How to sell tote bags: Your 101 guide to earning more POD sales

1. Create simple designs for your print-on-demand tote bags

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: simple sells. Simple, text-based designs have the most widespread appeal no matter what you’re selling. Plus, text-based designs are the easiest designs to create. So don’t try to reinvent the wheel with your print-on-demand tote bag designs. Simple = more sales, I promise.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when designing your tote bags:

Keep your designs clean and clutter-free.

This goes for all your Low Hanging System products, not just tote bags. Too much clutter in your designs distracts potential customers from your products. Stick to simple text-based designs with one color and one font, and you can’t go wrong. 

Use a limited color palette.

Too many colors can overwhelm shoppers. Using too many colors can also create reasons for shoppers to dislike your designs. For example, someone might hate the color orange. And if you have orange in your design, that could be reason enough for that shopper not to buy from you. I recommend sticking with simple black text. It has the most universal appeal.

Use high-quality images or graphics.

Again, text-based designs work best. But if you want to include images or your own photography, make sure the photos are clear and well-lit. And with graphics, use vector files so you can resize them without reducing their quality.   

Offer customization.

Customers love customizing their products, especially Etsy customers. And any design you create can allow for customization. Give customers the option to add a name, date, or even a personal photo to their tote bags. This will help you stand out from the competition.

Create designs for a variety of niches.

Don’t limit yourself when it comes to niches for your tote bag designs. Here’s a list of niche ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

• Animal breeds (e.g. cats, dogs, horses, sloths)
• Occupations (e.g. teachers, nurses, lawyers)
• Hobbies (e.g. knitting, scrapbooking, doing puzzles)
• Travel (e.g. names of famous cities or countries or simpler travel to the beach or mountains)
• Mythical creatures (e.g. unicorns, mermaids, dragons)
• Musical instruments (e.g. piano, violin, guitar)

To see a more in-depth list of niche ideas, check out my Master List.

2. Optimize your product listings

After creating your tote bag designs, you need to create your product listings. Your goal is to write compelling copy that describes your tote bags and convinces people to buy from you. 

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Create descriptive, keyword-rich titles.

 Your titles should be clear, concise, and keyword-rich. But you don’t want to “keyword stuff.” Include keywords that describe your tote bag, such as “polyester” and “reusable.” But don’t go overboard. Your titles should be readable and make sense. 

Here’s a list of some popular tote-bag-related keywords according to Etsy and Amazon:

Write detailed descriptions.

In your descriptions, mention all the important details about your tote bags. This includes the materials they’re made from, their dimensions, and their carrying capacity. Think of questions shoppers may have about your tote bags. Then, answer those questions in your descriptions. 

Here’s what you need to know about CustomHappy tote bags:

Use high-quality product photos.

Besides your main product photo, consider adding photos that show your tote bags in use. In other words, show images of people using your tote bags and carrying them around. These types of images are called lifestyle images. And they help shoppers visualize what it would be like to own your tote bags.   

3. Promote your tote bags

Selling on Amazon and Etsy lets you leverage the traffic already going to these sites. This beats traffic-driving from scratch. But you still have to make your tote bags stand out from other sellers’. And this means finding ways to promote your tote bags.

Here are a few ways you can promote your totes: 

Use social media.

Social media is a great way to reach potential customers and generate interest in your tote bags. Post regular updates and include photos or videos of your tote bags in use as well as relevant hashtags. The most popular social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok. 

Run ads.

Facebook and Instagram are both great platforms for running print-on-demand-specific ads. You can target potential customers based on interests, demographics, or location. 

Take part in online communities.

There are lots of online communities dedicated to print-on-demand products. These communities let you connect with potential customers. And you can get your products in front of new shoppers. To find relevant communities, try searching for groups on Facebook. 

4. Offer discounts and promotions

Customers love a good deal. Discounts and promotions help increase interest in your print-on-demand tote bags. And more interest leads to more sales. You can offer discounts on Amazon and Etsy or on your website (if you have one). You can offer percentage-off discounts, dollar-amount discounts, or free shipping.  

For example, you could offer 15% off your tote bags or $3 off your purchase. You could run holiday-specific promotions (for example, Halloween). Or you can run a promotion “just because.” To learn more about how to set up discounts and coupon codes on Amazon and Etsy, check out this blog post.   

5. Provide excellent customer service

Providing top-notch customer service is vital to the success of any online business. Respond to all inquiries about your tote bags within 24 hours to keep your customers happy. When issues arise, resolve them quickly and politely. That way, your customers feel valued. Always try to put yourself in your customers’ shoes and respond to them how you’d like to be responded to. 

Hashtags and coupon codes to promote and sell your tote bags

Use this list of hashtags to enhance your social media content and make your posts visible to more shoppers. And use this list of coupon codes when you run promotions for your tote bags.

Hashtags

#totebag
#totebags
#totebagcanvas
#tote
#totes
#fashion
#fashtionbag
#style
#handbag
#handbags
#shoudlerbag
#shoulderbags
#purse
#accessories
#uniquebag
#funbag

Coupon codes

TOTE
TOTEBAG
FASHION
STYLE
PURSE
CARRYALL
MYNEWBAG
TOTELOVE
HAPPYBAG
CANVAS

Click here to access your free tote bag mockups

These mockups are 100% free to use. And they come in four sizes: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Include them in your product listings or social media posts. That way, you make your content more eye-catching to shoppers.

If you’re interested in receiving these mockups, sign up here. You won’t need to put in your credit card details on the next page (unless you’d like to sign up for other offers on that page). This is just an easy way for us to get you your mockups in as smooth a way as possible. Enjoy! :)

After downloading the mockups, add your tote bag designs using any graphic software. Then, upload the images to your listings or promotional content.

I hope you find this list of ways to sell more print-on-demand tote bags useful. If you have any other advice to share, please leave a comment below. And if you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and followers.