Branded Goods
Do Branded Goods Actually Work? The ROI of Promotional Merchandise
Branded merchandise is often the cheapest media a business buys, but it is also the easiest to waste. Here is how we help clients pick items that stay in circulation, and how to measure whether the spend is working.
The cost per impression maths
Industry research from BPMA and PPAI puts the average life of a branded pen at 6 months and a branded drinkware item at over 12 months.
At £1.20 per branded pen with 700 estimated impressions across its life, cost per impression is 0.17p — cheaper than almost any digital channel.
The items with the highest retention
Drinkware: reusable bottles, insulated cups and travel mugs consistently top retention studies.
Bags: cotton and jute totes remain in weekly use for over 18 months on average.
Tech: branded cables, power banks and mouse mats stay on desks year-round.
Apparel: staff and event wear turns your team into a mobile billboard at exhibitions and site visits.
Matching merchandise to a goal
For trade shows, choose lightweight items that fit into a laptop bag so visitors will actually take them home.
For onboarding new staff, a branded welcome kit (notebook, bottle, hoodie) improves first-day sentiment and is easily shared on LinkedIn.
For customer thank-yous, spend more per item on fewer people — a well-chosen gift is remembered; a bag of pens is not.
How to measure impact
Add a QR code or short URL to merchandise and track landing-page visits.
Ask new leads how they heard about you in your enquiry form and include an option for events or gifts.
Review reorder frequency: items you reorder every 6 to 9 months are earning their place; items sitting in the stockroom are not.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the minimum order for branded goods?
- It varies by product. Printed pens usually start at 100 units, embroidered polo shirts from 10, and full-colour drinkware from 36.
- How long does production take?
- Standard UK production is 7 to 15 working days from artwork approval. Express turnaround from 48 hours is available on many stock items.
- Can you match Pantone colours?
- Yes — for pad print, screen print and embroidery we match to Pantone Solid Coated references. Full-colour print is CMYK with best-match to Pantone.