About 83% of people remember the name of a brand on a promotional product. Meanwhile, about 7% of people remember a brand after seeing a TV commercial.
Promotional products are great tools to get your brand out there, but companies don’t unleash the full power of a brand.
Most people use promotional items as giveaways. While that works, companies are missing out on powerful opportunities because they don’t have a company swag store.
If you think that your business is too small to have a company swag store, think again. There are several benefits to having an online company swag store.
Are you ready to learn why you need one and how to set it up?
Let’s get to it!
What Is a Company Swag Store?
Your company swag store is a place to sell your promotional products. You can sell them through an online company swag store or in a retail location.
For large brands that everyone knows, an online swag store is a way for people to express their support or show they’re part of a tribe.
Think about sports teams. People buy jerseys, apparel, and anything with the team’s logo on it. That’s a way to tell the world that they support the team.
You might wonder who’s going to buy a product with just your logo on it. If you’re a small business that’s just starting out, you can get creative to jumpstart sales.
You can have products with inspirational messages or funny sayings with your logo. The messages need to fit with your brand, though.
The messages get people to relate to your brand and associate the feeling of the messages with your company.
Reasons to Have an Online Company Swag Store
Is it worth it to have a company swag store? Absolutely!
For starters, you can use it to create another revenue stream for your business. The more you can diversify revenue, the better.
The other reason is that you want to be remembered for your main products and services. A brand that stays top of mind with customers will increase sales. Your business is the first one that people think of when they need your product or service.
Promotional products build familiarity and trust among consumers. This is a great way to close sales with your customers.
An internal company swag store for employees has its benefits, too. Employees feel like they’re part of a team when they have branded gear. An effective way to boost team spirit and brand loyalty is by establishing a Company swag store for employees, where they can access a range of quality branded merchandise, enhancing their sense of belonging and connection to the company.
How to Start a Company Swag Store
There are a couple of things to get out of the way before you start your swag store. The first thing is to decide the purpose of the store.
Some companies want to build brand recognition. Others are large enough to use the store as another revenue stream.
Will your company swag store be an internal company swag store or one for the public? Do employees have to spend their own money at the store?
Choose the Products
Choosing the right products that sell isn’t easy. Do your research and learn about product trends. You also have to make your products relevant to your audience.
A B2B business wouldn’t have toys or promotional products that business people don’t use. Instead, they’d offer things like jump drives, USB chargers, and pens.
They might offer polo shirts instead of t-shirts because the shirts can be worn in the office.
B2C businesses also should think about the products that their audience would use on a regular basis. A fitness center can offer branded fitness gear such as minibands and water bottles.
A landscaping company can offer shirts, a garden apron set, and promotional seed packets.
Inventory and Shipping
The challenge with a company swag store is the backend. If you order your products in advance, you’re probably going to have minimum order requirements.
You’re not going to sell out of these products on the first day, so you have to store them somewhere.
Then there’s shipping and handling. Someone has to be responsible for packing the orders and shipping them to customers.
The simplest solution is to use a swag management platform. This is a full-service platform that handles the entire process from design to distribution.
Set Up the Online Company Swag Store
The easiest way to open your company swag store is to create an online store. You have to look at the content management system of your website to see what it takes to open the store.
A WordPress site needs a plugin like WooCommerce. That handles product inventory and secure payments. You may need to install add-ons for shipping and other features.
Websites built on platforms like Squarespace will need to add on ecommerce features. You’ll add items to your store.
Promote Your Swag Store
Just like any other product, you have to promote it to get sales. You can continue to drive traffic to your site and have a pop-up that directs visitors to your company store.
You can also have a campaign on social media to promote your swag. Show it off and direct people to your store.
For employees, you can give them a discount code and have regular giveaways. Give your best customers a discount code as well.
Don’t Wait to Open a Company Swag Store
Company swag is a great way to build camaraderie among employees and build brand awareness. You can use the store to add another stream of revenue and improve your close rate because people already trust your brand.
Whether you have a large or small business, a company swag store makes sense. You have to choose the right products and promote your store.
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