When comparing quotes, it’s only right to compare apples with apples. Here are a few good reasons why you’re risking your brand when you source promotional products directly from developing countries.

Cost of labour is much lower in developing countries and sweatshops with children working are common. This is in contrast to labour cost in Australia with human rights laws in place. I am sure you wouldn’t want people to associate your brand name with sweatshops.

The difference in language makes it harder to communicate with offshore suppliers. Communication is paramount when organising your custom promotional products. To get the job done right, you need to understand each other well. Imagine getting a load of thousands of custom printed tees shipped to you, only to find that the offshore supplier had misunderstood your order and misprinted the tees. Any chance of seeing your money back? I think not. Besides, are you willing to pay for freight to ship the wrong order back to the supplier? Yes, I didn’t think so.

End consumers do not have knowledge or expertise in the promotional merchandise industry and direct offshore sourcing like promotional products professionals do so they become vulnerable targets for these offshore suppliers. I remember a friend telling me how his dad was cheated by an offshore supplier in a developing country. His dad actually went to the country to see the manufacturer’s factory to check if all was legitimate after which he made payment for a $100k bulk order. The order never reached him and he could not contact the offshore supplier over the phone or email so he flew back to the same location. He found that the factory was deserted. He asked the locals there where the staff and the business had moved to and he eventually found out that the whole thing was a scam. The offshore supplier had hired pretend staff and the factory to scam a number of vulnerable foreigners. Don’t become that vulnerable foreigner. Local Australian legislation won’t be of much help for you in such situations.

When you source promotional products directly from China, for instance, the products are generic and are not backed by renowned brand names. This increases the likelihood of poor quality products.

Timelines for production and delivery from offshore suppliers are also much longer. Local promotional companies can turnaround and deliver your products faster.

So what’s the moral of the story?

Leave it up to local expert promotional merchandise professionals to source offshore products for you. You’ll be better off this way. By trying to save some dollars here and there, you might end up ripped off and deserted by offshore suppliers,which is too often the case.

The local Australian economy needs a boost to get back to surplus in our budget especially after the GFC. By purchasing from 100% wholly owned companies like PromosXchange, you’re keeping our profits in Australia.

Be Australian. Give Australia a fair go. Support local Australian businesses.

Bear in mind how your logo will look like when imprinted on promotional products. How will your logo look like on a golf ball or a pen with a small imprint area, how about when it’s embroidered on staff uniforms?  Many designers are great at what they do – designing and kudos to them. However, very often they are not aware of imprinting techniques which will affect how your logo will look like on promotional merchandise. In turn, many businesses, particularly small businesses without their own marketing department are unaware of this very important aspect.

Ask a promotional marketing consultant’s opinion BEFORE approving the logo from your designer.  Complex logos with too much text, highlights and colours are going to be difficult for certain imprinting methods on promotional merchandise and will result in an inconsistent look plus more money out of your pocket.  Do your own research on what sort of logos companies are using in your own industry and assess if your logo “speaks” to your target audience. Run your logo past a few of your prospects or current clients and see what they think of your logo.

We’ve seen it too many times, beautifully designed logos which are not practical for imprint on promotional merchandise. Think of the successful brand names – Nike, Coca-cola and IBM and you’ll see that their logos are very simple, no fancy or complex graphic artwork yet they are excellent memory triggers.  If your logo doesn’t fit the bill then perhaps it’s time for a rebranding of your logo.

Hanes not only comes at a better quality but also a lower price-tag than most other promotional clothing brands. Hanes uses 100% pre-shrunk, ring spun cotton so it simply looks, prints and feels better. Tired of boxy styled shirts. Well then, you’ll be pleased with Hanes European styling - tailored design for a great look and no “boxy” styles. The ladies’ shirts and hoodies are contoured especially for the ladies so see you later square fits! Hanes takes pride in attention to detail from its clothing necklines to its fabrics. Hanes t shirts come in three different weights – 155, 185 and 205gm so you can choose a price point that’s right for you. Even the heavyweight t shirts feel so soft unlike heavyweight shirts from most other brands. Hanes promotional t shirts, hoodies and polo shirts also come in a range of colours and sizes so you’ll be spoilt for choice. 

With more than 1,000,000 pieces of promotional clothing on hand, you can now bulk buy printed Hanes promotional apparel with no worries! Speak to a PromosXchange consultant on 1300 760 887 to find out how Hanes quality promotional apparel can add value to your branding. 

Not just strictly visual or ornamental, many forms of promotional headwear are actually functional, and depending on the type of local clime, such headwear can prove to be quite handy.  In countries where the sunshine can be quite harsh and blinding, having a wide-brimmed headwear or a cap with an ample bill to shield the face and eyes from the rays of the sun can be something that people wish they had.  Having already elicited an initial interest in people due to functionality of the promotional headwear, the goal of brand recall steps into play, since people will remember the perceived convenience of the promotional headwear seen, as well as the brand that was emblazoned on the item.  Should the promotional headwear be marketing an everyday brand that people have immediate access to, the entire goal of promotion is achieved all the more faster, since the hooked consumer will make the earliest attempt to purchase the same item, or at the very least buy the products of the brand seen on the item to receive their own promotional headwear as well.

This is why t shirts have proven to be quite an ideal marketing and advertising vehicle, since people wear them practically anywhere, and a brand on the shirt will definitely reach places where other forms of promotion may not as easily reach.  This is why custom t shirts are now a big thing, with numerous brands actually achieving pop art status because of the popularity of their promotional t shirt.  A promotional t shirt takes the concept of personalized t shirts one step further by not only making use of a preferred form of clothing, the t shirt, and personalizing it in such a way as to elicit a positive response to the branding seen on the shirt itself.  Whereas promotional shirts of the past simply posted big, bold letters announcing the brand, promotional shirts of today now feature more creative ways of promoting a brand, with favourable color combinations, whimsical sayings, and even eye-catching and thought-provoking artwork.

Other than the style and comfort that comes with a t shirt, people also like the fact that personalized t shirts were also designed to be of the utmost convenience, able to be worn with the least amount of preparation needed.  In many cases, custom t shirts can also be somewhat of a rare novelty, since they are not items one can simply purchase from the local department store or clothing store, making acquiring it even more of an incentive for people.  This in turn, makes the perfect marketing hook, as in many cases the acquisition of the promotional t shirt necessarily means purchasing or patronizing the brand, thus ensuring a sale.  This also works both ways, since a person who may not really have a liking for the promotional t shirt may inadvertently develop a recall for the brand advertised by the t shirt itself, by virtue of the human interest, since they see other people wearing the personalised t shirts, human psychology will unconsciously dictate that it might be worth trying.

Embroidered polo shirts and screen printed polo tees are a classic wardrobe. They never get obsolete in the clothing industry and they are great for dressing up or down.  If you are looking for the right polo shirt, you may want to know the different kinds of fabrics to choose from. Polo shirts can be made of cotton, jersey knit, pique and sports knit. 

Work polo shirts or company shirts are made of cotton, breathable fabric. Cotton polo shirts are generally the least expensive. Jersey knit polo shirts are a little lighter and easier to clean than cotton work shirts. They come anywhere from 1%-50% polyester blended with cotton. Cotton and jersey knit polo shirts are both great choices for breathability in warm weather especially in Australia. Pique embroidered polo shirts have a raised, corded pattern. Pique fabrics come in cotton, polyester and silk blends. Golf polo shirts are usually made of pique fabrics. Sport knit screen printed polo tees are the most lightweight polo shirts on the market. The sport knit fabric is made up mostly of nylon. Some incorporate a wicking technology that takes moisture from your skin and propels it to the outside of the shirt, keeping you cool and dry on hot days or during athletic activity.

PromosXchange offers high quality embroidery and screen printing for your company logo that will best suit your chosen polo shirt. Choose your polo shirt depending on the weather and the use of the shirt. If you’re not sure which polo shirt would be suitable for your company simply call 1300 760 887 (9am to 5pm AEST) and speak to one of our promotional polo shirts consultants for suggestions.