Glass Jar Merchandising with Elastic String Tags

Glass jars—they’re so classic, so simple, so timeless, and so great for merchandising. Many product merchandisers are turning to glass jars for everything from luxury toiletries to bake-in-the-jar cakes to even unconventional ideas like accessory packaging (scarves, gloves, jewelry and even socks) to moonshine! Here are a few reasons products packaged in glass jars with elastic string tags are a great option:

They convey the feeling of “handcrafted” and “homemade” that consumers increasingly crave. Remember those long summer days canning preserves at grandma’s house? Consumers are turning away from anything that says “I’ve been mass-produced” to things that say, “I was crafted with care.” So even if your product is produce on a large scale, glass jars paired with elastic string merchandising tags let customers know that your product is made with love.
Glass jars are earth friendly packaging at its best, and for a lot of reasons. They don’t exude all the chemicals that plastic does, with all of the potential health concerns they may have. This makes glass an excellent choice for food and beverage packaging. Glass jars are recyclable pretty much everywhere, so they don’t end up in landfills. What’s more, there are a lot of consumers who like to wash out and keep glass jars once your product has been consumed and re-purpose them for other things. Glass jar merchandising is a win-win no matter how you look at it.
Glass jars are flexible packaging options. And by flexible, we mean that you can use them for just about anything. All kinds of gourmet food and drink items, all sorts of luxury bath items from sugar scrubs to oils, from powders to candles etc. They all go great in glass jars with elastic string tag labels.

Do glass jars speak to you as a potential product packaging option? If so, contact Elastic Connections today for elastic string tags for your labels at 847-426-6830.

The Best Costume Ideas Need Barbed Elastic Strings for Masks

While most people haven’t even thought about their costume at this point, costume manufacturers are hard at work creating a fresh batch of costumes based on trendy happenings, the hottest celebrities and pop culture events. The best costumes allow people to be their favorite character for the night, but it’s no fun dressing up if the costume isn’t comfortable. Masks can be especially problematic, so it’s important that the barbed elastic mask strings are high quality so the mask stays comfortably in place.

When its time to buy elastic string for face masks, you may want to stock a variety of colors to complement the design of the costume. Black and white go with almost everything, but zombies look great with red barbed elastic mask strings.

Princesses Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen franchise need special colors. Elsa needs blue mask elastic with barbs of silver to match her fabulous gown, while sister Anna may want a dark green or even gold. Expect that Katnis from the Hunger Games will be popular this fall as well when the excitement about the release of last movie in that series reaches a fever pitch.

Celebs like Beyonce or one of the Kardashians are popular characters for costumes and they require masks to complete the look. There are perennial costume favorites such as ghosts, witches, nurses and animals that are not complete without a mask.

There’s never a shortage of costume ideas, and the season will be here before we know it. Costume manufacturers should be planning their mask production schedules and ordering the necessary inventory of barbed elastic mask strings.

Regardless of the costume your customer selects, for safety as well as aesthetic reasons the barbed elastic cord for masks should complement the costume’s colors and be sturdy enough to hold the mask in place.

Bookmarks Still Matter: Tasseled Bookmarks as Marketing Tools

In a world of e-readers, it turns out there is still a solid place for classic tasseled bookmarks—both to hold our place, and as potential marketing tools. Scientists have discovered that Kindle and iPad reading, while convenient, isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for our brains or our health. Paper books are better for memory and comprehension. And reading paper books before bed is also better for deep, healthful sleep than illuminated screens. Reports of the death of paper books have been greatly exaggerated, so bookmarks are still necessary. So if you’re marketing a product or service, consider the humble tasseled bookmark because…

People Love Freebies—But figuring out which ones to distribute at the next trade show can be a headache. Customized items can be catchy, but what happens to them once everyone leaves the show? Will they blend in with the rest of the tchotchkes, or given to the kids and lost at the bottom of the toy box? If so, your message is lost. Bookmarks rise above the stress balls because…
People Love Useful Stuff—Bookmarks can be used right away, right now, and repeatedly. Bookmark tassels call attention to the bookmark, on which you can print any useful information, special offers, a customer loyalty program, QR code, etc. that fits into your branding strategy. The bookmark therefore multitasks for your client, which will create a positive association with your brand.
People See it Often—The bookmark is there every time your customer opens a book. If there’s useful information on the bookmark itself, they’ll refer back to it. And because customized bookmarks are relatively inexpensive compared to other freebies, bookmarks can give you great ROI for your marketing dollars.

So if you are wondering what freebies to design for your next promotion or trade show, think bookmarks. And contact Elastic Connections for a wide assortment of colored bookmark tassels to fit the bill: 847-426-6830.

Elastic Bows and Loops Dress up Gourmet Food Packaging Trends

Research from the Specialty Food Association indicates a rapidly increasing percentage (currently 60%) of consumers regularly purchase some type of specialty or gourmet food. They also note that the food packaging is an important element for consumers: it has to tell a story, it must be functional and it needs to go easy on the environment. Elastic loops, bows and stretchy elements can help your product fit those trends:

Tell a Story—Generation Z and the Millennials are driving a big part of the demand for gourmet and specialty foods. They are also addicted to social media and frequently post “food selfies” marketers can take advantage of. Statement-making colored stretchy bows or elastic hang tags with QR codes or eye-catching images that go beyond the typical price tag speak volumes across more platforms than just the shop shelf.
Be Functional—Today’s gourmet food market is always on the go. They need classy, but fast, fuss-free, secure eating options that can be easily stowed when not in use. Elastic loops with barbs or balls to fasten opened packages when the consumer is underway is just one way to make the entire specialty eating experience a happy one for your customers.
Go Easy on the Environment—Simple, clean and environmentally-friendly packaging is super hot, and with good reason. Consumers want to help the environment, and they want to know that the companies they purchase from are doing their part for Mother Earth too. Use recyclable materials, and use less of them. Stretch your resources with simple packaging that tells the story so the consumer knows that by eating your gourmet food product, they are doing themselves and the earth a good turn.

Elastic Connections has hundreds of elastic loops, bows and stretchy elements that are functional, fun and friendly for food packaging: Call 847-426-6830 today.

5 Restaurant Menu Design Trends that Stretch with Elastic Cords

One key, but often overlooked marketing transaction in the restaurant-diner relationship is the moment you hand over the menu. The cheap laminated menu says “you-can-find-this-same-boring-food-everywhere,” so it’s essential to craft a menu that says “unique, hip, mouthwatering and local.” From hand-written catch-of-the-day inserts to binding embellished with elastic stretch loops or colored tassels tells diners that they’re in for a treat. So when designing your menu remember…

Typography is all that and a slice of cake. Select two or three compatible, easy-to-read fonts. Basic type should be at least 12 points (avoiding all caps) so everyone can read it comfortably while still feeling and unique enough to highlight special items.
Use natural materials in the menu to convey your restaurant’s commitment to natural ingredients. Depending on your restaurant’s specialty, this could mean anything from leather covers with inserts you can change based on the day, all bound together by 12 inch elastic cord with barbs or balls. Or it could mean rustic, hand-made-looking paper bound by elastic program tassel loops for a theatrical flair.
Show… well-chosen fonts paired with mouthwatering food photography exudes deliciousness and triggers cravings centers in your customers’ brains that can induce them to buying dishes at a higher price point.
…And Tell… Farm-to-Table Local is hot, so if your restaurant focuses on these foods, highlight that all over the menu. Tell about the farm where your eggplant comes from, or share a little nostalgia about a classic pie recipe (without divulging the secret, of course).
Have a separate dessert menu. This helps diners get over their fear of ordering appetizers, for one thing. It also adds a special touch, particularly if the dessert menu is beautifully finished with a satin stretch bow.

If you are creating a new menu or revamping and old one, contact Elastic Connections today to discuss unique elastic cord options for your menu binding today.

Elastic Hangtags for Bottles

The retail market is competitive, and consumers are inadvertently drawn to products without understanding why. As a manufacturer of any type of bottled product, you know your product must “leap off the shelf” as you have only seconds to grab the attention of the consumer.

Packaging for bottled products – whether for wine, or perfume, or hot sauce – is easily enhanced with hang tags.

Hang tags are usually your customer’s first look at what your product has to offer. Without having to read the entire description on the label of your product, consumers read the most important information about what you have to sell on the hang tag. Those that attract attention, and are easily accessible to the customer will yield the best results.

Get consumers to pick up your product first with attractive, easy to read labeling. Provide information on your merchandise tags that give consumers what they want: information at their fingertips about the product they are considering:

What the product is made of
Where the product was made
How the product is used

Elastic for the hangtags come in a variety of colors and textures to match the style of your product and packaging. With hangtag elastic, your product labels can vary in size. Hangtag elastic is available in diameters ranging from 1mm (.040”) up to 2.4mm (.095”) to accommodate a variety of label material, size and weight. The durability of the hangtag elastics ensures that your product tags will stay in place until the customer chooses to remove them.

With attractive labeling, you can bring your product into the forefront. Inquire about our hangtag elastic sold in bulk either spooled or in pretied elastic pieces.