Promotional Merchandise Programmes - How To Avoid The Pitfalls

Monday, 25 January 2010 14:24

Companies who consider using Promotional Merchandise programmes as usually those looking for a single source solution for their Promotional Items. The number of companies in the UK that can provide this service can be counted on the fingers of one hand and it's important that you get all of them to quote for you. The advantages of such a programme are many but it should not be looked at if cost savings are your major objective.

A really good Promotional Merchandise supplier who has lots of experience with a variety of programmes will be able to tell you in a few minutes whether or not this type of procurement and distribution of Business Gifts is right for you. These programmes take a lot of planning, thought and time so cannot be rushed into. Make sure that the suppliers you check out have experience in all areas of merchandise especially Promotional Clothing and are running a number of programmes already or you could end up being the test dummy.

The first and most important question is do you have enough turnover of stock to make the programme worth doing. Next how many lines of Promotional Gifts will you be stocking. After this you need to know how many distribution points there are in your system. If you have just say 5 Promotional Items and 3 offices then such a scheme is a complete waste of time and money. To benefit in terms of bulk purchases you need at least 10 Promotional Products and an annual spend of at least 25,000.

Trying to run a Promotional Merchandise programme without having a website is a big mistake as it is the most cost effective way of getting your products out to market. Do not use a supplier who cannot design and build a website for you at their own expense and that includes maintaining it as well. They must also be able to show you how they will keep the site fresh with ongoing new goods and marketing activity

On-line, real time stock control for your programme is an absolute must have. Running out of Promotional Items in the first few days is a sure-fire way to ruin your entire programme before it grows any legs at all. If you do nothing else make sure you go to visit any possible supplier and talk to their staff personally. the internet has made it possible for one man bands to make it look as if they won office blocks and employ hundreds of staff. One client of ours made a surprise visit to a potential supplier and found him working in a shed at the bottom of the garden. Finally get a list of satisfied customers from anyone who wants to offer you a Promotional Merchandise programme, if they can give you one then start running away fast.