Employee Swag Store
We’ve all seen how sports teams look in practice sessions and before games. Everyone is dressed in matching apparel with the same sweatpants and shirt, proudly representing the team they’re a part of. This not only looks good visually, but it also helps people feel like they belong to a group. This is precisely why you should consider creating an employee swag store regardless of what kind of business you are.
Having a corporate swag store is a great idea, and not only due to the benefits you can reap by providing loyal customers and partners with branded items. Swag and branded items can be used to breed employee loyalty and encourage a sense of community within your business. Be it standard items or luxury company swag, offering merchandise to employees will make each recipient feel like they’re a part of something bigger—a feeling that inspires people and encourages them to put their best foot forward.
If you’re a start-up or simply a mid-size company, you might think that the logistics and the money this kind of venture requires aren’t worth the end results. However, this isn’t the case. Nowadays, thanks to fulfillment companies and all-in-one swag platforms like Postal, the entire process of creating, manufacturing, and then distributing small business swag takes minimal effort from your end. This is yet another reason you should explore the idea of creating your own swag store.
This article will talk about some of the reasons having an employee swag store is a good idea and discuss what you can do to make it happen for your company. Keep reading to learn more about the many ways creating a swag store can elevate your business and positively impact your employees.
Company Swag
Investing in company swag has many benefits, not only for employees but also for customers, potential business partners, and other stakeholders. One of the key things you get from investing in company merchandise is brand awareness.
When you distribute branded merchandise to a wide range of people, more and more people will start to notice your brand—especially if your swag items are useful in everyday life. Bystanders might remember your logo or slogan and recognize it the next time they see it. Additionally, gifting swag to your clients and your employees encourages brand loyalty and creates a sense of community that they can always associate with your company.
When it comes to the best corporate swag ideas, you might want to invest in high-quality everyday items such as notebooks, pens, hats, water bottles, etc., in addition to making more strategic swag purchases. Some more unique and luxurious swag options might be:
- Wallets. These can be personalized and customized.
- Umbrellas. This is a genuinely useful item that can be utilized often.
- Laptop bags. Great for travel and bringing belongings to and from work.
- High-end apparel. Not just t-shirts, but high-quality jackets, pullovers, scarves, etc.
Once you decide on the best balance of swag for your business, you can start looking for swag fulfillment companies that make the kind of branded items you want.
Branded Apparel
When trying to come up with company apparel ideas, the internet can suggest almost anything your mind could think of on its own, and more. From standard mugs and hats to more unusual items such as portable drones and wireless headsets, there are endless ideas for branded apparel and branded swag. Keep in mind that the kind of branded swag you should produce largely depends on two things—your company’s culture and the current trends.
For example, this year, the focus is on manufacturing sustainable items or items that promote a more eco-friendly way of living. This is why many brands are producing:
- Tote bags, which you can use instead of plastic ones whenever you go to the store.
- Reusable travel mugs and water bottles.
- Wooden phone cases.
- Eco-friendly food storage containers and lunchboxes intended to reduce single-use plastic waste.
- Items made from recycled materials, such as blankets and backpacks.
Other trending items include those that are useful for a home office environment, such as routers, wireless chargers, and wireless keyboards.
When creating your own swag line, you should keep in mind not only what’s trending but also what your employees, partners, and customers are likely to enjoy. After all, you want them to use or wear the items you will be producing.
Additionally, in order to make the distribution of your merchandise easier, you should strongly consider setting up an e-swag store for easy access and ordering. An e-swag store is basically an e-commerce store for your swag, which makes it easier for people to order your company merchandise.
Best Company Swag Store
If you’ve decided you want to have your own swag store and you’re looking for some inspiration, take a look at these examples of the best company swag stores out there for B2B businesses. As we go through these examples, keep in mind that older versions of the best company swag (2021 edition) and newer versions of the best company swag (2022 edition) may differ. Simply put, the priorities of companies and employees evolve quickly, and so must a business’s swag offerings and swag store setup.
Both Gong and Figma are great examples of a company swag store that’s visually appealing, has diverse offers, and stays true to their brand while offering high-quality products. Gong’s swag store shows its personality well and is all about staying away from boring corporate swag. In addition to classic apparel options, they offer fun items such as pool floaties and dog collars.
Figma’s store also shows off the Figma personality and brand. They keep their design consistent with their branding and offer useful products like travel tumblers, throw blankets, tote bags, and much more. One thing both of these swag stores have in common is that they’re pleasant to navigate and browse, even if you’ve never heard of the company before.
All-in-one swag enablement platforms will allow you to create your own company swag store and look for all different kinds of swag fulfillment companies. For example, if diversity is a major priority for you, you should be able to look for minority-owned swag companies. There are so many great options for swag fulfillment, but if the above examples show anything, it’s that fulfillment is only half the battle—building your store is also vital.
Employee Online Store
Having a company merchandise store is one of the best things you can do to build culture. Creating an online swag store for employees will help you give each and every person on the team a tangible connection to your brand while also providing them with a topic to bond over and discuss in-between breaks.
Even if half of your workforce operates remotely, an online company apparel store allows them to get a sense of belonging. At any time, they can go to the employee online store to browse and purchase all sorts of useful items that remind them of the business they work for.
One of the ways to make use of company store platforms is by awarding your employees with points once they reach a particular milestone, complete a difficult task or manage to hit all of their targets. That way, they will have an incentive to perform better at their jobs.
However, in order for all that to work, you have first to design desirable products. If your online employee apparel store is full of the same old boring items with your logo or slogan placed in the middle, no one will be excited about wearing or receiving one of these products.
Online Employee Swag Store
By now, hopefully you’re convinced that creating an online company store for employees is something you should do. If not, let us give you a few more reasons why putting a swag store online makes so much sense in our new hybrid workplace model.
Even before the pandemic, creating a sense of loyalty and brand culture was difficult. Now, with so many people working from all corners of the world, it’s even harder. When people lack a sense of belonging, they often feel unattached from their jobs, uninterested, and unmotivated. One way to make team members feel like a part of a big community is by creating an online company store from where they can get items that make them feel like they’re members of your corporation.
Along with that, having seasonal “drops” of new products and making some of the items more exclusive will give employees something to bond over and discuss. This is yet another reason why having an online employee swag store makes sense.
Company Apparel Store for Employees
Have you decided it’s time to create some cool branded swag after checking out the impressive company store examples above? If you already have some ideas in the back of your mind, then it’s time to take the next steps. Having a great company store is all about finding the right partner—someone who is able to help you with your swag and store creation from beginning to end.
Why is using a good swag platform so vital? Well, good design, high-quality products, and quick delivery are all key to making your employees interested and engaged in the concept of buying or receiving branded merchandise. Additionally, the best corporate apparel companies offer not only to design and manufacture your swag items but also to help you create an online platform where you can offer your brand’s merchandise.
Your company apparel store for employees should be tailored to fit your branding (logo, color palette, etc.) no matter which platform you use to create it. That way, visitors will feel that your swag store is an extension of your company and your website, not a separate entity.
If you’re ready to take the plunge, you can use Postal Brand to build a company apparel store for your employees today. Request a demo to learn more about our services and how to build your own employee swag store.