So, are there minimums on promotional products? Yes, there are but there are also ways to save money. Let me explain. A few years ago, my wife was responsible for a hospitality room at a regional conference for an international organization. She wanted a few branded pieces of SWAG for conference attendees to use and appreciate, as well as to take with them as a remembrance.

How Many Bottles of Water Do You Need?

In the past they had stocked bottles of water in the hospitality room, so she thought why not brand the bottles? She reached out to the most recent host to learn how many bottles of water they had given away at the previous convention.

Next, she checked with TKO Marketing Solutions as to availability and cost. The number of bottles she wanted was well within her budget. However, she learned that by ordering one-third more than her original intention that she could get a significantly lower price per bottle. She went with the larger amount, and it ended up that they ran out of water bottles. People weren’t drinking them; they were collecting them to take back to their districts!

Examples of Minimums on Promotional Products 

Most advertising specialty products have minimums. There are exceptions such as embroidery, but it’s priced by stitch count. Minimums may vary by vendor but here are a few examples:

T-shirts minimum 1 to 12

Polo or Golf Shirt 1 to 12

Pens minimum 250 – 300

Cooler Bag  24

Where is the Price Break?

I looked up a 20-ounce Viking Nova Tumbler as an example of how ordering more lowers the cost of each.

Order                                     Price

48  (Minimum)                  $11.79

96                                        $11.29

192                                      $10.78

384                                      $10.48

768 or more                       $8.99

The point of this post is two-fold. First, be aware of the minimums before you commit to a promotional product for your next event. It’s good to check with your supplier before presenting your branded product ideas to the committee. And second, keep in mind that ordering more product can significantly reduce cost per item.

Could it Be Used Again?

Could promotional products used at one outing be used again at future events? Is it something you could “keep in stock” for future use? Will you be using the item at future trade shows, open houses, or employee recognition events? If the product is something that will be used again always look at the price breaks by number ordered.

My wife thought she was ordering enough branded bottles that there would be some left over for future events. Little did she guess that the product would be so popular that the hospitality team would run out of water.

If we can answer any questions, please let us know. There are minimums on promotional products but we have no minimum on questions. Contact Us.