NASHVILLE WRAPS


Jocelyn Childs, founder and CEO of Lyziwraps, says consumers are also price-sensitive and the cost of wrapping items can quickly add up, Childs notes.


Recycled or green wrapping products are often not more


expensive than their conventional counterparts Harding points out. Her products, she says are “right in line with traditional paper.”


Merchandising that works Dickson says demand for green gift wrap is greatest among small retailers who have a greater opportunity to invest time and personnel in learning about the products and educating consumers.


Nevertheless educating consumers about green gift wrap


can be challenging, especially with designs that have evolved beyond what many would consider a typical “recycled look.” Wholesalers offer help through educational materials that can be used in stores as displays and signage. For instance, Compton says: “Our website offers a free tent card download to print and display on a counter to let customers know you use our eco-friendly packaging.”


Earth Balance supplies retailers with POS signage that they can use to display with the product and that can work when the product is merchandised by itself on a spinner rack, fl at wall or fi xture. But there are many other instances where these products


are placed along with traditional paper, creating a challenge in terms of helping the product stand out. To help here, Harding has developed easily removable labels that can be placed on gift bags. The tags let consumers know that these bags are different, that they’re tree-free, eco-friendly bags. Signage and labels are provided at no cost. For Childs, the combination of retailers using the product


for wrapping and also making it available to customers for purchase, has worked very well. “Offering it as gift wrap and then selling it in the store has been hugely successful because [customers] see the demonstration of how it’s used,” she says. She encourages stores to display the item in a sample set that allows people to see, feel and even play with it. The wide range of options, increasingly appealing designs


and attractive price points make green gift wrap items a natural choice for both consumers and retailers. “Be creative,” urges Amy Coane about using and selling


green gift wrap in the store. “Just think a little outside of the box. Don’t be afraid to go a little bit beyond conventions.”


Lin Grensing-Pophal is a freelance business journalist in Chippewa Falls, WI. She writes about marketing and business management issues for national and trade publications and is the author of Marketing With the End in Mind (IABC, 2005).


BELLA VITA BAGS 126


For more green gift wrap ideas, please visit our extended article online at giftshopmag.com. GREENRetailerMag.com


Spring 2011 n GREENRetailer


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