Seaside retailers stock a variety of beach bags for practical purchases, gifting, accessorizing and impulse. One for you, one for me. Guests who peruse curated displays of home decor, apparel, accessories and more at OC (Our Cottage) Boutique in Ocean Township, New Jersey, go in with a gift-giving, treat-yourself approach to shopping.
As for beach bags, an enticing selection of styles, materials, colors and patterns begs the question: Why not buy another?
Owners Beth Conti and Kasey Pickett plant ideas for filling beach bags with practical goodies like towels and little luxuries such as jewelry. Storytelling displays suggest complementary products in similar colorways and themes.
These thoughtful groupings inspire beach bag purchases if a customer is shopping for apparel — and trigger a knit top or hat add-on for shoppers with beach bags in mind who discover so much more in the store.
We stock a variety because customers need bags for the beach, they are here on vacation and some just collect bags — they want one from wherever they go.”— Barbara Tucker, Breeza Beachwear
Not to mention, The OC (as regulars call it) personalizes beach bags with monogram services. Orders take about a week, so it’s mostly an offering for the locals.
“During peak travel and beach season, our beach bags are front and center, and we help coordinate gifts,” says Conti, noting that customers also seek utility in a beach bag.
Barbara Tucker, a San Diego- based store manager for Breeza Beachwear, with locations across Florida, Texas, California and the Carolinas, says, “We stock a variety because customers need bags for the beach, they are here on vacation and some just collect bags — they want one from wherever they go.”
Tucker echoes Conti’s “bag more” philosophy. “We have a huge selection of beach bags and they complement our offerings,” she says.
Vibrant optionsConsumers gravitate toward beach bags made from sustainable materials like organic cotton, jute, raffia, recycled plastics and seagrass, Tucker says.
Conti observes a move toward boho styles. She and Pickett gather inspo from their twenty-something children and what they would personally want to purchase.
“Our selection ranges from bright, colorful patterns to plain, sturdy canvas bags,” says Conti. “Everyone wants something different.”
A preference for organic doesn’t mean plain vanilla design, Tucker points out. Energetic seaside prints move fast at Breeza. Motifs range from sunflowers and Volkswagen Beetle patterns to tie-dye and stripes. Name-drop totes also go over big.
Big on bagsBeach bags are highly personal and a style statement customers want to own. Versatility and size are important features.
“Bigger is better than smaller,” Conti says. “People want to carry everything — a phone, towel, books.”
The takeaway: One beach bag does not fit all. Diversify.
Tucker says, “We have small bags, pretty big bags, and depending on what people are looking for, we help them find it here.” |
