Dataviz for Retail: Recommendations for Designing a Hang Tag

Hang Tags

I came across a blog entry written back in September 2013 by Igor Ovsyannykov, who describes himself as a geek, blogger, and designer. Mr. Ovsyannykov discusses how best to design a Hang Tag for a piece of merchandise, in his case, apparel. In the apparel industry, the hang tag designed and used can influence whether a customer will purchase your product or not. If your tag looks cheap, customers may associate your clothing with poor quality. So, how do you design a hang tag that will influence your customer’s purchase decision? Read Igor’s recommendations below to find out how to create the perfect hang tag.

1. Make sure your hang tag reflects the market you want to sell your clothing in

There are a lot of different clothing markets, from kids’ clothing to high-end women’s clothing. If you’re selling clothing for kids, your hang tag should reflect this. Hang tags for children’s clothing should have bright colors and imagery that is attractive to kids.

However, clothing markets for children can have varied segments. If you are selling clothing for very babies and toddlers, your hang tags should be more directed towards parents. If you are selling high-end women’s clothing, your hang tag should look elegant and sophisticated.

Hang tags can enhance how your customer perceives a clothing item. Be aware of your key demographic and try to create your hang tag with this demographic in mind. To get an idea of whether your hang tag will be effective, get a lot of feedback from your friends, family, and colleagues.

2. Include tips on how the clothing item can be worn on the hang tag

The hang tag gives you a chance to tell your customers how your product should be used. You can use the hang tag to convince your customers to buy your product. You can do so by making an argument for the item’s usefulness or attractive design.

If you’re selling athletic or outdoor clothing, your hang tag should tell your customers how your clothing item is useful in that regard. For example, if you’re selling a winter jacket, specify for what kind of weather the jacket is ideal for? Let you customer know; put it on the hang tag. Similarly, if you make surf gear, your hang tags should explain what the item you’re selling is intended for. A lot of clothing is purchased as a gift by customers who know nothing about the clothing’s use. Always keep that at the back of your mind.

3. Add images to your tags

If you add images to your hang tags, you can give your customers a good idea what your product looks like when worn. You can also use images to illustrate other items that a clothing item would look good with. For example, if you’re selling a blouse, you could include an image of a woman wearing the blouse on the hang tag along with a pair of pants that complement the blouse.

Not only do images on hand tags allow you to suggest ways to wear an item to your customer, it can also persuade them to purchase your item. Images on hang tags are particularly influential for customers who are buying items as gifts. If a clothing item is being purchased as a gift, all the customer has to make a decision from is the image on the hang tag. They won’t be trying the item on to help them in their decision-making,

4. Make the name of your clothing line stick out

You want your customers to know who made the clothing item as soon as they look at the hang tag. If the brand name is hard to find, customers may think your clothing is low quality, because high quality clothing often has a very prominent name on the hang tag.

Keep in mind, however, that the name of your clothing line needs to be written to attract your key demographic. If you’re making budget work clothing, you might not want to have your clothing line written on the hang tag in a fancy cursive font. If you’re targeting hip young adults, you might want to write your name in a minimalistic fashion.

If your customers can easily see your clothing line name on the hang tag, they may remember it and purchase your products again in the future.

5. Include contact information on the hang tag

If you include a website or a telephone number, your customers will be able to find your products better. This information also makes you look more professional. It also may bring you additional business. For example, if a customer sees your product in a store but wants the product in a size that the store doesn’t have, they can go to your website to purchase it, and while they are at your website, they may purchase additional items.

In Summary

Be careful when designing your hang tag. Do not rush the design and creation of your hang tag. Impatience can cost you potential future business. Follow Igor’s recommendations above and try to get as much feedback as possible on your designs. The perfect hang tag can make your clothing sell better and become more successful.

Below are some examples of hang tags that inspired Igor.