Ordering promotional merch… how hard can it be? Trust us, we have seen the outcomes when people make this assumption.
When you’re given the task of ordering merch as part of a promotional campaign, the word “just” will get you into a lot of trouble.
“Just order some t-shirts.”
“Just get our brand added to a few hats.”
“Just find a supplier online.”
“Just choose the cheapest ones.”
These statements give the impression that anyone can place a promotional merchandise order, wait for what they want to arrive, and then hand it over to rapturous applause. This is not the case.
Promo product disasters
If you’re new to sourcing branded merchandise, there are a lot of boxes to tick to ensure the product that arrives matches your vision.
Here are some mistakes we have witnessed inexperienced buyers make over the years:
Cricket cringe
The signed cricket bats (as prizes) looked great and the logo looked as good on the real thing as it did on the pictures. The problem was the order was for miniature bats and a fraction of the expected size. Whoops!
The mistake: Not requesting a sample. Always request a sample so you can touch and feel the real thing!
Container crisis
The container arrived on time from China. Unfortunately, it was empty. The buyer had been scammed and the overseas suppliers that made the sale were nowhere to be found.
The mistake: Not arranging a container packing inspection and failing to conduct due diligence and check out the supplier before submitting payment.
USB OMG
The company had sourced an unbelievably good deal on branded USB thumb drives—so cheap! But they didn’t actually store any data, making them a total waste of money.
The mistake: Not paying attention to detail. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
These are only three examples of orders gone wrong. If you have a few days, we can tell you plenty more.
Don’t ruin your reputation
Product-centred campaigns tend to be time-sensitive. If you get an order wrong, there is little room for do-overs.
When you have your sights set on proving yourself at work, a misstep like one of the ones above can be hard to recover from, both professionally and emotionally.
It’s hard when you’re under pressure to deliver with a small budget and a tight timeframe but the best thing you can do is reach out to an expert team for help and guidance.
Let Inck be accountable
Sure, you can ‘just’ place an order on Alibaba, but there are so many questions to ask, so many hundreds of suppliers to sort through and so many potential errors. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it can be false economy.
This is why Inck exists. As an experienced team of promotional merchandise experts, we know exactly who to talk to, how to place an order and how to ensure you look like a total rock star (we’ll even let you take all the credit).
When you need to place a promotional products order, we will help you by:
– Reviewing your ideas and adding our own
– Helping you figure out how to get maximum value for money
– Ensuring you are sourcing quality products that meet Australian standards
– Connecting you with trusted and reliable manufacturers
– Providing transparency about sourcing from an ethical supply chain
– Answering any questions you have about sustainability and environmental impact
– Sourcing three-five quotes so you know you’re getting a competitive price
– Providing $20 million in product and public liability insurance
At Inck, we don’t just promise to deliver top quality promotional merchandise, we guarantee it. So if something goes wrong, it’s on us, not you.
Save time, save money and be the superstar of your office
At Inck, we make merchandise easy, saving you from spending hours scrolling on provider websites trying to figure out what’s quality and what will miss the mark.
What’s more, we can share the latest ideas that you might not have thought of (we’re the experts, after all) so you can nail your brief and source merch that your audience will go crazy for.
Creating a relationship with a promotional products supplier will take the stress off your shoulders. Reach out to Inck to chat about your requirements today.
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