Making The Most Out Of The Swag Shop

Is your store utilizing promotional products, otherwise known as “swag”?

The promotional power of “swag” has been around for a while. What did old school swag use to look like?

Once upon a time… auto repair shops would give away complimentary magnets with their brand logo and contact information. Banks provided their customers free pens that had the name of their financial institutions and branch locations printed on the side, and they still provide this! Even dentists’ offices would hand out toothbrushes with their business name, logo, and phone number to patients after every teeth cleaning. And let’s not forget the glossy calendars that real estate agents were notorious for doling out to their clients once a sale went through…

Offering shoppers promotional merchandise is one of the most effective methods of organically fostering customer loyalty, no matter what particular industry your business operates within. Branded swag only strengthens customer relationships. Even B2B companies benefit from providing their customers and clients with useful swag items.

Thanking shoppers for their patronage by giving them promotional items with your store’s branded logo is a great way to build customer loyalty while effectively marketing your brand. Utilizing swag products at your store can also benefit your business in the following ways:

• Provides an inexpensive marketing strategy
• Builds brand recognition
• Increases business exposure
• Nurtures relationships with customers
• Incentivizes customer loyalty

With so many benefits, it’s no wonder that “swag” has quickly evolved over the years from free pens to valuable products that aren’t at all disposable, like Egyptian cotton bath towels with a company’s name and logo embossed in gold thread. Today’s swag is nothing like those old school freebies that were a dime a dozen. In today’s market, Swag Shops must offer enticing and exclusive items that have obvious value.

Promotional products and merchandise are so effective when it comes to building customer loyalty and increasing brand awareness, in fact, that today’s customer loyalty rewards programs now include Swag Shops as part of their exclusive rewards system.

How can you, as a retailer, get the most out of your loyalty Swag Shop? In this article, we’ll take a look at the Loyal~n~Save Swag Shop from the end-customer’s perspective to help you maximize the features and offer the best rewards to promote customer loyalty for your business.

Swag Shop Popular Items

85% of consumers shop regularly with retailers that gave them promotional swag items as a “thank you”, according to Sageworld.com.

For loyalty members, the Loyal~n~Save mobile app makes finding participating stores fast and easy. Once a member finds your business within the app, he or she can add your store and instantly see the deals at your location—registered, unregistered, and recommended. In the store view, customers can also see the quantity of rewards points they’ve earned so far. Directly beneath that motivating information is the Swag Shop icon.

Within your store’s actual Swag Shop, loyalty members are presented with an easy-to-navigate view of your swag. The customer’s points balance is clearly displayed. Products can be organized by category. And customers can even filter the swag products displayed by adjusting the required points. This means that if a participating member had a balance of 500 points, he or she could filter all products so that only eligible swag appears on the screen.

One of the most valuable aspects of the Loyal~n~Save Swag Shop is the customer reviews feature. As soon as a member clicks on a particular swag item, a new app screen opens, displaying item photos and customer reviews. The member can also use this view to see their current points balance, which can be applied towards redeeming that specific swag item. If a customer doesn’t have enough points yet, he or she can simply click the “heart” icon to add the swag item to their Wishlist.

Tips to make the most out of the Popular Swag Items View:

• Display the total points needed to redeem each item
• Contrast total points needed for redemption with the member’s current points balance
• Implement a system for collecting Swag Shop item reviews

Saved Swag In My Wishlist

6 out of 10 consumers keep and use swag items an average of 2 years, according to Sageworld.com.

As loyalty members shop at your store and rack up rewards points, they will periodically review your Swag Shop to check out the available swag items and compare their current points balance to the total points they need to redeem their Wishlist items.

Even better, loyalty members can view the Wishlists of their friends and teammates, and also see how close their buddies are to redeeming those items. This ability has the power to instill healthy competition between friends and teammates. For generous members who like surprising their buddies, customers can use their own points to redeem swag items as gifts for their friends, using their friends’ Wishlists to learn which items their friends and teammates want most.

Because the Loyal~n~Save app enables members to view “Gifts”–both given and received–the social networking capabilities are on par with well-known social media platforms. Members quickly discover that the more time they spend within the mobile app, the more connections they can make, which means the more opportunities they have to build their circle of friends and teams.

Tips to make the most out of the My Wishlist View:

• Make sure image thumbnails are clear for each item
• Display the total points needed to redeem each item
• Include a concise, well-written product description for each item

Top Swag Ideas

8 out of 10 consumers have at least 1 promotional product, according to Sageworld.com.

Your loyalty swag shop remains open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, which means that you can make money even while you sleep! Have you set up your digital Swag Shop yet, or are you still trying to figure out what items to include? We surveyed all of the loyalty strategists here at Loyal~n~Save to specifically find out which exact swag items sell like hotcakes! Here are the top-trending swag ideas in no particular order:

Tote Bags

What We Love About It: Tote bags aren’t just durable and eco-friendly… They’re immortal—the gods that lord over the plastic and brown paper bag world! Your company name and logo will be just as immortal when you sell these babies in your swag shop.

This swag works best for: Everyone! Seriously, that’s why we love it! Whether you own a convenience store or a beauty salon, tote bag swag will make your customers very happy!

Potted Plants

What We Love About It: Nothing commemorates the beginning of a long, happy relationship like a small potted plant! Just like the relationship between a retailer and their customer, plants must be nurtured, watered, even consulted–yup, we talk to our plants and you should, too! The best part about potted plants as swag is that every time your customer sees your company logo on the pot, he or she will be reminded to open the loyalty app, check out their points balance, and shop.

This swag works best for: Low points minimums, eco-friendly members, and even new loyalty program enrollees, especially if you run a gardening supply store!

Eco-Friendly Water Bottles

What We Love About It: Making wise choices to help preserve the environment will never go out of style. Consumers love doing their part to “reduce, reuse, and recycle” and will jump at the chance to redeem their points for eco-friendly water bottles, and that’s why we love this swag!

This swag works best for: Gyms, fitness centers, yoga studios, and even sporting goods stores! The best part about eco-friendly water bottles is that a single member could buy multiple bottles from your swag shop, especially if you offer a variety of colors.

The Loyal~n~Save Swag Shop gives end-customers the opportunity to redeem their earned points easily by visiting the retailer’s digital Swag Shop within the Loyal~n~Save mobile app, which is available for Android and Apple. When you start a loyalty program with Loyal~n~Save and open your digital Swag Shop, you will not only increase brand awareness about your store, but also ensure that rewards points continue to circulate through your store in such a way that your loyalty members are constantly earning and burning points at your business.

With our loyalty rewards program platform, you never have to worry about “point sharing” or the risk of your customers taking the points they’ve earned at your store and redeeming those points elsewhere. Our platform never participates in point sharing!

Ready to get started with Loyal~n~Save and our highly successful Swag Shop app? Contact us to speak with a loyalty specialist today!