Branded merchandise and promotional products for businesses

A clear purpose for each product

Before matching products to your brand colours, picture someone using them. For meetings that involve taking notes, a personalised notebook and a branded pen support the same activity. If the chosen notebook already includes a pen, adding another may serve little purpose.

For carrying work essentials, personalised bags offer different formats to compare against the intended contents. A branded water bottle supports a different routine: having a drink at work or on the move. Focus on the categories that fit your colleagues’, clients’ or partners’ daily habits to narrow the selection before comparing individual models.

Assess the size in use

A compact product is easy to carry, but may offer too little space for the job. For a bag, list the intended contents and check the usable dimensions and opening. Capacity alone does not establish whether a laptop or folder will fit. A larger notebook leaves more room for notes, but also takes up more space on a small table and inside a bag.

A higher-capacity bottle needs refilling less often and weighs more when full. Consider access for cleaning and the closure too; leak resistance and suitability for hot drinks must be confirmed in the chosen model’s details. These practical differences help you compare promotional products beyond their photographs.

A readable logo on each surface

A logo with a strapline may be readable on a bag and become too small on a pen. If available, prepare both a full and a simplified version of your brand identity. The product colour, contrast and available decoration area matter as much as the logo’s size.

Today Merch advises on personalisation to suit the product and artwork. Where an online preview is offered on a compatible product, it helps convey your intention. The artwork proof then allows you to approve placement, dimensions and colours before production. Check the smaller text too: a spelling mistake or a strapline with very fine lettering is difficult to put right once the products have been made.

Compare products on the same basis

To narrow down your choices, record the colour, quantity and intended personalisation for each product. If you want several items or colourways, set out the split: the total number of recipients does not establish the quantity of each variant. The conditions that apply to that split need confirming for the chosen products.

Compare proposals at equivalent quantities and with equivalent personalisation, accounting for shipping and any optional extras confirmed in the quote. Specify where and when you need to receive the items, separately from the date they will be handed out. This helps the team build a coherent selection and check the project schedule.

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