Custom Company Merchandise and SWAG in the Rewards Catalog

These simple steps enable you to offer company branded merchandise as a part of your Rewards catalog in the WorkTango platform.

There are a few ways to execute, depending on who handles order placement with your merchandise vendor and whether or not you want them directly integrated with the WorkTango Rewards Marketplace. 

• If you place orders on your employees’ behalf, follow these steps:

  1. Create Custom Rewards in the WorkTango platform that represent all of the different options you would like to offer your employees (Baseball cap, T-shirt, coffee mug, stickers, etc).

  2. Your employees can then easily redeem their points for these items in your WorkTango Rewards catalog.
  3. Then, on a regular basis (recommended at least once per week), pull a Rewards Redemption report to view any redemptions for branded merchandise. Alternatively, contact WorkTango Support to request an automated custom report. This report will be scheduled to send weekly on Mondays, and can be sent to your team as well as your swag vendor.
  4. Place all of the orders with your merchandise vendor based on the redemptions employees made throughout the week.
  
  
           

• If your employees place their own orders directly, follow these steps:

  1. Create Custom Rewards in the WorkTango platform that represent different monetary values (“$25 for branded merchandise”, “$50 for branded merchandise”, etc). In the description of each reward, note which items fall within that dollar amount (“Enough to purchase a sticker, mug or frisbee” , “Enough to purchase a t-shirt, water bottle or notepad”, etc).

  2. Employees can then easily redeem their points for these items in your Rewards catalog.

  3. Then, on a regular basis (recommended at least once per week), pull a Rewards Redemption report to view any redemptions for branded merchandise.

  4. On your merchandise vendor’s platform, load each employee's account with the associated dollar amount. Employees can then navigate to the platform and place their own order with their funds.

  
• These simple steps enable you to offer company branded merchandise that is fulfilled and shipped by your chosen vendor as a part of your Rewards catalog in the WorkTango platform.
  
  Simply provide the item details documented below to your WorkTango implementation manager and they’ll take the lead on adding these items to your Rewards catalog, making them accessible to users, and configuring them for redemption. 
  
  

  Process Overview

  1. SWAG Vendor Set-up

     • Notify your SWAG vendor - let them know you have an exciting new recognition program and would like to enable employees to redeem for company-branded merch.

     • Determine the frequency and format that you’d like WorkTango to notify your vendor about new orders. WorkTango’s Rewards store can send automated updates to your vendor via SFTP or email on a daily or weekly cadence.

     • 1a. Print-on-demand vendors only print and produce the items when an employee redeems for a swag item, so you don't need to keep a large inventory. They’ll fulfill smaller item orders hassle-free (often, print-on-demand vendors allow you to order a single item at a time!)

       • Following your vendor’s guidelines, select items to include in your WorkTango catalog. There’s no minimum or maximum limitation in WorkTango, but we recommend 5-25 items for the best employee experience.

       • Following your vendor guidelines, submit logos and other creative assets to aid in sourcing items.

     • 1b. Drop ship vendors require items to be ordered in advance. They proactively print and produce your custom swag, ensuring swift fulfillment for small or large-scale employee redemptions. Typically, there is a minimum order quantity, and there may be additional fees for item storage.

       • Place a swag order with your vendor of choice.
       • If your vendor doesn't offer print-on-demand, ensure you have sufficient inventory of swag items in stock and ready to ship. Monitor your item inventory, and proactively consider if you’d like to reorder items to prevent your employees from experiencing shipping delays.

  2. SWAG Item upload

     • Fill out the Reward Import Template, and share it with your account manager (repeat this step each time you order new merchandise or restock existing items).

  3. Testing and Launch

     • Run a test order to ensure our system is communicating with your swag vendor and your swag vendor is able to deliver the item.
     • Optional: decide if these orders need to be approved by you or another admin before they can be fulfilled and distributed.
     • Communicate program guidelines to your employees.
     • Launch your custom swag program with WorkTango.

  Reward Import Template

  Fill out the attached spreadsheet and provide the following details for each item you’d like to offer.

  • Reward Name • Reward Description • Brand • Model • SKU

  • Product Cost • Shipping Cost • Handling Cost • Service Charge • MSRP

  • Category Code • Image URL • Status • Is On Sale

  Redemption Experience

  Once our team configures your swag items in the Rewards store, we’ll get your final approval before we allow users to redeem these items. Once approved, your teammates can order their swag items from within the WorkTango platform. We’ll notify your vendor when an employee places an order.

  1. Your employees can then easily redeem their points for these items in your WorkTango Rewards catalog.
  2. Following the cadence you established during implementation, WorkTango Rewards store will notify your vendor that a new order has been placed. This triggers the shipping process.
     Optional: If your vendor can send WorkTango order updates via SFTP or email notification, then our system can listen for order status updates and display these in the Rewards Moderation page (admin only).
  3. Your vendor ships the rewards through their own fulfillment process.

  Frequently Asked Questions:

  What does the price displayed for a swag item include?

  Item prices include the total cost of items (as was specified on Reward Import Template), plus a 5% service fee.
  
  

  How long does it take to set up a swag store and make it available to employees?

  Store setup typically takes 4–6 weeks.
  
  

  How do returns work for custom swag items?

  WorkTango cannot facilitate order returns. Once you’ve coordinated a return experience with your vendor, we encourage you to contact our Support team to have a user’s points reinstated.
  
  

  Since WorkTango manages reporting, how can admins get access to see custom swag redemptions? Is this manual? Through the Rewards Redemptions report?

  Admins can access these reports through WorkTango’s reports and dashboards. This information will exist anywhere redemption data is currently available.
  
  

  I have additional questions, who can I reach out to?

  Feel free to reach out to your WorkTango representative to discuss any outstanding questions or concerns.

• Tired of spending endless hours managing your company’s swag? Say goodbye to the hassle of digging through the merch closet, packaging, and mailing items to employees with our new drop-ship branded merchandise program. Send custom-branded items directly to employees as part of your Rewards catalog in the WorkTango platform, saving you and your admin team precious time. Easily track exactly how much and how often your company-branded merchandise is being redeemed using our robust Redemption reports and dashboards.

  Here’s how it works:

  WorkTango is proud to partner with Republic Promos as a branded merchandise vendor. We chose Republic Promos because they offer a diverse catalog of high quality items, printing services, warehousing, and international shipping — and we trust them. (They handle our swag too.) Let us take care of the production, storage, inventory management, order fulfillment, and reporting, while you focus on more important tasks. You simply need to decide which merchandise to offer, purchase your items and cover the up-front service fees and we’ll handle the rest.

  Pricing:

  Merchandise	Varies by product and variations
  Shipping Fee	Varies by product and destination. Strongly encouraged that you ship under your own shipping number. Contact WorkTango to explore alternatives. Billed monthly.
  Warehousing Fee	$79/month of storage. Billed monthly.
  Order Processing Fee	$5 per order. Billed monthly.

  Ready to get started?

  Follow these steps to connect with WorkTango’s branded merchandise program manager:

  1. Choose your catalog item(s) and necessary variations (ex: t-shirt sizes). Note: Items can be added as needed, but we cannot offer refunds for over-ordering.
  2. Confirm order details and email or set up a meeting to place your order for swag via WorkTango’s branded merchandise vendor.
  3. Confirm the go-live date for your custom items via email with your WorkTango point of contact. They’ll ensure your branded items are visible in the rewards catalog.
  4. Now, employees can easily redeem points for company swag in the rewards catalog.
  5. Republic Promos will ship the item(s) directly to your employee.

  Frequently Asked Questions:

  Where is the drop-ship branded merchandise program available?

  At this time, we support this program internationally. While some catalog items may only be available in North America, we support a branded merchandise solution in most countries. Contact our team today if you’d like to inquire about a specific country or region.

  
  

  What items are available to brand?

  Connect with your WorkTango representative to request a digital catalog of available items.

  
  

  What does the price displayed for a swag item include?

  The price displayed in the catalog includes the merchandise cost. WorkTango does not markup rewards. Warehousing, shipping, and order processing fees are not included in this price.

  
  

  How will I be billed for warehousing, shipping and order processing fees?

  Warehousing, shipping, and order processing fees will be invoiced via Republic Promos on a monthly basis.

  
  
  • Warehousing fee: varies based on inventory. Most orders will include a $79/month warehousing fee. Volume discounts are available. Billed monthly.
  • Shipping fee: varies based on item and shipping destination. Billed monthly.
  • Order processing fee: $2 per redemption — billed monthly.
  
  

  What is the minimum order quantity? Are samples available?

  There is not a minimum order requirement, but customers benefit from price breaks when ordering higher volumes. Item samples are available without customization upon request. WorkTango recommends requesting samples to ensure you are satisfied with the quality of the items. We recommend choosing 3–5 items for sampling. For complex orders, large orders, or highly customized items, Republic Promos can offer branded examples at the cost of the item.

  
  

  How long does it take to set up a swag store and make it available to employees?

  Store setup typically takes 4–6 weeks.

  
  

  How do returns work for custom swag items?

  As branded items are custom made on an on-demand basis, only damaged products are eligible for return. Contact WorkTango Support immediately if an item is damaged during shipping.

  
  

  Since WorkTango manages reporting, how can admins get access to see custom
  swag redemptions? Is this manual? Through the Rewards Redemptions report?

  Admins can access these reports through WorkTango’s reports and dashboards. This information will exist anywhere redemption data is currently available.

  
  

  If I purchase 100 t-shirts at the beginning of the year, and only 50 are redeemed,
  and we decide not to renew with WorkTango, do we lose the 50 shirts that were not claimed?

  No, you own the merchandise. Unclaimed items can be shipped to your headquarters should you discontinue your relationship with WorkTango.

  
  

  I have additional questions, who can I reach out to?

  Feel free to reach out to your WorkTango representative to discuss any outstanding questions or concerns.

• Reward Import Template - Bring Your Own Swag Vendor.xlsx100 KB