Plastic Products Maintain Sales Appeal

Durable, versatile solutions, these industry favorites are tough to beat.

Plastic products have maintained their coveted position at the forefront of the industry. From cards to door hangers and keytags to rulers, the durable material has so many uses that customers can't seem to get enough of it. Plastic products have arguably made life more livable, and have proven themselves worthy of the accolades they often receive.

"Plastic card sales have increased considerably because people see the value and durability of plastic when compared to paper products," said Jake Jacobs, senior vice president of sales at Arthur Blank & Co., a Boston-based supplier of private-label plastic cards. "Marketers love them because they are somewhat like mini-billboards, and consumers tend to hold onto them longer, which brings a higher redemption rate for gift and loyalty cards," he noted.

Debbie Chadwick, plastic products manager at Bertek Systems, Georgia, Vt., shared Jacobs' sentiments. "We have seen an increase in the sales of our plastic products because plastic has become an inexpensive way to promote and advertise a company's products and services," she explained. For instance, Chadwick said that items such as keytags, calendar cards and Rolodex cards generally "serve as great tools in keeping a company's name in front of perspective customers," especially when they are made from plastic.

Arthur Blank & Co.—which manufactures a variety of plastic cards, including standard-sized credit cards, Combo Cards with a choice of one or two keytags, and RAC (retail activation card) cards—recently added the MidRAC to its product line. The RAC card is a one-piece product that is scored in the middle so that the top half can be used as a promotional piece and includes a hang hole. The bottom half snaps off into a standard-sized credit card and can be activated as a gift card or other function. "We added the MidRAC card on request from our customers," Jacobs explained. "We now offer RAC cards in small, medium and long sizes," he said.