If you don’t currently have an online company store program managing the purchasing of marketing and branded merchandise within your organization, you’ve come to the right place. But is ordering branded merchandise, marketing material, and event giveaways on your own really causing you significant loss? Not necessarily!
Small to Mid-Sized Organizations
If your organization is small to mid-sized, or you’re not heavily reliant on marketing materials, ad hoc orders may be just right for you. Let’s do a quick exercise to determine whether an online company store solution may benefit your organization.
How to Determine if an Online Company Store is Right for You
Grab a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Ready?
Now, look over the bulleted list of printed products below and mark one tally for every time you place an order for each of these items in one year.
Example: An organization orders new company uniform shirts twice yearly, new contracts and business cards at the start of each quarter, employee of the month trophies each November and a new supply of pens and stress balls for the front desk each January. If you tally up each individual order, this company is placing 8 unique orders each year.
How Often Do You Purchase:
- Brochures and pamphlets
- Contracts and forms
- Promotional giveaway products
- Employee awards and certificates
- Uniforms
- Corporate Apparel
So, how did you do? If you found that you only purchase marketing materials and branded merchandise a few times a year (between 1 and 5 tallies), buying ad hoc is not really a big deal. The ordering process will take longer, but the cost of setting up an online company store may not outweigh the costs of, say, 3 unique orders over a single year.
However, if you marked more than 7 tallies and find yourself purchasing a significant quantity of marketing and support materials each year, an online company store could be the perfect solution for you.
Why Do Companies Use an Online Company Store For Purchasing Marketing Materials and Branded Merchandise?
An online company store program is an eCommerce platform designed to make ordering marketing materials, sales materials and branded merchandise for multiple locations or remote employees painless. These increasingly popular programs include the employee-facing and administrative software, outsourced consulting on product selection, design, and order management, and support services to manage the setup, ordering, and approval processes.
The Benefits of an Online Company Store Include:
- Centralized purchasing
- Deeper discounts
- Controlled spending
- Approved logo use
- Approved product selection
- Time savings
Plus, many online company store providers will also provide you with an account team to help you manage the day-to-day needs of regular ordering including order questions, approvals and follow up. This means, you’re basically outsourcing the whole job of ordering and managing the orders of new materials, thus freeing up time for your employees to focus on their regular tasks.
An account manager can save you hours, guarantee your brand’s consistency and serve as an extension of your team in the selection and planning of promotional products.
Is an Online Company Store Program a Good Fit for Your Organization?
Every organization is unique in their needs for printed merchandise and materials. In today’s digital age, there are many companies who rarely, if ever, print any paper contracts or forms and there are others who would be lost without a new shipment every month.
If you don’t buy much in the way of marketing materials or company apparel, ad hoc ordering may be the perfect solution for you. However, if you’re a larger organization purchasing materials and merchandise on a regular basis, you might want to consider an online company store program to help you streamline the process to save both time and money.
Still not sure? Download your free copy of our e-Book “Why You Should Consider An Online Company Store”.
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