Promotional products, branded merchandise, swag—we know them as the popular freebies loved by businesses and clients alike. People love getting custom swag at an event and usually enjoy it for a long time afterward.
Best of all, every time they use your branded merch, they spread the word about your organization or company for free.
The options for buying promotional products can seem endless. It can feel impossible to wade through the many sellers to choose the best promotional product supplier.
You want to order from a supplier who will offer quality, affordability, and variety, as well as great customer service.
Not to worry! We’ve done all the legwork to bring you the Top10.com list of the best places to get affordable, high-quality branded merchandise your customers will love.
Our Best Promotional Products & Items Companies in 2023:
- Deluxe - Best promotional products company overall
- Vista Print - Best for small businesses
- Positive Promotions - Best for variety
- 4Customize - Best for simple promotional products
- Customon - Best for custom apparel orders
- Zazzle - Best for small orders
- LogoMaker - Best for small to medium-sized companies
- DiscountMugs - A wide range of promotional products
- AnyPromo - Best for receiving design help
| Compare the Best Promotional Product Brands | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | 5  | 6  | 7  | 8  | 9 .20210914092031.png) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Best for | Large orders | Small businesses | Corporate, industries, service professionals, people celebrating special occasions | Simple promotional products | Custom apparel orders | Small orders | Small to medium-sized companies | A wide range of promotional products | Receiving design help |
Price range | $100 plus | From $17 for 100 business cards | $0.25 to $120 per item | Cents to $12.99 plus | Variable | A few cents to hundreds of dollars | Starting prices range from $0.90-$40.00 | $0.07 plus | Dependent on product |
Minimum quantity | Yes, variable | Yes
(e.g.: 100 business cards, 6 T-Shirt) | Applies mostly to smaller items | From 10 | One | Applies mostly to smaller items | Usually 12+ | ||
Free samples | Yes, for wholesale customers | Yes, upon request | Yes, on up to 3 items with a value below $10 for FedEx or UPS | ||||||
Delivery time | Variable, 24-hour printing available | 3-8 business days | 2-7 business days | 4-15 business days | One to four weeks | From 2 days | 10-14 business days on average | 1-20 days | Often 1-5 business days |
Delivery area | Within the USA and internationally | All of US and many international locations | All 50 states. Overseas shipping available to some locations | Worldwide | USA and Canada | Worldwide | All 50 states & overseas | The United States and Canada | US only |
A Closer Look at Our Top 10 Promotional Product Brands
- Large orders
- Yes, for wholesale customers
- Variable, 24-hour printing available
Deluxe is a reliable promotional product vendor with a wide selection of products in numerous categories. It has flexible personalization options, with free samples and rush production available for some products.
Shipping is available within the USA and internationally. Prices are competitive, and the ordering and checkout process is simple and intuitive. On the downside, the customer service isn’t as good as we expected, and there are additional setup fees with each product you order.
Pros- Very competitive prices
- Free samples for wholesale customers
- Great customization options
Cons- No listed international shipping costs
- Additional setup fees
- Small businesses
- Yes
- 3-8 business days
Since 1995, small businesses have relied on Vistaprint for their marketing merchandise needs. With a seamless, easy-to-navigate website, customers get a clear idea of what their goods will look like before ordering. Vistaprint prompts users about potential pitfalls like legibility and sizing issues. If you’re looking for a simple way to create anything from business cards, to branded puffer jackets, to logo tablecloths, you’ll find it on Vistaprint.
While Vistaprint does charge shipping fees, they are reasonable and can be expedited if you need your goods in a hurry. Ordering from Vistaprint is risk-free thanks to their commitment to customer satisfaction. You can ask for a reprint or get your money fully refunded if you’re unhappy with the final product. But we don’t think you’ll want a refund, considering Vistaprint’s fair pricing, range of designs, and quality of print.
Pros- Affordable cost for a huge range of products
- Clear, helpful interface makes it easy for beginners to use
- Friendly customer service and money-back guarantee
Cons- Some templates feel dated or unexciting
- Upgrades for design and product type can add significantly to the cost
- Corporate, industries, service professionals, people celebrating special occasions
- Yes, upon request
- 2-7 business days
Positive Promotions offers a seemingly endless variety of products for businesses and individuals to personalize. Their prices are reasonable, with discounts available on bulk orders. Use the Product Finder to choose the perfect swag gift or browse by category. Personalizing is a hallmark of Positive Promotions, and a basic level of personalization is free. You can customize products with your own logo or theme at an additional cost.
Popular merchandise sold by Positive Promotions includes apparel, drinkware, pens, pencils, backpacks, and conference giveaways. Their products are suitable for special events, thank you gifts, and promotions. They are dedicated to customer satisfaction and will refund or replace items if you’re not happy with your purchase.
Pros- Wide selection of products in all price points
- Money-back guarantee for 90 days
- Free samples available
Cons- Most items involve a minimum order number
- Some customizations involve an extra cost
- Simple promotional products
- No
- 4-15 business days
4Customize offers a small range of basic promotional products, including bags and drinkware. All products are customized and shipped from China, and the company website has major inconsistencies regarding shipping, shipping costs, and the returns policy.
Customer service is quite limited, and there’s no built-in design tool. Its prices are also a little high compared to many of the alternatives, and there’s nothing to make the company stand out. Overall, we just can’t recommend using 4Customize.
Pros- Streamlined ordering process
- Low minimum order quantities
- Tiered discounts with large orders
Cons- Major inconsistencies across the store
- Very limited product selection
- Custom apparel orders
- No
- One to four weeks
Customon offers a range of personalizable items, including clothing, accessories, and a small selection of other products. The design process is quite straightforward, and you will benefit from no minimum order quantity.
The high prices and long shipping times will put a lot of people off, as will the lack of true promotional product offerings. But if you’re looking for a small number of branded items, Customon may be the perfect option.
Pros- No minimum order quantities
- Streamlined designer
- The ability to sell your designs
Cons- Quite expensive
- Long shipping times
- Small orders
- No
- From 2 days
US-based promotional product store Zazzle offers thousands of fully customizable items to customers around the world. Its built-in design tool is excellent, enabling you to fine-tune every aspect of your products.
There’s also a great mobile app supporting design, ordering, and order tracking. Items are a little expensive and there are minimal bulk-order discounts, but there’s no minimum order quantity. Overall, Zazzle is a great option for those who require small numbers of customized products.
Pros- Huge product range
- International shipping available
- Excellent built-in designer
Cons- Slightly expensive compared to alternatives
- Minimal bulk order discounts
- Small to medium-sized companies
- No
- 10-14 business days on average
LogoMaker lets you design your own logos through a guided process. Beginners will find it easy to create a logo using one of their templates, and adjust it until it looks just right. For those who want a more comprehensive service, LogoMaker sells packages that include onsite designers helping you create your images.
Once you’ve designed your logo, LogoMaker lets you view your order on a range of merchandise to see how it will look. LogoMaker offers a money-back guarantee within a month of ordering, and reduced pricing on bulk orders. Product costs and shipping fees are reasonable, making LogoMaker a great choice for small businesses on a budget.
Pros- Step-by-step instructions
- Thousands of templates to choose from
- Money-back guarantee within 30 days
Cons- Some pricing and shipping information is not available online
- Website interface feels somewhat dated and clunky
- A wide range of promotional products
- No
- 1-20 days
DiscountMugs offers a wide range of branded and promotional products to customers across the USA and Canada. It boasts flexible shipping options, excellent design freedom, and relatively low minimum order numbers.
Its volume discounts are also great, enabling you to get more than 80% off the listed price in some cases. Shipping is a little expensive, and free samples aren’t available, but these are quite minor cons in the grand scheme of things.
Pros- Huge range of products
- Flexible shipping options
- Excellent design studio
Cons- No free samples
- Rapid shipping is expensive
- Receiving design help
- Yes, on up to 3 items with a value below $10 for FedEx or UPS
- Often 1-5 business days
Having been in business for over 10 years, AnyPromo has a selection of more than 200,000 items of promotional swag. As well as providing free help, it offers a wide selection of printing options.
Although the company doesn’t currently have an app, it offers a number of other attractive features that could compensate for this, such as a 24-hour rush service
Pros- Built-in design studio for adding text, images, and photos
- Free proofs available on most products before ordering
- Free shipping on thousands of custom items
Cons- No mobile app available
- International shipping not available (US only)
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How We Chose the Best Promotional Product Suppliers Out There
The companies we’ve featured are ideal for anyone looking to buy custom merchandise in bulk, such as businesses, church groups, sports teams, charities, schools, and more.
We took an in-depth look at their pricing structure, the products on offer, how easy it is to design your own merchandise, the quality of the print, customer service, and the shipping costs.
What Should You Look for in a Promotional Products Supplier?
- Pricing: You’ll want to know that your per-item cost is low enough that you can place a bulk order so there’s enough merchandise for everyone.
- Scope of services: Be sure the vendor offers the extent of services you’re looking for to suit your specific needs.
- Selection of items: A wide range of product options gives you many choices for ordering in many different categories.
- Creation and delivery time: Find out how long it takes to have items made and delivered so you know you’ll get your goods when you need them.
- Level of customization: Does the promotional products supplier customize items to the level you need, or provide items from a generic range of options?
- Customer service: The distributor you work with should be responsive to your questions and concerns. You want a company that can reliably deliver on the timeline you’ve set. And your custom merchandise supplier should have a fair return policy should you need to send back any goods.
- Free samples: Free samples can help you fine-tune your order before committing to buying a bulk quantity. What is the merchandise provider’s policy on sending a branded sample?
- Printing technique: There are several methods for printing your custom logo or design, such as silk-screening, sublimation, heat transfer, and more. You’ll want your promotional product supplier to work with you to find the best printing approach for your merchandise.
What Are Some Important Points to Consider When Ordering Promotional Swag?
Customizable Space
Make sure your design or logo will fit on the item you’re personalizing. Some services offer very little space to customize the merchandise and your logo ends up getting lost.
Choose a supplier that gives you the most flexibility to customize color, logo placement, and more.
Product Quality
The promotional products you give away represent your brand — and you don’t want to be perceived as cheap or low-quality. Make sure that whatever products you choose are well-made and sturdy and will be with their recipient for a long time.
Think about it: would you prefer they toss the pen with your logo on it after a week or keep using that awesome thermos they got from you for years to come? Exactly. Make sure people associate your brand with quality goods. Bad swag can devalue your brand.
Samples
The best way to make sure the quality of your branded swag is right is to order sample prints before placing a bulk order. Be sure that the company will provide you with a virtual mockup to approve, followed by a physical sample.
Holding the actual item in your hands gives you a better sense of what your future customers will think of your brand.
What Are the Hottest Swag Items People Are Ordering in 2023?
- T-shirts and sweatshirts remain a perennial favorite for swag apparel.
- Mugs and other drinkware like water bottles, beer cans, and tumblers are popular choices this year as well.
- Pens, calendars, notepads, and other desk accessories also make for popular giveaways.
- Bags of various kinds, like tote bags, duffel bags, and canvas shopping bags are useful and appreciated.
- Conference freebies like lanyards, bracelets, and keychains are always hot items.
FAQs
- What are some of the bestselling promotional products these days?
A sign of the times, face masks printed with a logo and branded mini bottles of hand sanitizer are best-selling promotional products. USB drives are also common giveaway items.
Drawstring backpacks, tote bags, and hats are some other popular customized items. Inexpensive freebies like keychains and calendars are widely sold products as well. - Which giveaways are among the most popular to receive?
People love getting all sorts of freebies. What are their favorites? Items they can wear or use like t-shirts, hats, umbrellas, and backpacks are really appreciated.
Headphones, water bottles, and tech-related items like phone chargers and phone grips get clients excited as well. People like getting pens, cups, and flashlights, too. - Are promotional items effective?
Is branded swag worth the expense to your company? Yes. Most people use their branded merchandise for more than a year. And those who don’t use your promotional goods usually pass them on to someone else, increasing your visibility and solidifying your brand awareness.
Promotional items are essentially souvenirs that create brand recognition and a positive association between people and your message.
The Bottom Line
To sum up, branded merchandise may seem dated, but our findings show that it’s anything but. To put it simply, people get excited when you give them things for free. Promotional swag leaves a lasting impression on people and creates a bond with your brand or service.
There’s a huge array of merchandise available at every price point so you can find just the right freebie to share. And with our Top10.com guide, it’s easy to choose a trustworthy vendor and find your perfect swag.
