis, the Council felt that a reusable non-woven ecobag, made from recycled plastic bottles, rPET, sent out the right message about the Council’s commitment to the environment as well as being a useful brand ambassador for the campaign.

The hard-wearing, water resistant bags featured the campaign’s logo and slogan prominently and created a fun, talking point.

Enfield Council has been thrilled with the reaction to the campaign. “The bags have been amazingly popular and we have seen lots of people using them for their shopping - so mission accomplished!” said Allan Watson, Marketing Officer, Enfield Council.

rPET ecobags can be customised to any style with the same quality print effect. More information: Smartbags’ rPET bags

Bag Yourself Gold in these Fashion Stakes

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:25:00 GMT

The value of metals is rising in the fashion world.

Everywhere we look the metallic trend is blazing a trail of unashamed bling.

From the fabulous ‘London Metallic Zip Tote’ by Pauric Sweeney at Selfridges to shoes and accessories, now is the time to up your fashion credentials and outshine everyone else with your fashion forward taste for your next promotional bag.

Taking inspiration from the summer 2011 trends, Smartbags is pleased to announce a dazzling new metallic range. These reusable non-woven bags will brighten up any campaign.

When funky kids’ clothes shop, Oh Baby London, was looking for a new promotional item it looked no further than Smartbags’ reusable bags.

Oh Baby London’s founder, Hannah McHalick, wanted a stylish, fun and funky idea to tie in with her shop’s brand values. “I wanted a new kind of packaging which would have lasting impact,” said Hannah.

Following Hannah’s brief, Smartbags sourced some gold metallic non-woven material for Oh Baby London, which Hannah loved. Smartbags then worked closely with Hannah to create the bag’s final look, ensuring that the Oh Baby London logo was prominently displayed, as well as the fun strapline: ‘Too cool for school’.

“Smartbags made the whole process very easy as they were efficient, attentive and provided us with a bespoke service that was second to none. I knew that I was in safe hands with Smartbags. It’s one of the most painless processes I have ever been through in manufacturing something!” said Hannah.

The final result is a striking, fun bag which now adorns the streets of Brick Lane, in London’s fashionable East End.

The metallic range is made from non-woven material with a metallic laminate film. They are perfect for screen printing and come in a number of metallic tints and textures from traditional metallic colours like glistening gold and silver to majestic purples, reds, greens and blues.

The ‘London Metallic Zip Tote’ may be over £360, but we think the Smartbags’ super reusable metallic bags are the perfect way to harness this trend without breaking the bank and getting your brand out there.

Order by 31 August 2011 to take advantage of our special Gold Rush Offer - 1,000 gold metallic bags, 43cm x 38cm style, at a discounted rate of just £1 per bag. Talk to us today about how a reusable bag can provide added value to any campaign.

Why not dazzle the competition with your next campaign? Email today matt@smartbags.co.uk or call 0208 242 4468.

Bags of Awareness for Local Initiatives

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:58:00 GMT

Smartbags recently supplied an attractive, reusable tote bag for the East London Business Alliance, featuring a full colour, heat transfer photo as an illustration and promotion for a new iPhone app, East London Buzzstops.

London Legacy 2020, is one of ELBA’s flagship programmes, working with local communities and the private sector to help secure a positive legacy from the 2012 Games for the East End of London. East London Buzzstops is available now, is free to download and allows visitors to explore the nooks, crannies and hidden gems around the Host Olympic Boroughs.

“We chose Smartbags, over and above other providers, as we felt the final product would reflect the ELBA’s core aim of ‘creating a new East London'," said Liam Kane, Chief Executive of ELBA. "The high quality bags also provided an appropriate memento for the corporate event we were staging”.

Reusable eco bags are a fantastic way to raise awareness and create pride in local community initiatives, with the bonus of being used over and over again for a long period of time whilst showcasing local artists or photographers’ design and artwork. If you have an up and coming event and you would like a bag to get your message out into the community, contact us at matt@smartbags.co.uk

Ready to take on the World

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:50:00 GMT

Smartbags.co.uk are proud announce that we will be sponsoring the bag for Women Unlimited Conference 2011. The theme is "Ready to take on the World"

The conference is on Monday, March 14, 2011 from 10:00 – 17:00 at British Library Conference Centre, 96 Euston Road, London, NW1 2DB.

It is guaranteed to be a fantastic day with brilliant speakers:
Jessica Huie from Colour Blind cards
Lisa Irlam who invented Poolmate
Tamsin Fox-Davies is the founder of Enthuse Marketing
Rachel Elnaugh well know entrepreneur who now mentors small business owners
Lara Morgan was the CEO and founder of Pacific Direct (luxury hotel toiletries).

How is that for a line up! For full details go to the Women-Unlimited.co.uk website. Don't leave it to the last minute as I hear tickets are selling fast.

Low Cost Alternatives to Cotton Bags

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:30:00 GMT

Cotton bags have increased substantially in the last 6 months, globally as much as 40% - it’s even starting to hit Calvin Klein!!

While your choice of reusable bag will be influenced by your brand the following fabrics are great sustainable eco bag alternatives to cotton canvas and Jute:

Non-Woven PP Bags:

Low cost - good quality
Low minimum quantity of 500 printed bags
Many vibrant material colours to choose from
Excellent 100% coverage screen printing capability
Can be laminated for extra strength and waterproof durability
100% recyclable and reusable

Woven PP Bags:

Hard wearing and water resistant
Super strong bags you can wipe clean
Superior full colour print options
100% recyclable and reusable

rPET: (bags made from recycled plastic bottles)

Genuine sustainable option made from recycled plastic
May be blended with Non-woven PP for hybrid style
Hard wearing – eco alternative to Nylon bags
Fully customisable
Light weight and water resistant

Special Offer for February

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 23:15:00 GMT

*SMARTBAGS FREE SPECIAL OFFER IN OUR NON-WOVEN RANGE*
**Free 2 colour both sided screen print with 100% coverage!**

*gold foil screen printing*

Also...100gm thickness for the price of 80gm & half price metallic and gold or silver foil printing

**Minimum order only 500 bags featuring the best printing quality and lowest tolerance levels**

*offer applies up until 28/02/2011*

Did you know...??

Tolerance levels imply the customer accepting a level of human error that is common place with any mass wholesale production - we are all mere mortals after all not robots! Many other bag companies (especially those who print the bags in the UK) have levels of up to 10 – 15%! Meaning out of every 100 bags, 10 - 15 will be faulty in some way - it seriously adds up.... in comparison we are very proud that smartbags are an impeccable 1% :)

Happy New Year from the team at Smartbags.

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:19:00 GMT

We hope you had a great break and were not adversely affected by the severe weather and managed to avoid all the colds and flu that were going around.

At smartbags.co.uk we are very excited about 2011. While many companies will spend more on social media and digital marketing this year, a tangible representation is always important. The up take of reusable bags is a trend destined to continue in 2011. Eco-bags don’t need to be limited to trade fairs and exhibitions, and it shouldn’t be left for the supermarkets to benefit the most from these mobile mini-billboards. A reusable bag makes a great give-away which can also be sold....... the most cost effecting marketing.

We are going to continue to innovate with new materials, designs and print methods throughout 2011. Contact us to find out how we can help you create a special bag this year.

We hope you have a prosperous and safe year.

Warm regards

The Smartbags Team

Yabba Yabba a great promotional bag!

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:19:00 GMT

It doesn’t have to be hard to create a low cost, quality reusable bag for your next event. An excellent example is a medium size event bag, featuring extra 14cm sized gussets, smartbags supplied YabbaYabbaonline.co.uk

YabbaYabba is a unique brand providing artwork for children's bedrooms and babies nurseries. Their fun designs are showcased on stretched canvas. They encapsulate their brand perfectly with a vibrant exhibition and kids retail event bag, given away to those who attend or distributed with e-commerce online purchases.

YabbaYabba made the most of our expertly printed Non-woven reusable bag service by choosing a vibrant colour and complementing piping for a striking effect by using a different colour for the piping and handles. A simple printed graphic, utilising the 100% print coverage with artwork printed right up to the edges with a 5 colour print helping create a memorable looking tote bag but also at an excellent low cost, only 0.02p per print colour per bag for both sides 100% printed! This isn’t just another goody bag but one that will be re-used over the long term for various multi purpose use.

Make your next promotional bag a colourful Non-woven ecobag. Call Smartbags.co.uk today to find out how we can help on 0208 242 4468 or email matt@smartbags.co.uk.

Smartbags has Got Talent with the 2010 Childline Ball

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:26:00 GMT

Smartbags.co.uk are proud to be sponsors of the NSPCC Childline Ball 2010. The theme this year is “Childline’s Got Talent". To celebrate the event smartbags.co.uk have produced a vibrant reusable goodie bag.

The prestigious fundraising event with be held at the newly re-furbished Savoy Hotel in London on Thursday 21st October, 2010. There will be a unique mix of variety show entertainment from stars of the Britain's Got Talent stage as well as auction.

The auction lots available, include a Caribbean getaway, a table at the Pride of Britian Awards and a chance to own the last ever Big Brother Diary Room chair. All funds raised will go to help the NSPCC protect children across the UK.

For more information please visit the NSPCC website: nspcc.org.uk

Smartbags sponsor The Retail Conference 2010

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 21:33:00 GMT

smartbags are exclusively supplying the event bag for "The Retail Conference" on 22^nd September, 2010.

The Retail Conference is free to retailers that register...and I have heard it's almost full to capacity. It is a day attended by experienced high profile retailers, topical workshops and panel discussions relevant to the industry.

All the details are on the site http://www.retailconference.co.uk/

smartbags have designed a special NWPP event bag that is a real head turner, showcasing the quality vibrant full colour printing capabilities of Non-woven PP laminated bags - this Tote bag style in particular is in a stylish Matte finish.

If you are attending please make sure you come over and say hello or email matt@smartbags.co.uk to arrange a meeting.