Using custom corporate apparel to build brand awareness and reward your company’s stakeholders is great, but there are often a lot of headaches that go along with bulk business apparel. If you’re looking for a better way to order custom business apparel, have you stopped to consider the benefits of made-to-order-clothing?
By partnering with an apparel company that offers custom clothing on demand, you can avoid the common issues that come with bulk custom apparel altogether. Below, we’ll explore the differences between made-to-stock vs. made-to-order and the advantages of make-to-order custom apparel for your business.
Made-to-Stock vs. Made-to-Order Custom Business Apparel
Wondering what exactly the difference is between made-to-stock vs. made-to-order (also known as make-to-order) apparel? Simply put, made-to-stock apparel is ordered and customized in bulk, then sent to your business all at once for you to store and distribute. Traditionally speaking, this is how most companies had to handle corporate apparel programs in the past.
However, companies are increasingly leaning towards starting a custom corporate apparel program that offers made-to-order clothing. This means that each piece is customized and shipped only after an order is placed, eliminating extras or leftover clothing. As a result, your company can take advantage of better savings, flexibility, quality, and a few other perks, which we’ll discuss in more detail next.
The 6 Key Benefits of Made-to-Order-Clothing
When you’re looking for a provider, it’s important to keep in mind how they handle apparel virtually or whether they offer program support and management services. However, those details aside, the ability to order no inventory apparel can ultimately have a huge impact on the success of your branded apparel program. Here are the top 6 perks you can expect with made-to-order business clothing.
1. Reduced Apparel Waste & Marketing Budget Loss
Tired of your corporate apparel budget being eaten up from bulk business apparel orders that ultimately leave you with lots of extras? Instead of having those marketing dollars available to spend for a different campaign, you’re stuck with them being tied to unneeded apparel that will likely sit in storage for a while.
That’s why one of the top benefits of made-to-order-clothing is that you can reduce apparel waste by 100% for your business. Since items are only customized once an order is placed, gone are the days of guessing how much and what sizes of apparel you need to order.
2. Branded Custom Clothing on Demand
Marketing budgets aside, the next top perk of the made-to-order model is that your program stakeholders can order custom clothing on demand. Ultimately you are putting control in the hands of those wearing it so they can get what they want when they need it. And while it may seem like a small detail, finding ways of empowering your employees can boost their satisfaction and performance.
Easily being able to order clothing when it’s needed is also extremely useful if you’re setting up an employee uniform program. It ensures that staff can get the uniform they need for work without having to wait for the next bulk order and having to wear an outdated uniform in the meantime. This instant ability to order branded apparel goes a long way to create cohesive branding so your business is well represented by your teams every time they go out the door.
3. Options for Men’s and Women’s Fits
While it may not be something you consider at first, there are a lot of key differences between men’s and women’s fits. You may have been limited to only unisex apparel options in the past because of the bulk ordering process, but with made-to-order clothing, you can make everyone happy.
Instead of offering one fit that only a handful of people like, made-to-order clothing ensures everyone has the ability to pick a tailored fit they’re comfortable wearing. This ensures that your program is more successful as well since people are more likely to wear the apparel if it suits their personal style preferences.
4. Better Quality Clothing Choices
Fits aside, made-to-order custom business clothing also gives you flexibility in choosing what portfolio of items you want to offer. Your company can easily switch out clothing styles to match seasons or style changes, without ending up with extra unusable inventory.
Plus, since you don’t have to pay costs upfront for bulk customized clothing, you can also opt for better-quality pieces. This includes offering name-brand custom apparel your stakeholders will appreciate, like Carhartt or Nike.
Ultimately, the quality of the clothing you provide will send a message about your brand. So you’ll want to make sure it sends a good one.
Being associated with a cheaply made, unflattering t-shirt won’t represent you in the same way that a sleek North Face jacket will. A made-to-order program makes it easy to ensure your apparel quality is in alignment with the quality your brand stands for.
5. The Ability to Order Custom Apparel with No Minimum
The other most dreaded factor of bulk apparel orders in the past was the dreaded minimum purchase amount. On top of guessing how much you’d need, purchase order minimums made it a guarantee that you’d end up with extra shirts and clothing.
That’s why it’s important to not just find an apparel partner with a make-to-order model but to find one who also offers that service with no apparel minimums in place. That way you have greater flexibility in picking styles and fits for your stakeholders. It also ties back into reducing any budget waste or inventory issues, as mentioned above.
6. Less Pressure for Your Internal Team
While a lot of these benefits have been geared towards the perks that benefit your program stakeholders, it’s worth mentioning how this model can help your team. If you’ve had to deal with bulk clothing programs in the past, you know that route puts a lot of internal pressure on you and your team.
Ordering bulk clothing means your team has to estimate what to buy, facilitate collecting orders, distribute apparel, and troubleshoot any issues that arise along the way. This can add a lot of unnecessary stress and take your team away from other pressing initiatives on their plate.
However, made-to-order clothing eliminates the guesswork behind ordering. Plus, your provider has more time to pay attention to the finest of details, so you’re not running into issues with order quality, missing orders, and much more.
So What Comes Next?
If you’re thinking that a made-to-order program is the best fit for your next company apparel store, it’s good to keep these other thoughts in mind as you start to vet providers. In addition to custom clothing on demand, look for these other program perks to maximize efficiency.
Find a partner who:
Develops a personalized online ordering site so stakeholders can pick and pay directly.
Works on orders in-house to ensure the quality of each order.
Handles all program logistics and offers troubleshooting support.
Manages delivery in-house and sends orders directly to your stakeholders’ doors.
