Feel the Joy of an Online Store

By Shelley Allen, Owner, On Point Promotions & Embroidery | March 7, 2021

For the last year, the only thing that has been constant has been change. Even after a year of major shifts we can always count on something else changing … and often. Since things aren’t the way they used to be we can’t expect to continue running our businesses the same way we always have. They have to change, too. We are still needing to wear masks and use social distancing measures so we must adjust the way we work with our clients and sometimes employees, too. Some options that have existed but not used as a general rule like virtual meetings and group chats become more mainstream, including the idea of online stores.

The use of online meetings exploded in the last year. After countless hours on Zoom, I’ve become completely comfortable and use it often for meetings.  I knew in the beginning that I needed to change more than just the way I met with clients but just didn’t know what direction to take. It took me a little time to figure it out, but I found something that could be useful to many of my customers, as well as other companies, while remaining in the same industry.

In that same vein of expanding opportunities, I want to share a new advantageous option for businesses that I am now offering.  Online stores!

Are company online stores new?

Your business can have a store of your very own that is filled with products completely branded with your logo. I know online stores have been around awhile.  I’ve looked into them for several years but never found a provider that I felt would truly meet my needs as well as my customers’ needs so.

Since I joined iPROMOTEu (the company I hired to take care of back-office work) in 2019, I have found that they have abundant resources available to me. One of them is company online stores. I’ve got the first one up and running right now for a local high school track team. So far, it’s been easier than I imagined for both my client and me. My hope is it will continue to operate without a hitch!

The benefits of company online stores

There are so many benefits for you with online stores. I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about some of them:

·         You have more control with brand consistency without all the work. You’ll enjoy a quicker approval process. Select your items once and approve the artwork for them once. Eliminate the need to repeat the process for every order.

·         It’s easy for you to track budgets and control costs for departments and/or locations. A budget is set for each group that they can’t exceed.

·         Save time with less man hours for large apparel orders. Each employee can see the options and order what they want. Just like departments and locations, you can set a budget for each employee. If they decide to exceed their budget, they can pay the remainder with a credit card. They get what they want, and you remain on budget.

·         Invoices can be sent directly to the accounts payable department or another designated person(s).

·         Shipments can be sent to one main location or other locations. You make the choice that is most convenient and expedient for you and your staff.

·         Warehousing is an option, so some items are available quicker than they would be with standard production times.

·         There is always the option of adding new items or removing old items. It is quick and easy with a few clicks on the keyboard.

·         Online stores are easy and work well for special company events or teams.

Company online stores are customizable to meet the needs of each individual company. Plus, they can be ready to run in a matter of weeks, not months! If this sounds like something that would benefit your company, let’s chat!

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