Who doesn’t love great swag? Company swag, or branded merchandise, promotes an incredible connection and engagement within your company and with the public by increasing brand awareness. Online company swag stores are an increasingly popular way for companies to engage with their employees and put their brand in the hands of customers. Still, you may be wondering what exactly a company swag store is.
What is a Company Swag Store?
Simply put, a company swag store is an online store that allows employees at your company or your customers to purchase branded swag items to show support for your company (and show off!). Also referred to as a web-to-print portal or e-commerce store, it is a great advertising tool because it increases profitability and gets your company name out there for all to see. Deciding to open a company swag store is easy, but we’ve compiled several common mistakes to avoid to help make your store successful.
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#1: Printing Without Proofing
Once your store is operational and allows for orders to be placed, it is crucial to make sure that orders are correct. This should be done during the approval process, but it can often fall through the cracks. To avoid this potentially expensive mistake, you can assign a designated person(s) to confirm spelling, check graphic placement, verify information, etc. Once an item (or hundreds of items) is printed with incorrect information, you are left with unusable items and the cost of reprinting an order.
#2: Not Keeping up With Approvals
To ensure that mistakes aren’t made, there should always be a chain of approval that an order must go through before it is allowed to print. This can be set up electronically so that each approver receives a notification when it is time for them to do their part. A common mistake that can happen is when the approvers are not checking their notifications, or the previous approver is no longer in that position. When approvals are not done correctly or in a timely fashion, there can be a backlog of orders. To avoid any delays, make sure that everyone’s information in the approval chain is updated, notifications are turned on, and the approval queue is checked on a consistent basis.
#3: Losing Access
It can be a hassle when we accidentally forget our personal email password, but it can be a major issue if you become locked out of your company swag store. Once you lose access to the portal, it can be difficult to get back in. It can also cause delays to orders, missed notifications, or a lack of updates to products. Not having designated employees who hold this information leaves your team susceptible to lockouts. Make sure that the right people (and the right amount of people) have access to your store and keep track of their login information to avoid any downtime.
#4: Giving the Wrong People the Wrong Permissions
Giving access to too many employees or allowing too many permissions to your web-to-print portal can lead to errors. Lack of knowledge or lack of bandwidth to make corrections or monitor notifications can lead to misprints and delayed orders. There should be a designated person or team who understands how the store operates, how to provide consistent branding, and how to manage approvals. When the appropriate team has the knowledge and resources they need to manage your online company swag store, things will flow much more smoothly and efficiently.
#5: Not Promoting Your Store
You already promote your business successfully, but one key mistake is not promoting the company swag store. Once the store is operational, it’s time to let people know! This includes your employees who want to rep your brand and your customers who already love everything that you have to offer. Your employees will feel pride wearing company swag, which in turn will build your company culture. Your customers will also feel a sense of connection to your brand with swag they can use every day. You can promote your store by advertising its opening, giving swag to employees as a thank-you, and providing corporate gifts to new clients and customers when you close a sale. It’s a simple way to get the conversation started around the items you offer.
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#6: Choosing a Vendor Who Isn’t Reliable
Once that conversation is started, the orders will begin rolling in. One of the biggest mistakes that can happen, happens before you even roll out your company swag store. It is choosing a vendor who isn’t reliable. Low-quality items, incorrect orders, and shipping delays all negatively affect your brand. Choosing the right vendor is essential to keeping your company swag store functional and profitable. Wondering which vendor you should work with? Ironmark has the knowledge, resources, and exceptional customer service you need in a company swag store provider. Our team is here to guide you every step of the way through the process of getting quality branded swag to your customers.
