Article - Corporate Merchandise & Gifts

24 Jun 2021

Corporate Merchandise – Gifts That Keep on Giving Additional Value

 

The world of corporate business is enormous. If a useful or essential product or service exists and is available to the public at large, as well as the business sector, you can almost bet your bottom dollar that there is a corporate entity behind it. Here, as almost everywhere else, there are leaders and followers (and sadly, also-rans). Virtually all try to be the best, but not necessarily the biggest in their own field of endeavour.

 

Distinguish Your Organisation

 

Today’s overall marketplace is highly competitive, sometimes even cutthroat. It’s survival of the fittest, so it is really important to distinguish your organisation and its products/services from those of your competitors, who are also striving for their piece of the pie, if not the very biggest slice.

 

 

Thinking and Planning Strategically

 

Simply being alert to customers’ needs, thinking and planning strategically, intelligently and innovatively, while engaging your staff and your customers in the process (wherever appropriate), plus the targeted use of promotional merchandise, should go a long way to setting you on the road to corporate success.

 

Your Corporate Identity and Brand

 

It follows that it is in your company’s interest that you take the necessary steps to establish your corporate identity and brand, build and expand it and constantly reinforce your name and your presence in the marketplace. This you do through novel marketing initiatives and new advertising campaigns that make use of relevant measures and methods.

 

The Role of Corporate Merchandise

 

This is where the inclusion of promotional merchandise plays an important role in the strategic steps that are a necessary part of the process of ultimately achieving your business’s goals. “Rome was not built in a day” has become a sometimes overused cliché, but that’s because it happens to be true.

 

Like Rome, it’ll take time to establish and build your corporate brand. If you utilise the marketing and advertising aids and tools at your disposal, your identity is better and more widely exposed. This is where and why you incorporate custom-branded corporate merchandise in as many campaigns as possible.

 

People remember what they hear, but more tend to have a better recall of what they’ve seen more often, in more places, more prominently displayed. If the corporate merchandise onto which the brand is affixed is an object that the potential customer takes home, wears or uses at work or on the sports field, the associated products or services become imprinted in the mind, the first that is recalled when the brand owner’s services are needed.  

 

Overview

 

Before we address the quality promotional products offered by XCO Group, we’ll do an overview of this specific type of merchandise, which is unique because it has multiple primary purposes and a fundamental function.

·         “Corporate merchandise” is an alternative term for “promotional goods”, which is branded and given away to existing, new and potential customers, clients, vendors and others who support a business.

·         A typical range of corporate merchandise incorporates articles that may be used in the office or while travelling, and clothing, plus other items of apparel and equipment that may be linked to sports and leisure activities.

·         Such merchandise should be useful, handy and functional.

·         In addition to the donating company’s logo, name or slogan/tag line, the promotional gift may be branded with a team or event name.

·         If possible, the type of promotional merchandise or its function should be something that complements the recipient’s activities or interests.

·         The inclusion of the donor’s details (branding insignia) ensures that there’s a clear understanding that the practice of giving away corporate merchandise is business relationship-based, without any hint of attempted bribery or coercion.

·         Giving relatively inexpensive promotional merchandise items as gifts (depending on the situation and relationship) serves the same purpose.  

 

Office, Home or Outdoors

 

XCO Group offers extensive and very comprehensive ranges of corporate merchandise on a wholesale basis to companies throughout South Africa and further afield. Additionally, branding takes place in-house on all these items.

 

·         Writing instruments

·         Stationery and note pads

·         Desk sets   

·         Calendars

·         Memory sticks

·         Laptop accessories  

·         Keyholders

·         Glasses and mugs

·         Luggage

·         Premium, executive, novelty, event and handout gifts

·         Technology

·         Torches and tools

·         Kitchenware

·         Sports and wellness

·         Personal care

·         Leisure and outdoor

 

Although clothing items may also serve the same purpose as other handout corporate merchandise items, apparel is listed on this website under the “corporate clothing” link. Remember, if it’s promotional and adds value to your brand, it’s probably obtainable at XCO.