The benefits of on-line purchase of promotional products

The benefits of on-line purchase of promotional products

The benefits of purchasing promotional products on line are many; they include a) more selection b) cheaper prices c) convenience d) customer service and e) (last but not least) faster lead times.

Rather than waste time browsing through paper catalogues, on-line suppliers of promotional products will very often promote their entire catalogue on the web providing you with a greater choice of products. It is also possible to compare quality and pricing in an easy online format thus saving you valuable time.

Products are cheaper on the net but it is necessary to spend a little time searching out the most attractive prices, a skill that will soon become second nature to you. Just key in any promotional product keywords into your search engine, then scroll through the results until you find a promotional products site that offers discount pricing. The best way is to choose an item and have several promotional companies quote for it. You must ensure that all the quotes include any extras such as artwork, design, set-up costs and delivery. You are then in pole position to make accurate and comparable costings.

You may ask how on-line suppliers can offer identical promotional products at such attractive prices. Conventionally, a traditional supplier of promotional products employs a team of sales people who are paid to visit businesses to display their samples and, hopefully, to obtain an order. These sales people are the biggest expense for an off-line promotional products provider. Of course, these costs have to be taken into account when pricing their products and, ultimately, will be passed on to you the purchaser. So you can see the benefit of on-line purchasing.

With on-line ordering you have the convenience of being able to place your order at any time, day or night, seven days a week. All good web companies offer this facility with encrypted order forms to secure your purchasing information. The on-line form also enables you to send your artwork by e-mail.

Customer Service is just as important to many on-line promotional gift companies, a service they provide with extended hours. They are there to take your calls, handle urgent orders and to answer any questions you may have quickly. It is also possible to access the Customer Service department by e-mail. One of the advantages being you can e-mail a question to your supplier and a few minutes later receive an answer.

Faster lead times are guaranteed. For an off-line company it is necessary for a salesman to visit the customer and show him his products. This obviously necessitates an appointment that will fit into both the salesman’s and the buyer’s schedule. The salesman needs to try and assess your needs before attending the meeting, he needs to think which products you might be interested, which catalogues he should show you and ultimately bring an array of samples which he considers appropriate. All this, of course, takes time. If he gets it wrong, of course, a second meeting will have to be arranged when he can bring you details of the products in which you have shown an interest.

If you have any queries regarding product availability, delivery targets or any questions regarding factory capacity, the salesman will need to return to his office before he can provide such information. An on-line companies’ customer service team are already in their office and in a position to telephone the factory with your queries and, in turn, get back to you without delay.

The foregoing are the advantages of buying imprinted promotional products from an on-line supplier. But it is necessary to remind you that as on-line providers work very hard to reduce all possible costs, they do require payment in advance and they will charge for any samples required. The charge for samples means the company is not giving away products to non-customers, as this would greatly increase their costs. Payment in advance is virtually the ‘norm’ amongst Internet purchasing, as this is necessary to insure payment. You still can expect a quality product; gain vast savings, whilst enjoying normal consumer protection rights.

When purchasing imprinted corporate clothing, it is a good piece of advice to choose an on-line company that has in-house embroidery and screen-printing facilities. It is generally felt that these companies will have better knowledge of branding, experience which allows them to monitor quality control, a better control of your orders and are in a position to complete rush orders more quickly.

Nowadays, it is becoming more and more common for successful businesses to place their promotional products and corporate clothing orders in the hands of these highly experienced discount on-line distributors. As you have seen, the advantages are numerous.


We at YesGifts.co.uk are happy to help you with your promotional products requirements. Our Promotional Team is extremely qualified and can provide you with the committed expert service you would look forward to from a major company. Call us on 0870 933 0085.