Things To Consider When Choosing A Branded Merchandise Companies
When it comes to selling branded merchandise, you have many options: wholesalers, online marketplaces, and co-marketing partnerships. And that’s just for starters. After that, things get more complicated: Do you sell directly to your customers or use an intermediary? If you use an intermediary, which wholesaler, retailer, or virtual seller is the best match for your brand?
If you sell directly to your customers, do they come to you or do you go to them? Once you’ve answered all those questions, there are a few more things to consider before choosing a branded merchandising company.
What Is Branded Merchandise?
Branded merchandise is any merchandise that has your brand’s name, logo, or branding on it. The items can be T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, keychains, pens, stadium signage, in-store merchandising, or any other product that includes your brand.
Branded merchandise is a great way to build your brand because it’s an everyday item people use and have. You see the item when you get dressed in the morning, wear it to work, go grocery shopping with it on, go to the gym and sleep in it at night.
The branded merchandise has many uses in marketing. It’s a great tool for increasing your brand’s visibility in the marketplace and gaining customer loyalty through word-of-mouth. Branded merchandise can be an effective retention tool, especially during the critical first 90 days.
How Does A Branded Merchandise Company Work?
The branded merchandise companies are either manufacturers or brokers. Manufacturers create branded merchandise items from scratch, from buying the fabric to cutting and sewing the garments. They take the risk of the production costs and set the price for the garments.
On the other hand, brand merchandise brokers source garments from various factories around the world and resell them to the client. The broker takes a commission on the garment price and marketing cost. Branded merchandise companies can be your in-house team, an outsourced team, or a co-branded partner.
Factors To Consider When Choosing A Branded Merchandise Company
There are many factors to consider when choosing a branded merchandise company, including marketing support, production capabilities, price and payment terms, and service reputation.
Marketing support -Does the branded merchandise company have the resources to support your marketing activities? Do they have the connections to get your branded merchandise in front of the right retailers? Can they provide marketing materials? If you’re selling directly to your customers, do they have the connections for online exposure?
Production capabilities – Do the branded merchandise company’s factories have the capabilities to produce the items you want? Do they have the certifications you need? Are there any minimum production requirements? Do they have a quality management system in place?
Price and payment terms – How are the price and payment terms structured? How does the markup work? Is the price competitive? Are there minimum order quantities? How long does it take to pay the invoice?
Confirm Production Quality Standards Are Met
If your branded merchandise company doesn’t have the experience or capability to produce your items to the quality level you need, your customers will be disappointed and you’ll have a quality control nightmare on your hands. You’ll also have unhappy customers, which will negatively impact your brand reputation. If the branded merchandise company is overseas, ensure a quality management system is in place.
