EBOOK ON PROMOTIONAL BRANDED MERCHANDISE ITS ROLE IN BOOSTING THE IMPACT OF YOUR STRATEGY

D E S IGN PRINT M ERCHAND I S E FUL FILMENT L OGISTI C S

D E S IGN PRINT M ERCHAND I S E FUL FILMENT L OGISTI C S MERCHANDISE MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN MARKETING

The growing popularity of promotional products has helped to create a market worth around £1BN in the UK. In this eBook, we explore the reasons why bringing your to life with physical marketing can help boost your reputation, connect with customers and increase . PROMOTIONAL BRANDED MERCHANDISE • ITS ROLE IN BOOSTING THE IMPACT OF YOUR

As technology develops in sophistication and accessibility, sporting events, Royal weddings, centenary celebrations, creative ways of bringing your brand to life are booming and and any other anniversary. Keep track of when your own careful consideration should be given to selecting the right company was founded and use promotional products as a promotional products to meet your objectives. platform to mark the occasion and remind your customers about your heritage and wealth of experience. When you meet potential customers face to face, at an event or exhibitions, it helps enormously to be able to present them Perhaps one of the most compelling uses of branded with a reminder that they have spoken to you, and the means merchandise is clothing. If you have uniformed employees, to get in touch. Business cards and leaflets may be lost or it is vital to ensure that items are good quality, cleaned or casually dispensed with, but a tangible item with a perceived replaced regularly, and branded clearly and consistently. A is much more likely to be kept long after the event team member in uniform out on business acts as powerful WHY USE PROMOTIONAL has faded in the memory. In live situations where you are ambassador for your brand. Alternatively, consider issuing surrounded by competitors, you will need to use ingenuity and branded clothing to those who influence your customers MERCHANDISE? creativity to select items that really make an impact. and the choices they make. This can have a subtle influence on the decision-making process that pays big dividends. If you are mailing out products to your customers, it is possible to create a buzz in the recipients’ office by sending something Promotional products can have an enviable longevity, 1 creative, useful or innovative. The most powerful ideas will frequently becoming part of the furniture within your With so many digital channels inspire and delight your customers, generating warmth towards customers’ work environments. They can serve as a available to get your message your brand and reducing any resistance to engagement. And constant reminder of your brand and ensure that your your follow-up call will start with a ready-made talking point. contact details are always easily accessible. With the wealth across, you may be forgiven of options available in branded merchandise it makes sense For gifts or incentives, carefully-chosen merchandise can make for thinking that branded to review the types of products available and find the right all the difference to levels of engagement with your brand. A merchandise no longer has a items for your business. reward scheme for loyal customers could include branded gifts place. In fact, the reverse is true. that they will value. If you’re launching a new product or service, provides the perfect opportunity to IN SUMMARY... showcase your brand character and personality, bringing to life MERCHANDISE PROVIDES: what you stand for in a tangible and appealing way. A tangible reminder of your brand in a digital world

Merchandise can be usefully deployed in communications A method of linking your brand with a partner, valuable within your business too; to highlight a new product to the cause or important event sales team, to celebrate an anniversary, or to bring together merging organisations. A unified gift for employees joining A way of bringing your brand to life through the together for the first time can help to make everyone feel endorsement of ambassadors part of the same family. You also might want to reinforce employee recognition with a branded gift.

Promotional products work well to highlight your sponsorship commitments and co-branding with organisations that you support can help to leverage your corporate social responsibility. Branded goods can help you to interact with causes you support, or events that highlight key or topical issues. You can link items to international PROMOTIONAL BRANDED MERCHANDISE • ITS ROLE IN BOOSTING THE IMPACT OF YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

Decide how you are going to measure your return on Think about what is printed on your merchandise. It may sound investment and keep track of success to help you to make obvious but always include your . Contact details should be future ordering decisions. Objectives may be based on the brief and concise. Just the web address should be fine in most unit cost per lead or customer acquisition, achieving brand circumstances. Unless you’re Apple or Nike, you will need to awareness or generating engagement on social media. make it clear what your company offers so work hard to perfect a helpful summary of your product or service. The number of HOW TO GET THE BEST Pens, cups, and items of stationery are all obvious choices for words available to you will depend on the size of the item and standard branded products, along with clothing and uniform. how it will be rendered in the print process. OUT OF BRANDED The range is enormous, and prices start at under £1. Select a good quality pen that flows well from a reputable supplier and Personalisation always adds value and is increasing in PRODUCTS it could become an office favourite. The sky is the limit for what popularity as it becomes easier to deliver, primarily because you can spend on high-value customers with engraving options it is proven to make an impact and holds great appeal. This possible for crystal, glass and silverware. might simply be applied to the box or outer packaging but 2 could appear on physical items making them far more likely Looking for branded merchandise There is a growing trend for wearable technology and the to be retained. Personalised boxes sent through the mail are ideas that are appropriate for your internet of things is bringing connectivity to the most mundane enjoying a boom. By combining several types of branded items of household items including lightbulbs, thermostats to brand should be driven by your and personalising the outer of your box, you will add value to doorbells. If your brand operates in the domestic market, you your merchandise and delight your clients. objectives, your chosen method of could choose a product that portrays your brand as digital- , and the message you savvy and in touch with the latest developments. Other popular IN CONCLUSION... want to convey. themes for 2019 are likely to include items that promote health and well-being, as well as sustainability which we will look at in MERCHANDISE CAN BE: the next chapter. Low budget, high volume for mass appeal

Usefulness reigns in promotional merchandise and items which High quality, high tech and personalised for valued clients can serve a purpose time after time are more likely to be kept, Designed to fit the occasion or time of year adding impetus to your brand message and maximizing return on investment. While the range of products is endless, it is important that you choose well to suit your audience or the occasion. If you’re attending a high-end event or exhibition, think about how you will compare with your competitors and ensure that you have something slicker to offer than a simple pen. PROMOTIONAL BRANDED MERCHANDISE • ITS ROLE IN BOOSTING THE IMPACT OF YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

Consider starting with an audit of every item that carries your which encompass all aspects of responsible business practice brand. Almost inevitably, you will uncover inconsistencies in including labour, health and safety, impact on the environment your brand colours and even in your logo. Some arise from and business ethics. evolutions in your brand identity that haven’t been fully rolled out. Others occur when products are procured by different Check whether items will be screen-printed or produced using teams across the business. We will look at ways to manage this pad or tampography. Printing merchandise will affect in our logistics chapter below. Consolidate your supply and the accuracy of your brand colours and whether Pantones can benefit from cost efficiencies as well as better control over the be replicated. Colour affects price too, with options ranging types and quality of products in circulation. from single to four colour, each adding to the final cost. Returning to the same reliable supplier will ensure that you You have carried out your audit, devised your strategy and achieve brand consistency and high quality over time. SOURCING AND made a commitment to invest in branded promotional products. But where do you start when it comes to sourcing a Take time to carefully consider order quantities and avoid PROCURING YOUR reliable supply? Find a reputable supplier that is accredited by wastage. Unit costs reduce as orders increase but try to avoid the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA), the tying up too much investment in stock. When planning your MERCHANDISE Promotional Merchandise Trade Association (PROMOTA) or budget for merchandise, always take account of the lifecycle of SEDEX and you will avoid the pitfalls of dealing with unstable each item. Ideally, you should select amounts to cover specific or disreputable companies that could see you losing your time periods or individual campaigns rather than planning 3 investment if they cease trading. When you’re deciding on a too far ahead. If you’re ordering a general item to promote It is important to remember that merchandise supplier, don’t skip on the due diligence. Small , you may be prepared to make a high-volume order to achieve the best price. You could benefit from cost your promotional merchandise organisations in this sector can quickly find themselves in financial difficulty so be sure to place your business with an efficiencies through bulk purchasing by arranging to store your represents your brand and should organisation you can trust. items with a third party. However, if your item supports a short- fit within your range of marketing term campaign, be careful not to be saddled with redundant or communications materials, A merchandise supplier will be able to advise on the best out of date stock. source of the products on your list and the optimum time to meeting brand guidelines order them with a detailed knowledge of lead times, especially With the right advice from a supplier who will act as a trusted particularly in the way that important for purchases from the Far East. You should allow partner, you could be well on the way to creating a suite of your logo is represented. several weeks for items that are shipped by sea from India promotional merchandise that adds significant value to your or China, for example. Although you can achieve attractive marketing strategy. unit prices from Far East suppliers, beware of interruptions to trading such as Chinese New Year. It is much easier to use the TO SUM UP... services of a third-party branded merchandise supplier than to WHEN PROCURING BRANDED PRODUCTS: deal with manufacturers direct. This way, you will get access to a full range of items according to your needs. Check for membership or accreditation of a quality mark organisation With environmental concerns hitting the headlines on an Consider lead times especially if you’re sourcing from almost daily basis, most companies are turning to promotional the Far East products that avoid single-use plastics and meet recycling and sustainability guidelines. Talk to your supplier to find ethically- Make sure your environmental credentials match your brand sourced products that sit well with your brand vision. If it’s important to your organisation, find out how suppliers stack up against the SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) PROMOTIONAL BRANDED MERCHANDISE • ITS ROLE IN BOOSTING THE IMPACT OF YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY

Logistics and stock management present their own challenges, to improve the efficiency of your procurement and minimize from whether you have enough storage space on your wastage. It will provide flexibility so that stock items to be called premises, and whether you operate from multiple sites, to your off as required. You will receive automated alerts in plenty of ability to move heavy boxes, and maintain easy access to your time when stocks require replenishment. Your merchandise materials. Your merchandise supplier should be able to help supplier will have a good understanding of lead times and you to organise the logistics, so all your materials are in the be able to arrange pre-agreed reductions in price for bulk right place at the right time. purchases that may save money. This may be advantageous for smaller franchisees within a group, for example, as they will be Bear in mind when making orders that food items including as able to gain access to the same low prices as larger outlets. confectionary and drinks have a shelf life and a use-by date. Some food items require special storage conditions. Your Ideally, the system should enable ordering from multiple MERCHANDISE merchandise supplier should be able to hold stock for you, in departments within the business or from a range of locations. refrigerated conditions if required, to maintain the quality of Sophisticated systems will allow items to be charged to MANAGEMENT – GETTING your goods and keep them fresh for customers. individual cost centres if required. Check whether you can have multiple log-in accounts with different permission levels and let THE LOGISTICS RIGHT Giveaways are always tempting and colleagues from around your supplier handle requests for supplies to be sent out. Using your business may request them for a myriad of uses, some of an online system helps you to keep control of budgeting and which may not meet your carefully-crafted objectives. Keeping create status reports to help you manage supplies. 4 control of orders and access to stock should be centralised Your shipment is ready and within the marketing team so that you know that materials will Assets such as brand guidelines and logo files at the right size reach the right audience and there will be no wastage. It can be and resolution can be stored online so that they are easily the promotional products you hard to control once colleagues start distributing merchandise, accessible in future. Pictures of individual items will remind you ordered are on their way to being but it is good working practice to devise a system for signing what you have ordered in the past. White label merchandise delivered. out materials and attributing them to various departments or can be kept in stock and printed as required via a web to print teams to help you keep track. service so check that this option is available on your supplier’s online system. When it comes to the practicality of distributing your materials, consider contracting with a single supplier that can meet a If you choose a supplier of merchandise that is able to behave range of requirements from bulk deliveries, to personalised like a partner and form an extension of your team, the logistics consignments that are put together on demand. Picking and for sourcing, ordering and managing your promotional goods packing is a specialist task and some small items can be fiddly and merchandise should be frictionless, leaving you to move on to handle. to your next big idea.

One of the most significant challenges of managing IN SUMMARY... merchandise is the ability to have full visibility of your stock levels. Having a system in place to keep track of who is A GOOD LOGISTICS STRATEGY WILL HELP requesting items from within the business can be vital in YOU TO MAKE SURE THAT: helping you to keep track of spend. If you can’t monitor stock You have the space to store your merchandise and the effectively, you could be saddled with a panic call to your means of fulfilment supplier to fulfil a last-minute request from the sales team on the eve of a crucial event. You can monitor shelf life or ensure that your materials are always up to date An online stock-monitoring system with an easily accessible reporting function will provide actionable data and insights You can keep track of orders and avoid wastage WE’RE READY TO ACCOMPANY YOU AT THE START OF YOUR JOURNEY.

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