4 Ideas for Company Swag that Will Build Your Team Culture

Company swag is more than just office merchandise or a cool shirt with your logo. Branded merchandise helps with visibility and external perception of your brand. More importantly, it is an extension of your workplace culture and helps create that distinct identity for your company and team.‍

79% of employees tie strong company culture with their job satisfaction, and happier more engaged teams tend to be more productive, creative, and attract talent.

Check out a few ideas on company swag that can help you build your team culture.

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Things to consider when opening a company store

It sounds simple, but when launching your company store, you want to be sure to select items of interest for your team. The last thing you want is unwanted merchandise taking up space in your office closet.

A company store can be a large investment of resources and space, so be sure to consider these two factors: the demand and the usefulness of the items. Shirts and hoodies are always popular and always in demand for events. And items like umbrellas, wireless headphones, and portable chargers would be utilized in the office or in day-to-day use.

Take a poll to get an idea on what employees want

If you’re not sure, narrow down your items and take a survey poll with your team. Or open the discussion on your Slack or Teams channel to get a sense of what employees would want to see. You might also have to work with your marketing team as ordering branded merchandise can also be used for marketing opportunities as well.

And depending on the needs for your marketing team and your employees, you could bulk purchase the order. Or with Cooleaf, you can also utilize more on-demand printing from our services with Dreamship and Systemax, to create your company store online. With online platforms, employees can select which items they like best and the items is made to order.

Personalizing your company store with the right items can go a long way in unifying your workplace. Below are a few ideas for company swag that will build team culture, and items that your team will be sure to love.

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Shirts & hoodies are perfect for team events & volunteer days

Shirts, hoodies, or outerwear with your company logo are always go-to popular items in a company store. Apparel is perfect for remote or hybrid teams too, and it adds a sense of unity. Consider issuing apparel:

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• When onboarding new employees to feel welcome and excited to join
• For team spirit days where remote employees can sport their logo tees on a video call
• When hosting volunteer days or large team events in-person or especially online.

You can consider designing a logo or tagline for different departments too. Organizations on Cooleaf even hosted their own t-shirt design challenges where departments could design their own logo or employees could provide more personalized sayings to their shirts. Collaborating with your team is fun and encourages them to use the items they helped create.‍

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Wireless headphones, speakers, charging stations for WFH

If you’re fully remote or supporting sometimes-remote with a hybrid model, tech gadgets from wireless earbuds or noise cancelling headphones are a great extension of making the home office feel part of the office. Portable chargers or charging stations are also useful beyond work and employees might not buy those on their own but use them quite often.

Mug and office essentials for onboarding 

Onboarding kits for in-house or remote team members are a great way to kickstart an employee’s experience on your team. Consider branded mugs, notebooks, and pens as a fun way to welcome and as an extension of your team culture.  Especially for remote teams, it’s fun to spot branded team mugs when on a team Zoom meeting.

Items that are extensions of your core values

From eco-friendly items like tote bags to fitness items like metal water bottles, the items you select for your company store are extensions of your workplace culture too. Consider other ways you can offer a few items that support those wellbeing activities like water drinking challenges or reusable items to show your support for green goals. 

You can also take this a step further and add a few core values or sayings onto the merch itself.

Whatever items you do decide, company swag is a great way to unify your team, whether they’re near or far, for large get together or their everyday.‍

Want to learn more on how Cooleaf offers a more flexible, on-demand option for your company store? Chat with us!