Typically, the thought of distributing branded swag globally is an afterthought. It is usually something you only start thinking about once you have the swag at hand (at least for first-timers who know the pains of managing swag manually).
I made the same mistake; I was so focused on getting the right quality, designs, and sizes that once I had everything on hand, I was like, "Oh damn, now how do I send this to the UK team?"
This exact situation led me to found Jaapi, making employee swag much easier than I was experiencing at the multiple startups, companies, and organizations I have worked in.
Swag is weird because it is never a top priority on paper, but if done poorly, everyone will get involved. It is a completely underestimated beast essential for company culture and branding.
I'll share my learnings below.
Not to mention the extensive manual labor involved in managing promotional products yourself. The challenges of unexpected customs and taxes can be a nightmare when sending swag to multiple countries, each with its own regulations. One aspect of this horror story is the management of paperwork, while the other is the unexpected costs that can surprise employees, requiring reimbursement.
The easiest way to avoid taxes is by producing swag locally. However, most swag suppliers and stores only ship from one or maybe two locations, if you're lucky. That's why at Jaapi, we have diligently built a network of 17 production facilities worldwide, including the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Europe, UK, and India, among others.
Another important factor to consider is the additional expenses that employers have to bear when shipping branded merchandise across international borders. It is not uncommon to pay 3-4 times the shipping costs for internationally tracked orders compared to domestic ones.
Apart from the cost, delivery times pose the second major challenge with international orders. However, with our ability to fulfill swag locally in over 96% of cases, we can significantly minimize shipping costs and lead times. In fact, many companies are able to recoup our subscription cost through the savings they make in shipping, customs, and taxes alone.
Brazilians do not typically wear beanies, and Swedes do not drink coffee out of 30oz tumblers.
When managing branded items and apparel for diverse and global teams, it is important to consider that not everyone will appreciate the same swag. Each region has its own climate differences, and individuals have their preferences.
Many employees may have received swag before and may not want another water bottle. It is crucial to provide options to ensure that your employees will enjoy and use their swag. However, managing swag manually and keeping track of everyone's sizes and preferences can be cumbersome. The most efficient solution is to offer employees the ability to self-serve swag within reasonable limits.
An Employee Swag Store, which functions as an e-commerce interface, is the ideal solution for self-serving swag. No longer do you need to ask employees for their sizes, addresses, or phone numbers for courier purposes. Instead, let your employees browse all the options and indulge themselves, saving you from unnecessary headaches.
With Jaapi, every single product is brandable, made on demand, without any minimums, and shipped from one of our 17+ production facilities worldwide.
