~ ixöq wholesaler resources ~
tips, tricks & merchandising advice
This page includes some tips and tricks on merchandising & selling your ixöq products. Now that you've so kindly purchased from us we all want to see these fabulous products sell.
Selling points
- ixöq is an ethical and sustainable brand. It is pronounced ee-sh-auk & means women in 2 Mayan languages
- Cestas are perfect for the beach, the market, the gym, travel, storage, and much more. You can use them to carry books, groceries, clothes, snacks, pretty much anything.
- The unique designs are created by ixöq.
- They are handwoven by our partner artisans in Guatemala using recycled plastic cord (locally sourced in Guatemala)
- Each tag has the name of the woman artisan who made the product.
- It can take 6-8 hours to make one cesta
- ixöq follows fair trade standards & the women are paid a fair & living wage for their work.
- The lined totes are lined using up-cycled ‘jaspe’ fabric customarily used for skirts in Mayan communities in Guatemala.
- ixöq products are easy to clean and can be rinsed directly with a hose or faucet or wiped down using water & a mild detergent.
- They will last forever and will not lose their shape (and if they do get slightly wonky they can easily be reshaped using the instructions above).
- We strongly encourage you to display at least a few of your cestas together so they don’t end up looking like display baskets.
- Borrow a cesta from your inventory to use for yourself! There’s no better way to understand how fabulous they are & they will be no worse for the wear after a few uses by you
Unpacking & Reshaping
Your ixöq cestas were packed with care & the goal of maintaining their shape but also decreasing volume & shipping cost. Given this, and the unknown of how the boxes were treated en route, they might come out of the box slightly misshapen. But worry not! The recycled plastic thread is very pliable and the cestas can easily be molded back into shape.
To do so:
- Stand the product up or lay it on its side.
- Re-shape it by ‘folding’ it gently with your hands along the edges.
- Go around the full perimeter of the sides, gently shaping it to return it to a more box-like shape.
- With some easy manipulating, your product will return to its natural shape.
- In the unlikely event that the plastic just doesn't 'give', you can put it in the sun or run a hairdryer over it to warm it up and make it more maliable
The tassels on your products are wrapped in tissue paper & hung on the inside of the bag to preserve their shape & tassel effect. Make sure you remove the tissue paper & gently flip the tassels to the outside of the cestas. A small comb or your fingers can be used to straighten them if they have crimped. The totes look much better with their tassels hanging free, so we encourage displaying them unwrapped.
Merchandising / display tips
Create a Focal Point
Place a visually striking Cesta at the center of your display to draw customers' attention. Highlight its unique features, such as vibrant colors or striking designs, to pique interest.
Park Story in Chevy Chase, DC always has stunning displays that integrate our totes in with other products, creating a focal but not overpowering sight line. www.shopparkstory.com
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Tell Our Story
Share the story behind our Cestas with your customers. Emphasize their handcrafted nature and the skillful artistry of our partner artisans. And make sure you note that the material used is made from recycled plastic! Use eye-catching signage to highlight key selling points. For example:
Show the customer the ixöq tag that has the name of the artisan who wove each product. Customers love to connect with the story behind the products they purchase.
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Offer Demonstrations
All of this produce fit into an extra large & a large cesta tote! Being able to speak to their usefulness helps customers envision how they will fit into their lives.
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Cross-Promote
Display the Cestas alongside complementary products, such as beach towels, sun hats, pouches, or picnic essentials. This cross-promotion can increase the value of the Cestas and encourage add-on purchases.
This stunning display, by Intwine in Zurich, pairs an ixöq cesta tote with a matching cosmetic pouch.
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Use the products
This may be the most important tip of all. Our products are essentially indestructible and will be no worse for the wear if you borrow one for an outing or two to see how it feels & how you use it. Everyone who uses our products raves about their functionality, their uniqueness, how they multifaceted they are, and how the size & shape make it perfect for ...[fill in the blank]. So use a cesta. Pop a plant in a planter. Borrow a basket or two to display products in your store. Then you'll be able to speak to their magic!
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Shelves ... how to use them
Shelves are a natural place to want to display our products. We get it. They can be big and take a fair amount of space so why not tuck them up on a shelf? Shelves work great if the items around them help highlight the product. Shelves aren't great if they place the product out of reach or if the tote or basket looks like it's part of the display & not for sale. This applies to under tables as well, especially if you store them nested together. But a well curated shelf can highlight & beautifully integrate ixöq products.
Spaces by Nicki Bongiorno did a fantastic job of using shelf space without having the totes look like storage. They were reachable and coordinated well with the art & clothing to create a stunning look.
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Feature ixöq on social media & in newsletters
Sometimes people just need a little encouragement or reminder or visual. Showing lifestyle images really brings our products alive!
Little Black Dress in Chestertown, PA is fabulous at posting & tagging ixöq on social!
Mango and Main in Annapolis does a great job promoting their products on social media and we're always excited when ixöq cestas pop into the frame!
We appreciate it if you tag @ixoq.boxi when you feature our products in a post or story. Nothing makes us happier than a virtual 'cesta siting' & we really enjoy cross-promoting stores that carry our brand!
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Need some images?
We are ALWAYS taking photos, which we are happy to share. We have created a photo gallery for your ACCESS. Please just tag @ixoq.boxi on social & provide photo credit using the attributions noted with the photos (and please only use these to promote ixöq's presence in your store). We will continue to add to these resources so remember to check back if you're looking for some media assets!
We are always eager to help so please feel free to email or call Katie at hello@ixoqboxi.com or 301-785-0421