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Blog / Beginner's handbook / 9 Ways to Streamline Your Company Merch with MerchShare

Beginner's handbook

9 Ways to Streamline Your Company Merch with MerchShare

9 Ways to Streamline Your Company Merch with MerchShare
Ronja Burve

By Ronja Burve

7 min read

Company merch has always played a pivotal role in the business world. At its core, good company swag reflects your brand’s values, connecting employees to the overall mission and giving clients a taste of the company’s culture.

But even though company merch benefits are obvious, handling merch orders can be a pain in the neck. The manual process is tedious and often messy. From getting the right sizes for everyone to ensuring each item fits the occasion, there’s a lot to keep in mind.

Recently, we launched a handy tool just for this: MerchShare. This print-on-demand solution makes managing group orders easy—simply create a product design online, save the template, and then share it via a link.

Recipients can then choose their colors and sizes and provide their shipping details. This means you no longer need to juggle forms and spreadsheets or keep track of orders manually. The best part? No need to store merch yourself as we ship orders directly to recipients only when they place an order.

So, in what ways can you leverage MerchShare for your business? Let’s look at some examples.

Onboarding gifts

First impressions matter. And a thoughtful gift to a new hire can set the tone for their journey with the company. A well-chosen onboarding gift shows employees you value them and reinforces the company culture from the start. Besides, when used outside of work, these items amplify your brand’s visibility in everyday settings

When it comes to MerchShare, you can design and offer different gift options to new hires. Instead of the generic welcome kit, why not let employees choose? 

This not only caters to individual tastes but also means they get to choose an item they actually like. It’s a win-win: employees get a useful gift, while the company builds a stronger connection from day one.

a black shirt with green text and a white bottle on a white surface

Source: Printful

Gifts for remote employees

Remote work’s become the norm for many companies today, and keeping the team connected can be challenging. If your staff is working from a different city or country, gifting them tangible items from time to time is a way to give them a sense of belonging.

For example, this year, Printful’s Barcelona facility came up with an innovative way to celebrate La Mercè—an annual and beloved celebration that honors the city’s patron saint, the Virgin of Mercy.

Considering that our colleagues live all over Spain, not just in Barcelona, the HR team prepared several gift options for employees to choose from via MerchShare.

This eased up the ordering process—HR didn’t have to keep track of forms and spreadsheets to round up orders. At the same time, employees had the option to choose between gift options and decide if they wanted to receive a gift in the first place.

Merch for company events

Company events like anniversary parties, community awareness days, or national holidays are perfect for introducing themed merch. They’re opportunities for reinforcing company culture, fostering unity, and raising awareness

For example, for an Earth Day initiative, why not distribute reusable branded water bottles or tote bags? These not only encourage sustainable thinking but also serve as functional items employees can use daily. 

When gearing up for inclusive celebrations, like Pride events or cultural heritage months, merch like t-shirts or badges with relevant symbols shows the company’s commitment to celebrating diversity and embracing all backgrounds.

a group of people holding flags

Source: Printful

Merch for conferences

Conferences are pivotal for networking and increasing brand visibility. They’re prime opportunities for meeting potential clients or collaborators, so it’s important to stand out. And giving attendees a chance to order their own merch? Definitely memorable.

Virtual swag bags have also become a modern twist to traditional conference giveaways. Instead of physical items, attendees get access to digital goodies, discounts, or exclusive content online. If you’re considering this approach, simply include your MerchShare link inside the virtual swag bag. Attendees can then easily click the link to design and order their desired merchandise.

To extend your brand’s reach beyond the conference hall, prioritize high-quality merch. This ensures attendees associate your brand with excellence. Additionally, consider adding QR codes to your merch. This increases the chance of attendees engaging with your brand long after the conference wraps up.

a group of men standing in front of a booth

Source: Printful

Online giveaways

Online giveaways are a strategic move in the digital marketing game. It’s a win-win—your audience scores a free product while you expand your reach, increase engagement, and strengthen customer loyalty. 

Depending on the giveaway’s setup, you can also collect data from your audience, such as email addresses—that gives you a list of interested potential customers for future campaigns. 

Recently, we ran a free t-shirt campaign in partnership with Retail Brew through MerchShare. The goal was to let participants test the product quality for themselves, potentially turning them into future customers. The campaign sparked interest, gaining 70 orders in the first 12 hours.

With MerchShare, online giveaways become a breeze—you don’t have to worry if you have enough items in stock as orders are fulfilled on demand.

a man in a white shirt

Source: Retail Brew

Gifts for business partners

Relationships in business are nurtured over time. A thoughtful gift can be that extra touch that strengthens a connection or seals a deal.

However, organizing gifts for multiple business partners and keeping track of orders can be challenging.

At Printful, MerchShare allows us to customize gifts for partners without the hassles of spreadsheets, forms, or manual tracking. We create the design and let the partners set their preferences, making the interaction more personal. 

a woman wearing a t-shirt

Source: Printful

Lead generating

Ever thought of integrating merchandise into your ad campaigns? We have. While digital ads can sometimes fade into the background noise, offering a free t-shirt or a discount on swag stands out. With one well-designed piece of merch, you could open the door to a wealth of future transactions.

In a recent campaign, we offered a free t-shirt to our LinkedIn followers so they could test MerchShare for themselves. Similarly, you could offer a free merch item to potential customers to showcase your brand and boost engagement.

a woman standing in front of a advertisement

Source: Printful

Keeping employees motivated

The holiday season is the busiest time of the year at Printful. So, every year, we wear themed t-shirts as a symbol of unity during Peak season. It’s a way to uplift spirits and motivate each other during this busy time.

So, what can you do to keep employees motivated? 

First, remember that everyone wants their efforts to be acknowledged. When an employee goes above and beyond, a little recognition goes a long way. This could range from a shoutout in a team meeting to a physical reward.

Second—being a part of the group keeps people motivated. In large companies or businesses with spread-out teams, creating a sense of community is paramount. Unified merch, such as team hoodies or themed stationery, reinforces the feeling of everyone working towards a shared goal. And distribution becomes easy with MerchShare as participants can order their own customized items.

a group of people posing for a photo

Source: Printful

Celebrating achievements

Whether it’s a company milestone, product launch, or breaking a record, these moments deserve to be celebrated. Custom merch adds a personal touch to celebrations and becomes a fun reminder of those special moments.

Recognizing and celebrating individual and team achievements can uplift spirits. Branded merchandise, like custom awards or t-shirts marking milestones, can serve as both a recognition and a lasting memory.

T-shirt printing is a classic choice for events. It’s a way to instantly create a feeling of unity. But why stop there? Mugs, totes, and themed notebooks are daily-use items that can turn ordinary tasks—like sipping coffee or jotting down notes—into reminders of shared success.

With MerchShare, you can test different merch ideas and see which performs best with no upfront costs.

a bottle on a surface

Source: Printful

Streamline your merch with MerchShare

Merch plays a significant role in companies today. It can connect and motivate employees and spread your company’s values beyond the office walls. While traditional merch logistics can be daunting, technology makes the process smoother and more efficient.

From gifts for remote employees to conference swag, MerchShare streamlines the process. Design, save, and share—no spreadsheets, stockpile, or one-size-fits-all blunders.

Ready to make merch distribution easy? Let’s get started.

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author

By Ronja Burve on Nov 14, 2023

Ronja Burve

Content Writer

Ronja is a Content Writer at Printful. With a degree in performing arts, she’s passionate about all things creative. Currently, she’s expanding her expertise in marketing while pursuing an MA in creative industries.

Ronja is a Content Writer at Printful. With a degree in performing arts, she’s passionate about all things creative. Currently, she’s expanding her expertise in marketing while pursuing an MA in creative industries.