Updated in June 2023
Online ordering has changed the way we shop. You see an item, order it, and often it arrives the next day. No catalogs to flip through, no order forms to fill out, and no more trips to a specialty store. Everything you want is a few clicks away.
Contrary to what many companies believe, the same can apply to your organization’s uniform and branded apparel programs. Most large companies and organizations have moved uniform fulfillment and gear ordering to custom online portals for purchasing branded goods. Centralized purchasing and fulfillment are easy to set up, and they provide significant benefits to those looking to scale quickly, test new products and apparel, and control costs.
Benefits of a Company Apparel Store for Employees
Providing a company apparel store for employees with custom-branded apparel is an excellent strategy for increasing your brand’s visibility. Not only does this give a cohesive look for your staff, but your employees become walking, talking billboards when wearing your gear.
This strategy offers several benefits that make it worth the initial investment in time that creating an online store requires.
Generate a Connection with Employees
When you can provide employees with stylishly designed clothing featuring your logo, you create an opportunity for staff to build a positive brand relationship. Providing them with something they can wear with pride while working can promote employee loyalty and retention,
Additionally, a company apparel store gives employees some ownership of what they wear to work. If you offer them options, it goes beyond just a basic uniform. Offering your staff the autonomy to choose their apparel based on personal preferences and comfort levels provides your new employees with buy-in and a sense of ownership for how they present themselves.
Our handy style guide can give you some ideas about the hundreds of options available for you to choose from. You can mix and match professional and casual styles to suit your brand’s needs.
Keep Your Gear “On-Brand”
Most organizations have developed their brand guidelines. This investment in creating branding assets and voice is not insignificant, yet many companies cannot prevent their brand from being misrepresented.
Regional offices, franchisees, and those unaware of the guidelines frequently produce goods that don’t match a brand’s standards.
Utilizing a centralized company store from which all your locations and employees can order means that everyone is purchasing from the same vendor, following the same guidelines, and staying compliant with trademark and dress requirements. Company Stores are a great way to maintain brand integrity across all channels while ensuring your brand always looks its best.
Offers the Gift of Personal Choice
A polo shirt and a water bottle are fine inclusions in any New Hire Welcome Kit, but most people prefer to choose their garments based on lifestyle, age, gender, and physical attributes.
Company stores empower your team members by allowing them to choose their preferred apparel, select a logo that aligns with their specific department or division, and even pick their preferred customizations.
This degree of personalization creates a deeper connection between the company and your employees, making them feel more invested and valued.
Keep Teams on Budget
Providing people with a “good, better, best” range of products allows them to select the items that fit their departmental budget and use. Trade show gear may necessitate a higher-end garment, while a more value-priced garment may suffice for your company’s community charity involvement. Tiered product pricing offers greater flexibility when allocating your budget.
Set Spending Limits Controls Costs
With a Company Store, you can select from a few tech tools to better manage your budgets. Providing people with spending allowances is a popular way to handle this. The balance is collected on a personal credit card if they go over their allotment. Administrators can choose to replenish wallet funds at predetermined intervals.
If there is a specific product you want your people to order – say, a safety award jacket – you can send them a direct auto-couponing link that allows them to make that purchase only. Many companies use an auto-approval process that routes all corporate orders through an approval process before fulfillment.
ERP Integration for a Frictionless Point of Entry
Suppose you already have an ERP that everyone uses daily. In that case, you can link your Company Store directly through that with SSO capability, so no one needs to remember another login credential.
Consolidate Your Vendor Bills
For anyone with an arduous vendor setup, having one platform for your print, apparel, and swag means fewer vendors to maintain, and with EDI invoicing, receiving your bills is seamless and automatic.
Centralize Fulfillment for Small Quantities
If your inventory management system amounts to keeping a stack of promotional swag in a closet or back office with no idea of what you own, how old it is, or how many items you have, outsourcing fulfillment to a partner can streamline your operations while reducing costs.
With a company store, you get fulfillment with live inventory reporting to see how many of those nifty Pop Sockets you have available to ship quickly to your next event. Every regional office shouldn’t need to procure small quantities of branded swag when having a fulfillment partner means getting volume pricing and shipping in more reasonable amounts based on the current needs.
Even better, with Righteous, you don’t have to find the immediate budget or the space to fit the swag you want to have in stock. We hold it for you AND own it for you!
Access to a Network of Experts
You may need to find the best pens, power banks, or ball caps. However, a good vendor partner will have established a deep network of reliable and well-respected sub-contractors for every type of swag, promotional product, apparel item, and gear. We leverage vendor relationships on your behalf based on the vendor’s track record of performance and your individual needs.
What’s Involved in a Custom Company Apparel Store?
Creating a custom online Company Store is easy. Just answer a few quick questions, and we can be on the way to getting your storefront online. Not only is it easy, but it’s a great way to provide quick access to all your branded merchandise for your employees. We can build your online store to integrate your brand perfectly. Your store will save you time and money while providing the ultimate convenience for your staff.
Your custom company apparel store can also:
- Perform customer service tasks
- Complete order processing
- Calculate inventory for in-stock options
- Offer “virtual inventory” on non-stock items
- Offer quality products with a quick turnaround time
- Maintain a customer order history
- Create sales reports
- Complete order fulfillment
- Offer secure and private transactions
- And do so much more
How Can You Get Started?
Righteous can provide a full-service apparel store for your company, including everything from product selection and design to warehousing and shipping. It’s easy to get started offering professional branded gear for your employees.
- First, we’ll work closely with you to understand your goals and objectives for the company store, ensuring it aligns with your brand and the unique needs of your teams.
- Together, we’ll help you choose the right products, apparel, and branding preferences that reflect your company’s identity and resonate with your employees.
- Our team will handle the technical aspects of setting up your online portal, including adding product images and mockups with your logo. We’ll also make sure it’s easy to navigate.
- Once the portal is ready, your teams can use it immediately. We’ll provide training and support to ensure a seamless transition.
- Depending on the scope of your Company Store, we typically have them up and running within 30-60 days of product selections.
- As your teams begin to shop, we’ll keep you informed about your store’s performance. We’ll monitor trends, analyze data, and provide you with regular reports so you have valuable insights into sales and employee preferences.
How Righteous Can Help
At Righteous, we believe everyone in your company deserves to feel good about what they’re wearing. Since you can create custom apparel and uniforms to meet your branding needs, there’s no reason not to have a cohesive apparel store for your employees.
We’d love to be your partner as you create a unique line of apparel just for your specific business needs. Our dedicated team of experts can help facilitate product selection, organize web design, and quickly get your store up and running.
FAQs
What are the benefits of setting up a company apparel store?
Setting up a company apparel store provides a centralized place for employees to purchase and customize branded gear, promoting brand visibility and loyalty. It also helps maintain brand consistency and control costs by following branding guidelines and offering budget options.
How can a company apparel store benefit employee morale?
By allowing employees to choose their preferred apparel and customize it to their liking, a company apparel store can promote a sense of ownership and investment in the company. This can lead to increased employee morale, loyalty, and retention.
How can a company apparel store help with brand consistency?
A company apparel store ensures that all employees and locations are following the same branding guidelines and purchasing from the same vendor. This helps maintain brand consistency, prevents misrepresentation, and ensures compliance with trademark and dress requirements.
Can a company apparel store help with cost control?
Yes, a company apparel store can offer a range of products at different price points, allowing employees to choose items that fit their departmental budget and use. Spending limits can also be set to control costs, and fulfillment and inventory management can be outsourced to a partner to reduce costs and streamline operations.
