Working remotely has become the norm these past few years due to the devastating effects of the pandemic. More and more people globally have had to switch to a different kind of working model. That model is, of course, conducting business from the comfort of their own homes. And while it hasn’t been easy, it definitely brought some interesting changes along the way. A lot of those changes have been related to the distribution of promotional items.
Before the global crisis, we would give and/or receive promo merch in various well-established ways. For example, we could give them away within the company during specific holidays. We might even do so on a date we designate ourselves. Alternatively, we would visit conferences, corporate events, business meet-ups, parties, etc. In other words, gatherings that involve plenty of customers, visitors, and potential partners. And what better way of promoting a brand than doing so directly, with lots of spectacular products at our disposal?
Naturally, that isn’t the case when there’s a global pandemic raging. After all, we can’t get to our potential customers and gift recipients physically. Luckily, there are methods of shipping those same items to each remote employee or client. But we need to think of different aspects of each shipment, such as packaging, distance, etc. For that reason, many businesses have been relying on a particular shipping method, one named drop shipping.
What Is Drop Shipping?
Drop shipping is, in the briefest terms possible, shipping items without the direct involvement of the business itself. Normally, we would have to bulk order products and that specific amount would come directly to us. Next, we would have to unpack them, mark them, and repack them individually before sending them to their individual recipients.
Drop shipping eliminates that complicated affair altogether. Instead of sending the bulk order to us, the wholesaler or the manufacturer holds on to the inventory. They only send out individual orders based on the information we send them. In that regard, we effectively only act as the middleman, handling the paperwork and placing our company name and logo on each order.
Appropriate Promo Items for Drop Shipping
Obviously, not all items will be eligible for drop shipping. For example, we advise against shipping anything that’s fragile, perishable, or even downright dangerous. A brief list of items for the do-not-ship list would include stuff like pocket knives, glassware, snacks, drinks, cosmetics, , and items that we’re not allowed to advertise on social media.
With that in mind, what products can we drop ship? Well, here are a few neat examples.
Face Masks
Face masks are a necessity, even now that the pandemic is subsiding. And unlike other PPE equipment, these items are incredibly easy to ship and won’t take any significant damage. More to the point, they are incredibly useful and even necessary, even during non-pandemic times.
The cool thing about face masks is that we have a massive choice of options. We can go with single-use masks, of course, but the more appropriate option would involve reusable items made out of fabric or some other strong material. Not only will they be good to go after a single wash, but we can advertise our product for years with a simple logo printed on the surface.
Reusable Drinkware
Tumblers, thermal bottles, and similar vessels are an excellent way to show our appreciation for the employees. Not only are they incredibly durable, but they often have lots of different uses. For instance, we can store both hot and cold drinks in a tumbler, as well as some liquid food like soup.
Naturally, they work well with drop shipping since they are not fragile and can endure long periods of storage. Therefore, even if we order more than we need to ship, we can still keep an inventory and they will remain as good as new once we send a new batch over to our clients and employees.
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Benefits of Drop Shipping
Saving Time
As we stated earlier, in order to ship the products using other methods, we would have to physically package the product and send it separately to each individual. With drop shipping, we don’t have to invest all of that time into repackaging, since the provider of the products does it for us.
Consistency
Considering that most manufacturers or wholesalers have a particular method of doing things, they will constantly send their products in a similar fashion. That will offer some consistency, i.e. the recipients will always know that the branded gift comes from us, in a timely manner and is packaged a certain way. And consistency breeds brand loyalty and routine, which results in more revenue.
Cost-Efficiency
How exactly can a service like drop shipping save someone money, since we still have to pay fees to the product provider? Well, when we compare the cost of shipping ourselves to the cost of drop shipping, the numbers provide clear answers. To put it simply, we would have to spend money on packaging supplies, postage, and other related services just to ship out a single bulk. On the other hand, with the drop shippers, we merely need to pay for the inventory stocking and the manufacturer’s services. The rest is entirely on them.
The Growth and Expansion of Drop Shipping in 2023
Even before the pandemic struck, businesses across the globe used drop shipping to send items to their remote workers across the globe. We firmly believe that it’s the shipping model of the future, and when we combine it with proper promotional marketing, we will have a winning combination on our hands.
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View our list of promotional best-sellers if you haven’t yet. In case you want to know more, you may contact GoPromotional at 0800 0148 970 or simply email us today. Let’s start your newest marketing journey in style!
