65 / 118
FIVE MINUTES WITH
Olivier Van Migem and
Michael Reisbaum
,
Re ective Shopper
|
MAY 2017
|
65
THINK
Re ective Shopper reusable totes are
designed to increase visibility for the user
and the brands that cater to them.
Lighting e Way
Four years ago, in a dark parking lot, Olivier
Van Migem ran into someone leaving a
supermarket—with his car. The pedestrian was
unharmed, thankfully, and Van Migem left the
incident with a new idea. “I strongly believe in
destiny,” says Van Migem, who at the time was
manufacturing reusable bags. The encounter
inspired him to add re ective trim to those bags
for better visibility in dark environments. Thus,
the Re ective Shopper was born.
Since entering the promotional products
market as a supplier, owner Van Migem
and his team have expanded their fully
patented offerings from re ective reusable
totes to bags with custom designs that can
be colored in by the end user, and re ective
bags designed for use by children who go
trick-or-treating on Halloween.
PPB
spoke with Van Migem, who is
based in Antwerp, Belgium, and Michael
Reisbaum, U.S. director of operations who
is based in West Nyack, New York, about
bringing re ective shopping bags to the
global promotional products industry.
PPB
You offered your bags in Europe prior
to entering the U.S. market; why?
Van Migem
When I visited the production
factory in Spain, I learned that there are ve
different ways trim can be added to the bags.
So I secured ve different model patents.
But in the U.S. it can take 18 to 24 months
to secure a patent; now, our patents are
recognized in Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey,
Australia, India and Russia and South Africa,
as well as in the U.S. and
Europe. We’re committed to defending our
patents, ensuring our distributor partners are
fully protected from imitators.
PPB
Why did you
transition from offering
your bags through other
suppliers to becoming a
supplier yourselves?
Van Migem
The bag was
not being marketed [as a
unique item], and at the
end of 2016 I decided I
needed to nd a solution.
In 2017 we started our business in the
U.S., launching at The PPAI Expo in Las
Vegas. The big difference with us is the way
we approach business—acting not as a
supplier but as a true partner.
PPB
What’s your go-to-market strategy as a
partner to your distributors?
Reisbaum
We both have the entirety of our
experience in the [promotional products]
marketplace as distributors. Our product is not
an item that can be sold by simply sending
someone a catalog; we don’t want to be in
some bucket of suppliers who offer a little bit
of everything. We want to help communicate
its value to our distributor partners, so we
are going to help them come up with selling
solutions. We ask them, ‘Help us create the
best presentation for your client.’
PPB
Bags are the second most popular
promotional product category in the U.S. How
does yours stand out in this crowded segment?
Van Migem
We do not sell bags, we
sell a concept. Our concept ful lls the
values of the biggest companies in the
world—sustainability, safety, creativity
(coloring edition) and great visibility for
brands. Not only are we taking care of the
environment, but we are also taking care of
the clients. Our concept is not a safety item,
but it will increase the visibility in traf c of
pedestrians during the darker period of the
day. It’s innovative, dynamic and socially
responsible. I believe in the reusable tote’s
sustainability. People need to understand
sustainability—it is being able to use a
product as long as possible.
Michael Reisbaum
Olivier Van Migem