These days company swag is not just a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have. It’s the easiest way to boost culture, build loyalty and make your teams feel connected to the larger brand. You know this: everyone feels great when they receive a meaningful welcome kit upon joining an organization, a team or a club. When you break it down, the cost-per-kit is hardly anything, but the return on that investment is enormous. It’s the best money you will ever spend on your team: something that gives your organisational culture an incredible boost for a long, long time.
If you’re thinking about whether or not you need it – stop thinking. You need it. Your brand needs it. (We’re not going to throw numbers and stats here, but we created a GIF-ticle to show you why Company Swag, Corporate Gifts and Promo Products matter. Go read that!)
Now that said, lame and uninspired company swag can do the opposite of what you want. Don’t cheap out. It’s okay to be on a budget, but find the right supplier. There are plenty of suppliers and print shops that source cheap products and use cheap printing methods to save you a few cents. Do your research. Find a supplier that curates products across all price ranges, but never compromises on quality. There a few good ones out there. (Ahem, you are currently reading one!)
If you’re all set to map out what you want, then here are 5 essential items we think you should definitely consider before anything else.
1. Water Bottles & Flasks
Can you even have a swag kit without a bottle? It’s something most people have on them at all times. It tells them to stay hydrated. It’s eco-friendly, because you cut down your usage of plastic or disposable cups and bottles. It’s easy to carry around. No wonder they consistently rank as one of the most popular swag items.
Water Bottles like the WOODPECKER or DOVE or ROBIN are cool, but we’d suggest going with a classy-looking flask that can be used for cold and hot beverages. LARK is a classic flask that you can have your logo laser-etched on. It looks exquisite. The TOUCAN is another popular elegant-looking flask. Or you can have the best of both worlds with the PARROT Flask which is made of borosilicate glass – it looks like a water bottle, but it can withstand high temperatures.
2. Tote Bags
Among all promo products, logos on bags get the most eyeballs, and make the most impact. More than anything, the reason we like totes the most is that they are one of the best and most impactful ways to reduce plastic use. Everything on this list in a must-have but tote bags would be on top of this list if it was ordered by importance.
The HAZEL Tote is a standard light-coloured tote which is great for single-coloured or dark-coloured logos. But if you have a full-color logo, we would recommend the KIWI Tote. It’s all black and your logo would look striking on it. Totes already help the planet a great deal, but if you want to do more, we also carry the lovely MAPLE Jute Tote. In a natural jute colour, these totes make a strong eco statement – a statement every brand should be making right now.
3. T-shirts and Hoodies
We need to do a whole post on just T-shirts and Hoodies and the different kinds available. But let’s start by saying make sure you have one basic t-shirt in your kit. White and black are standard colours, and they work well with most logos, but we really recommend you consider other colours if you want to stand out. Our GILDAN and FRUIT OF THE LOOM ranges come in a variety of colours and fabric weights (depending on the weather where you live).
Also consider different types of t-shirts if you want to stand out. The trend these days is to go for Raglan Tees or Ringer Tees. 3/4 Sleeves are also a big hit with discerning brands.
As for hoodies, it doesn’t matter where you live and what the weather is like, startup culture has made the hoodie a popular must-have. There’s something about everyone in the team having the same hoodie. You just have to have one of these, even if they’re just souvenirs. We carry a few types, but the GILDAN Hoodie would be the simplest, perfectly-priced and most comfortable option.
4. Stylus Pens
Notebooks, pens and deskware are a necessity in most company swag kits. But in this day and age, if you’re not putting in a pen that has a stylus in it, you are not doing your swag kit right. We’ve got a wide variety of notebooks, we’ve got functional deskware, but you have to see our wide range of practical STYLUS PENS which also double as traditional pens. It’s a whole category. They’re very affordable too. Definitely check them out and add them to your kit.
5. Unique Brand Swag
The last one that every brand must have is something unique. If possible, something that talks to what your brand does. A food-delivery business recently ordered KOALA: an eco-friendly wheat straw cutlery set. One of our favourite clients, a travel booking platform, ordered the EVEREST: a travel organiser kit. Another small but very discerning client of ours that runs an adventure and outdoor activity business placed an order for OAK: a very practical dry bag.
A lot of clients reach out to us to get something custom made for them that’s not listed on Boxaroo. In fact, we get at least 6 or 7 custom orders every week. So if you want something specific, reach out to us. Alternatively, you can directly book a meeting with Rob, who runs our global Sales and Consultancy division. He’ll help you sort out whatever you need.
Good luck building your swag kit. Feel free to reach out with any questions at all, or even just to ask us for advice. We’re always here to help.
