Opening a company swag store can be a fantastic idea for marketing your business. It is a place where your employees, customers, and fans can purchase custom branded corporate gifts with your logo or any other identifier you use to directly associate the products with your business. These days, most swag stores have turned online and form an integral part of the branding strategy of companies.
However, it would help to be mindful of the various regulations and guidelines governing company swag stores before opening one for your business.
For your help, we have made a list of the essential guidelines below.
- Digital Customer Data Privacy Laws
The privacy of the customers who will be buying your custombranded corporate gifts is of paramount importance. Thus, it is your responsibility to ensure that your store complies with privacy laws like the CCPA, Data Broker Registrations, and GDPR.
When a customer makes a transaction with you, you must deal with their non-public data with utmost care and prevent it from being leaked or misused. This data also includes sensitive payment information like credit card and debit card details, the safety of which is critical for your customers. Thus, you should have a sound mechanism in place that complies with the data protection laws mentioned above to safeguard your custom company merchandise business from any future legal actions and the customer from any potential loss.
- What You Should Know About Your State's Sales Tax Rules
In June 2018, the SCOTUS announced that individual states could make it mandatory for online sellers to collect sales tax. Consequently, different states have made different rules for the purpose. If you want to open a company swag store that delivers custom branded corporate gifts all over the country, it is imperative that you research and find out the rules for the state from which you are shipping and where the product will be shipped.
Currently, 45 states and Washington DC have laws requiring you to register with their taxing authority and make it mandatory for sellers to collect sales tax.
- E-commerce Shipping and Delivery Guidelines
A good shipping policy is a must-have if you do not want to face the heat later from dissatisfied customers. You need to have a defined time frame by which your customers can expect their orders to be delivered. As per the FTC's "mail order rule," the sellers must also have a basis on which they are promising and advertising that they will be able to deliver your custom branded corporate gifts within a specified time frame. It is done to ensure that no sellers make false claims.
According to FTC rules, you should also know that your products should take thirty days to be delivered. In cases when sellers cannot do it, they must obtain the customer's consent that says they are ready to wait.
Flywheel can help you sell your custom-branded corporate gifts online!
Knowing about the various guidelines and regulations before you set up a company swag store will help you prevent your business from any future legal troubles and ensure a good experience for your customers. If you want someone who can take care of all this, you can consider reaching out to Flywheel Brands, who can help you set up a company swag store where you can sell your custom business promotional items.
