Setting up an internal company merch store can bring great benefits – it can help you build a sense of community within your company and reinforce its culture. Sadly, often the truth is that just having a store doesn’t mean people will use it. That’s why many internal stores end up gathering dust because employees forget about them or don’t see the value in the items being offered.
So if you’re looking to get your employees excited about your company store, you need a plan. And, as company merchandise store specialists, we can definitely offer you one (or, rather, ten) just in this article. We’ll dig into creative tactics and key actions that can help turn a forgotten platform into something employees actually want to engage with.
Table of Contents
10 Ways To Increase Use Of Your Employee Swag Store
Implement a Point-Based Reward System
In our opinion, having a point-based reward system is a must for any internal store as it introduces the idea of being rewarded for work achievements with actual valuable items. Your employees can accumulate points by achieving certain milestones, participating in company events, or even through peer recognition – and then redeem them for items from the store.
Your team will feel incentivized to contribute more, and you can get them on board even quicker by offering smaller items for fewer points – the effects of immediate gratification are not to be overestimated.
Align Your Store Items with Company Values
One more way you can build a connection between employees and the employee swag store is by tying its items to the core values of your company. So if sustainability is important for you, try to feature eco-friendly products like reusable water bottles or sustainable clothing. Employees will appreciate the thoughtfulness and relate to them way more than to generic swag. Overall, it’s a subtle but effective way to keep the company’s mission at the forefront while encouraging people to visit and shop in the store.
Kick Off with Free Gifts or Credits
Everyone loves a good gift, and a gesture like an initial $20 credit can get people curious about what your company merch store can offer. Regardless of what their preferences are, this kind of experience is a no-risk way for employees to check out the platform and make a purchase.
It’s also important to make that first interaction as simple and enjoyable as possible; you need to make sure that your interface is very user-friendly, your item descriptions and photos – high quality, and your checkout process – straightforward.
Make the Store Accessible Through Internal Platforms
Questionable accessibility is often the downfall of internal stores – if employees don’t know where to find it or forget it exists, it will be hard to drive traffic. That’s why you need to make the store easy to find. Add a prominent link to the company intranet or internal communication tools like Slack, Teams, or similar software.
You could also remind employees about the store in internal newsletters or during team meetings; however, don’t be too intrusive.
Swag in Welcome Packages
Welcome packages are not only a great onboarding practice, but also an excellent tool for getting new employees more engaged. When they receive branded items on their first day, they can already experience the company culture firsthand and create an emotional connection with your company merch. Depending on your industry and employee preferences, this could be t-shirts, water bottles, tote bags, tech devices, wellness products and many more.
On top of that, you can include an informational flier or a discount code into the package so that your new hires get encouraged to explore the platform right away.
Showcase Merchandise Physically in the Office
For companies with physical offices, setting up a small display of products can go a long way in driving interest. Having just a few key items (a jacket, a branded water bottle, or a company hoodie) on display in a common area will be a reminder of what the store offers and will help employees get a real-world sense of what they could purchase. They can touch, feel, and picture themselves using the product, which makes the idea of going online and buying it more appealing.
Offer Exclusive Product Drops
Exclusive products are known to stir up excitement and keep your team coming back to your company merchandise store. So make sure to organize product drops for a short period (e.g. company anniversaries, holidays, new product launches) as it will make these items feel more valuable. On top of that, if you announce these drops in advance, you can build a certain level of anticipation and a sense of buzz around the store even before the new items become available.
Host Pop-Up Sales
An extension of our previous point, pop-up sales are limited-time events that offer exclusive discounts or limited-edition products, and they are a great tool to create a sense of urgency in your team. Naturally, the limited nature of your offer (provided that the offer is good enough) should motivate employees to act quickly to avoid missing out.
And If you can host an in-person pop-up sale, even better – you can set up a temporary shop in a central location at the office where employees can browse and buy items directly. \
Run Company-Wide Challenges and Competitions
Good competition, especially when there’s something fun at stake, can also drive some good traffic to your employee swag store. You could create various challenges where teams or individuals earn points, and those points can later be exchanged for store credit. Alternatively, you can tie performance goals or milestone achievements directly to rewards from the store, similar to the points-based reward system we have already discussed.
Ask for Feedback
Finally, and most importantly, never stop gathering feedback from employees about what they like and don’t like about the store. Conduct surveys or provide an easy way for employees to leave suggestions about the types of items they want to see and use that input to improve the products in your company’s merch store.
This kind of ongoing dialogue also creates a sense of ownership and participation, making your employees feel like the store genuinely caters to their preferences
Conclusion
Building a thriving online company store for employees requires more than just good products. You need these products to be tied to your company values, to be easily accessible, and to be featured in welcome packages and pop-up sales every now and again. And, naturally, to increase company store engagement, you yourself need to engage your employees – create challenges, reward them with redeemable points, and, above all, ask their opinion.
And if you are only starting to set up your own company merch store, it’s highly recommended that you partner up with an experienced company store setup team like Brandscape. We will provide expert assistance in making your internal shop one of the biggest positives in your employees’ corporate life experience.
