Branded apparel, drinkware, office supplies, and other merchandise create invaluable visibility for organizations when employees sport items around town or during client meetings. But bulk ordering enough quality swag to stock an online company merch store can squeeze even the most robust budgets. Rather than sacrifice quantity or quality to cut costs, get creative with merchandising strategies that keep your custom corporate merch affordable, even as a small business or startup.

Refresh & Reuse Logos

Put outdated or unused legacy logo designs back into rotation rather than redesigning entirely new branding. Clever designers can rework logos from past eras into retro-inspired prints and patterns that appeal to employees’ nostalgic sensibilities on modern apparel and merchandise.

Mix Up Merch Categories

Apparel and drinkware comprise most corporate merch assortments, but venturing into lower-cost categories expands your product mix on a budget. Affordable promo items perfect for logo branding include pens, keychains, sunglasses, hand sanitizer, lip balm, reusable straws, and more.

Prioritize Multipurpose Items  

Choose versatile, everyday merchandise and supplies employees already use regularly for the most cost-efficient imprinting. Multipurpose items like t-shirts, hats, notebooks, bags, water bottles, and tech accessories in your online company store for employees would fit into many facets of life, amplifying branding touchpoints.

Offer Bundles  

Product bundles featuring discounted merch suites available only to employees incentivize higher-volume orders that reduce per-item production costs. Curated themed mixes like “Work From Home Kits” with apparel, mugs, notebooks, and computer accessories or “Fitness Fanatic” bundles with activewear, water bottles, and towels.

Leverage Tiered Pricing  

Offer good-better-best merch assortments at varied price points to accommodate all budgets. For example, create apparel lines featuring budget-friendly screen-printed tees, more luxe embroidered polos, and lightweight performance jackets. Employ a similar strategy across drinkware, bags, and other categories.

Gamify Engagement  

You can drive inventory turns and recoup production costs faster through merch store kickback programs. Offer employees discounts, store credit, or early access to new arrivals when they share branded social posts of themselves sporting merch. Spin-the-wheel contests and referral rewards further bolster engagement.

Take Preorders

Before producing large batches of new branded merchandise, gauge demand by taking preorders first. This prevents over-ordering styles or products that ultimately don’t resonate with employees. Bonus: offer modest discounts or early delivery perks to encourage sign-ups.

Explore Sponsorships

Local businesses may sponsor part of your merch inventory in exchange for subtle co-branding on certain products. A coffee shop could subsidize mugs and tumblers, a brewery/winery could fund drink cozies and apparel, a gym could provide workout gear,, etc. Offsetting even 10-20% of assortment costs lightens the burden.

Crowdsource Designs  

Tap into your employee base’s creativity by crowdsourcing merch designs through ongoing contests and campaigns. Offer prizes and swag store credit for winning designs. You gain rights to fresh artwork at no cost, and employees feel invested in the merch they helped conceptualize.  

Repurpose Trade Show Giveaways

Rather than tossing leftover conference swag after an event, integrate valuable items like pens, charging cables, notebooks, and totes into your company swag store mix. Get creative embellishing booth giveaways with new prints and finishes to give items renewed life.

Mix in Upcycled Materials

Introduce apparel and gear from recycled and upcycled materials like plastic bottles, leftover textiles, and post-consumer paper waste. Though often marginally pricier than virgin counterparts, the sustainability angle helps justify costs while making them an eco-friendly choice.  

Choose Flywheel for all your Branding Needs

The online company store experts at Flywheel Brands Inc. help organizations stock their company merch store on a budget without sacrificing style or quality. Get in touch to explore creative cost-saving solutions for your branded merchandise needs.

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