Unique Merchandise Ideas | Cool Merch 2024

In a world where cliche standard corporate gifts no longer impress recipients, cool and thoughtful merchandise can make your employees feel genuinely valued. Here are some unique merchandise ideas that will delight your employees and elevate your company’s profile.

7 Cool Merchandise Ideas for Corporates and Non-Profits

We have created a list of seven unique merchandise ideas and also suggested some affordable, high-quality products. 

1. Eco-Friendly Products

With growing environmental concerns, eco-friendly products are not only thoughtful but also promote sustainability. These sustainable unique merchandise ideas include:

• Reusable Coffee Cups: Made from sustainable materials and branded with your logo.

• Apparel Made From Recycled Material: For example, Adidas has introduced shirts made from 100% recycled material to reduce environmental impact and support sustainability efforts. 

• Organic Cotton T-Shirts: Soft, comfortable, and featuring water-based inks for logos or designs.

• Recycled Tote: These totes are durable, reusable, and support sustainable practices. 

Example 1: Super Feature Tote: Made with 50% recycled materials, stylish, and functional.

Example 2: Cotton Canvas Tote: Made with 100% recycled cotton canvas, robust. 

• Recycled Notebooks and Pens: Ideal for distribution at conferences or as part of a welcome package.

• Recycled Beanies: These beanies contribute to reducing waste and promoting recycling initiatives. 

Check out: Eco-Friendly Merchandise Collection

2. Customized Tech Gadgets

In the digital age, tech gadgets are both useful and stylish. Customizing these gadgets can give employees a sense of belonging while also promoting your brand. Some popular tech gadgets include:

• Personalized Power Banks: Engraved with the employee's name or initials.

• Branded Wireless Chargers: Featuring the company logo.

• Custom USB Drives: Shaped or designed to reflect the company’s products or ethos.

3. Unique Apparel
If you’re looking for unique merchandise ideas beyond the basic printed t-shirt, check out these options. 

• Custom Sneakers: Collaborate with sneaker artists to design shoes that incorporate your brand’s themes.

• Themed Socks: Fun, quirky, and always useful, socks can be designed with icons representing the company or its products.

• Weatherproof Jackets: Weatherproof customizable jackets are one best unique merchandise ideas because of their versatility, accommodating various weather conditions with their water-resistant shell and removable polar fleece inner jacket. Example: Weatherproof 3-in-1 Systems Jacket

• 2-in-1 Dryflip Windbreaker: A waterproof jacket that transforms into a functional backpack. Example: 2-in-1 Windbreaker by Quikflip

4. Wellness Gifts

Promoting employee health and wellness can be reflected if you gift these cool branded merch.

• Yoga Mats: Customized with company colors and logos.

• Fitness Trackers: Encourage a healthy lifestyle while keeping your brand at their wrists.

• Essential Oil Diffusers: Branded with the company logo, perfect for a stress-free work environment.

• Gym Duffel Bags: Encourages employees to go to workout. Customizable gym bags start from $6 and go up to $55. Check out: Affordable duffel bag collection. 

4. DIY Meal Kits

A creative and enjoyable gift, DIY meal kits are great for team-building and personal use:

• Custom Spice Mixes: For the aspiring chef, tailored to reflect culinary themes that resonate with your brand.

• Cookie or Brownie Mix Jars: Just add a few fresh ingredients for an instant treat, packaged in branded jars.

5. Personalized Office Supplies

Transform everyday supplies with a personal touch to make everyday office life more enjoyable:

• Engraved Pens: High-quality pens engraved with the employee's name.

• Illustrated Calendars: Featuring artwork related to your company or local culture.

• Desk Organizers: In company colors, these can keep the workspace tidy and branded.

6. Made-in-USA Merchandise 

Gifting creative branded merchandise which is Made in the USA, enhances a company’s reputation for patriotism and commitment to ethical practices. Domestically produced items support US-based businesses and manufacturing. American-made products are often held to high quality and safety standards, ensuring that staff receive premium, reliable goods.

Here are some USA-made unique merchandise ideas for staff.

1. Union-Made Crewneck Sweatshirt

2. Multi-Color Tie-Dyed T-Shirt

3. USA-Made Patriotic Cuffed Beanie

4. USA-Made Trapper Wool Throw

Check out the entire collection: USA-Made unique merchandise ideas

7. Portable Beverage Containers

These are both practical and stylish and constant use provides excellent brand visibility:

• Insulated Water Bottles: Stainless steel or BPA-free plastic bottles customized with your logo.

• Travel Coffee Mugs: Ideal for employees on the go, decorated with unique designs reflecting your brand’s aesthetic.

• Collapsible Koozies: Collapsible Jersey Foam Can & Bottle Holder is a creative branded merchandise idea that your recipients are going to love for sure. Recommendation: Collapsible Jersey Foam Can & Bottle Holder from Liberty

Employee Swags Distribution Strategy 

The HR team knows this step is not as easy as it sounds! There are two main hurdles in the merchandise distribution activity.

• Collecting everyone’s sizes for apparel 

• Sending merch to individual employee addresses

Here are your solutions for the employee swag distribution. 

1. Use third-party platforms that help you automate this entire process. End-to-end platforms like Stitchi or CustomInk help you set up a platform where employees can select their apparel sizes and enter their addresses. These platforms send your cool branded merch directly to employees’ addresses per their sizing preference. 

• Stitchi: Low cost-high quality merch, Shipping cost: $5.99 per US address

• CustomInk: 2X Expensive, Good drag-and-drop designer, Shipping cost: $9.95 per US address

2. Set up a Shopify store for your business and add your merchandise to the platform. Distribute the store link to your employees so they can choose their preferred sizes, enter their shipping details, and complete their purchases. Compensate employees for the cost of the merchandise by reimbursing them with cash, gift cards, or coupon codes equivalent to the price of the items they buy, effectively making their purchases free.

7 Core Benefits of Branded Merchandise

Branded merchandise featuring a company logo offers several benefits. When you offer creative branded merchandise,, it can significantly boost a company's marketing efforts and overall brand perception. Here's a detailed look at the advantages:

1. Enhanced Brand Recognition

• Visual Appeal: Items like t-shirts, pens, and tote bags that feature a company's logo help keep the brand in the public eye. The more distinctive and visually appealing the logo, the more memorable the brand becomes.

• Repeated Exposure: Each time the merchandise is used, the company’s logo is displayed, increasing brand visibility. This repeated exposure helps people remember the brand and recognize it more readily over time.

2. Increased Customer Loyalty

• Perceived Value: Receiving a branded item feels like receiving a gift from the business, which can create a positive emotional connection to the brand.

• Reminder Effect: When customers use the merchandise, the visible logo acts as a constant reminder of the brand, reinforcing their connection to it.

3. Cost-Effective Marketing

Broad Reach at Low Cost: Compared to traditional advertising methods (like TV ads or billboards), producing branded merchandise can be relatively inexpensive but with a potentially vast reach, especially if items are given away at large events. A cool custom merch like Collapsible Jersey Foam Can & Bottle Holder, USA-Made Jersey Tee or USA-Made Beanie can cost you less than $10. But unlike an advertisement that appears for a few seconds, unique merchandise can be used repeatedly over a long period, providing ongoing marketing benefits without additional expense.

4. Social Proof

Social Proof: Seeing others using your branded merchandise can influence new customers to check out the brand, as it provides a form of social proof that others trust and value the brand.

5. Uniformity

Consistent Brand Image: Using creative branded merchandise, especially in professional settings (like at a trade show), helps project a unified and professional image. For companies, having employees wear branded apparel can enhance a sense of team unity and belonging, which can improve morale and productivity. Employees using or wearing branded items in public can enhance brand exposure and authenticity.

6. Boosts Networking Opportunities

Conversation Starters: Cool merch items like branded tech gadgets or 2-in-1 convertible jackets, can serve as conversation starters at networking events, which can lead to more business opportunities. Giving away unique merchandise at industry-specific expos and events can help you penetrate targeted markets more effectively.

7. Great for Corporate Gifting

Strengthens Relationships: Unique branded merchandise is ideal for corporate gifting as it not only provides a functional item to the recipient but also serves to remind them of the partnership or relationship with the company.

Conclusion

Gifting theme-based, unique, and cool branded merchandise instead of the cliche T-shirts and mugs is a smart, strategic move for companies. It’s a cost-effective, versatile, and impactful marketing strategy. We hope our unique merchandise ideas in this article helped you to choose a perfect customized cool product for your team, customers, and other stakeholders. These cool branded merchandise improve visibility, enhance brand recall, and develop deeper customer relationships while maintaining a consistent and professional brand image.