Here’s a nightmare scenario: you have hundreds of employees in multiple locations throughout the country who all need to wear the same uniform. But the “same uniform” idea isn’t happening. Instead, each store is purchasing its employees’ apparel without cohesion or oversight from your parent company, and at each company, the uniform looks...a little different.

This example is just one of the ways ordering branded apparel can be a logistical challenge. But ensuring consistent apparel across multiple locations can be simple. Even if your employees and locations are dispersed throughout the country, you can streamline the dispersal of pre-approved marketing and sales materials – yes, even branded apparel – quickly and efficiently. How? Through an online company store.

An online company store is one that uses your pre-approved brand logo, builds a store unique for your business, and lets your employees and the public purchases items (like t-shirts or hats, for example). Essentially, the online store simplifies the process for you by stocking your apparel in a fulfillment center, processing and filling orders, and maintaining logo consistency across orders. Here arefive benefits of an online store in streamlining the inventory management of branded apparel:

Decrease Cost and Investment

With many users of an online company store, you can have less inventory and offer co-op pricing, even if you’re only ordering a limited amount of merchandise. No matter how much you purchase, you’ll often be charged only the lowest price because online company stores have greater purchasing power which, in turn, gives vendors more flexibility in offering lower prices.

Save Time

Online company stores free up sourcing agents’ time by letting your assigned promotional products distributor maintain your website, engage your customer service, and control your inventory management.

Control Branding

Consistent branding across departments and locations can be a challenge. But with an online company store, approved artwork and logos for all merchandise ensures that your branded apparel will look identical no matter where you go.

Manage Spending

If you have a large company, buying branded apparel can become confusing. What item of branded apparel is required for each department? An online store lets you limit access to certain parts of your website that are unnecessary to certain users, display specific prices appropriate for particular users. It even allows various users to pay through different payment methods.

Shorten Production Times

Instead of the 7 to 10 days needed to complete per-order branded merchandise, a company promo store gives you the flexibility of receiving your branded merchandise more quickly. Last-minute promotional orders are often ready to be shipped within 24 hours.

Branded apparel across multiple locations gives your employees unity and your customers cohesion. If you’re ready to set up your own online company store, don’t do it alone. Instead, consider hiring an outside consultant like Proforma Durkee. Proforma can limit your costs and increase your efficiency with our 500 partners and over $500 million in purchasing power. Let us help you make branded apparel inventory management headache-free for everyone involved. Not sure if your company needs an online store? Download our free “Checklist” eBook for more information about how an online store can boost your revenues, limit your workflow costs, and ensure your brand integrity.