Party bag business, Advice Please.

[Drpepper]

Just 2 pennith to add, Eco, Organic etc is rapidly going out of fashion with people now shunning the extra cost, be if perceived or not.

Go generic rather than licensed/big brand names, only because your margins will be at least anything from double to x5 and you will be offering something different to boot.

 

[deniser]

I would love to see a party bag with American sweets in them rather than the usual English ones. There's a shop selling them at Bluewater or at least there used to be.

 

[smj28]

Funky?!!

Oops I meant to say Fuzzy :redface:.

 

[smj28]

Just 2 pennith to add, Eco, Organic etc is rapidly going out of fashion with people now shunning the extra cost, be if perceived or not.

Go generic rather than licensed/big brand names, only because your margins will be at least anything from double to x5 and you will be offering something different to boot.

Thanks Drpepper,

I have got a few ideas about what types of bags Im going to do - I want to stay away from the licensed ones as there are so many online retailers offering these, instead Im working on my own themes, packaging styles etc and hopefully these will give me better margins like you said and may help me in retaining a good customer base.

 

[smj28]

My advice is that that's not a very good attitude to start a business with, I would never go into a new business with that view because it's expecting failure.

Instead of just saying the markets saturated, study your competitors and find ways you can differ from them, find ways you can be better than them.

Thanks for your comment, I am very positive about starting my new business but I am keen to listen to others who are running businesses etc and maybe learn something from their advice and experience.

 

[Ticks]

I've noticed people are starting to do the craft/cooking party so take home what they made instead of a typical party bag. Also the idea of giving one good present instead of 5 cheap things seems popular. so if you can give a book/dvd for a couple of quid as an option - themed maybe?

 

[devilmaycry]

Have you made any progress with the party bag business?

 

[smj28]

Have you made any progress with the party bag business?

Hi Devilmaycry,

I am getting there. Currently working on getting my website up and running and hope to be trading by early May if not sooner - will keep you posted.

 

[devilmaycry]

Good news. Look forward to hearing about your progress

 

[SillyJokes]

I have 4 kids and never once has any of them been given a bought pre filled party bag.

I always do my own and budget about £2 or £3.

I wish you well, but I'd say you aren't ever gonna be a millionaire stuffing pocket money toys in bags all day. Staffing is the most expensive thing and if you ever get really busy this cost will be high for you.

 

[iArtist]

I think there is market for quality party bags for busy mums with plenty of money and no time or desire to do this themselves.

Most party bags are full of crap and the shop that sell the bits to go in them only sell crap so its a waste of money regardlesss of how little is spent on them.

I attempted to create party bags with non-crap items and it does become costly, in the £5+ bag range. For this you might get a nice little book, pen set and so on.

If you're looking a very high end, then you could have watches, nail varnish kits, plane making kits and all sorts. The sky is the limit.

I know someone who hired fair ground rides for her kids b'day party so definitely spending £30+ per party bag wouldn't have phased her. These people do exist and they pay for everyone to do everything!

Tricky part will be marketing it at target audience.

 

[silvieuk]

At my play centre we use our own party bags at £1.60.... around 1 in 5 people/parties take them up.... I had a private hire recently from the local football team and wags (lots of money with pro footballers)... they ordered the bags... but then cancelled them and replaced them with their own Easter Eggs.

£10 a bag is way over the mark, and I'll be suprised if you sell any. The bag its self will have to be very special, and the insides would need to be out of this world to warrant a mum/dad spending over £100 at a party for all the children just on bags. We get our own branded card board box / bag printed, and bulk buy all the rest from a quality toy supplier, etc, and as parents ourselves, carefully pick and choose what goes inside so its looks expsenive and not cheap.

We also sell helium balloons, which do look cool when tied to the party bag

The bags and contents of most pre-filled sites like rubbish, so thats why parents also buy/do their own. Even Tescos have a party bag section these days.

 

[superl123]

I have to agree, I have been in Kids Party biz for 8 years, no way can I imagine a Mum paying all that money for a party bag, gone are the days when people splashed out so much on Kids parties. Also there are several companies already providing this service. We used to make our own, very labour intensive! So we then got them from a supplier who has a wide range, depending on price, but you are unlikely to get any play centre paying more than 75p per bag, in the current market as they cannot pass that cost on to the customer.
Don't forget any sweets are perishable, so if you don't sell them you'll have to bin them! And then you've got ALLERGIES!

 

[iArtist]

People in high income brackets and they do exist would not buy a party bag for £2 that is guarranteed to be full of crap, they would without doubt spend £10 plus for something of quality. Designer handbags for their darlings little friends is not beyond the realms of possibility for those people. I mentioned that party my kids went to a while ago, their party bags had at least £30 worth of goodies. You'd have thought it was their birthday. If the product is marketed at high end consumer it can be a success probably because there IS nothing high end for those people! It is largely cheap rubbish which is perhaps why it's dying. People are putting together their own party bags. I know I always do.

I hate those cheap nick nacks.

I once bought my kids friends little 'pooping sheep' and cow toys (We had party at local farm which has play centre - so it was on 'theme'. )The poops were chocolate sweets and the kids loved them. They cost me £5 a piece and I'm far from rich.