By: Shannon Mayerl, President of Top Promotions
In our technological world, shouldn’t everyone have a webstore? Doesn’t every business need a way to get their branded product out to the masses? And doesn’t everyone love their job and the company so much that they want an embroidered shirt to wear every day? The reality is that not every company and not every situation calls for a webstore.
We have programmed and hosted over a hundred webstores over the last 10 years and one resounding fact has surfaced: Unless they are required to (uniform), are motivated by a significant brand following or the company kicks in to pay for the item, employees are not going to jump at the opportunity to spend their hard-earned money on a product decorated with the company logo. Sure, there are a few here and there who might but the store will not achieve the activity necessary to keep it afloat.
When is a webstore the right answer?
Required Uniform. A web store used to facilitate employees ordering their uniform is an excellent option. This can be company supported or not, either way the store will have the activity necessary to make it a viable option assuming you have enough employees. Especially handy when there are multiple locations or a high turn-over rate where you don’t want your store managers spending an unnecessary amount of time coordinating apparel.
Safety Programs or other Reward Programs. If your company supports a safety or attendance program, a longevity program or other reward program, a webstore is an excellent way for employees to select their rewards and it eliminates the facilitating from an administrators’ desk.
Trade-show or Sales Supplies. If your company supports trade-show activities or other sales motivating supplies to a sales force that may be spread out geographically, a webstore is a great way to facilitate distribution of supplies to anyone who needs them.
School Spirit / Team Spirit. Have a sports team that did well this season, or parents who want to wear school colors to the game? School age kids who have pride in their school colors? Spirit stores, run by PTO, Boosters, specific teams, schools or clubs are a great option for success. Gone are the days of displaying the product in the office, passing around paper order forms, collecting back checks and then the mess of distributing the product back out. A webstore can remove all the headache by taking orders and payment on line and facilitating individual delivery of the finished product. Plus a webstore can be used as a fundraising event.
Cult-like Brand Following. There are some rare gems in the world, brands that have built themselves up and into the hearts of their customer base to the degree that those customers want product decorated with that brand logo. These public facing webstores can be great but only if these is a marketing plan that will facilitate the word reaching the right people about the store’s existence.
Company Sponsored. If the company subsidizes their employees to purchase company branded merchandise and is on board to market the store to keep employees aware, this type of store can be successful, but if the subsidy and/or the marketing fall off course, the likelihood is this store will not make it.