Know the next steps of your order journey. From samples to proofs, from delivery dates to artwork, be in control so you know exactly what's next.
There are many different elements to placing an order. From samples to proofs, delivery dates to artwork, there are numerous steps that have to take place successfully to ensure your order journey goes smoothly.
Our sales and customer service team members want you to enjoy your order journey by making it as fluid as possible!
In order to make your life a little bit easier, we’ve outlined each of your order stages below, so you know exactly what’s happening next with your order.
1) Enquiring with a team member
This is the start of your ordering journey! Your enquiry outlines how you want your finished order to look and feel. You’ll have a rough idea about the budget, delivery location, and the number of products needed. This is also a good time to specify any delivery deadlines you may have, especially if there is a critical, no-fail delivery date that must be met.
You can enquire with a team member by filling out our online form here, or you can give us a call on 0345 634 2935. We also have an excellent online chat service that’s available 24/7.
2) Exploring your options
Once we’ve processed your enquiry and allocated it to your dedicated sales team member, we’re ready to start the exciting part: exploring our fantastic collection of promotional merchandise. We find that having open and honest conversations about your end goal and brand requirements helps us suggest the best products to elevate your next campaign.
At this stage, we’ll suggest a couple of popular favourites, as well as products that we feel meet your campaign brief. We won’t give specific pricing or details yet, as we want to get a feel for what you like/dislike and explore those options with you.
3) Your artwork & branding
Narrowing down your choice of products is exciting, but deciding how best to brand them brings your whole project to life. Your sales team member will discuss their recommendations, as well as how best to brand your chosen products with your required logo or design.
Sometimes, your artwork might not be reflected best on certain products, but our team will be sure to find a solution that’ll be an excellent fit for you and your brand. We’ll explore and explain different branding techniques with you, as well as the best artwork positions to make your logo really stand out.
At this stage, it’s best to have your artwork in an editable pdf/eps format that’s vectorised. We discuss this more here.
4) Receiving a quote
After our team has helped you narrow down a few products, as well as how you’d like them branded, we can work on your quote. This will include the unit price for your specific item, your origination costs and delivery.
Understanding your quote will give you the opportunity to ask relevant questions before going to order, making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. You can find out more information about your quote here.
5) Samples & visuals
This step often runs alongside the quoting stage. We understand that to fully appreciate the quality of our products, you need to physically be able to hold them in your hands. That’s where samples come in!
Depending on the product, we can often organise free plain (so, not branded) samples to be delivered to your door. This means you’ll be able to check if the item is the right fit for your project. We do also offer branded samples, yet these may be chargeable and increase the overall lead time of your order.
If you’re on a tight deadline, we can often offer clear visuals with your branding, so that you and your design team can work out the nitty gritty details before going to order.
If you’re unsure of what would work best for you, please don’t hesitate to discuss this with your sales team member.
6) Going ahead with an order
So you’re happy with your quote, your visuals and your journey so far - what’s next? Giving the go-ahead to your quote! We won’t proceed with any quote to order until we’ve received written confirmation. This enables you to have the time to truly narrow down and understand what works best for your brand.
7) Your order is confirmed
Once you’ve confirmed your order with your dedicated sales team member, we’ll work as quickly as possible behind the scenes to ensure all the details are up to date and recorded on our system.
Your order will then be handed over to your personal customer service team member. They’re the best in making your order a reality, and ensuring everything runs as smoothly as possible! They’ll introduce themselves once your order has been processed, and you’ll receive an order confirmation email.
In this email, all prices, quantities, artwork specifications and delivery addresses and dates will be thoroughly outlined. If at any point you notice that there’s incorrect information showing on your order confirmation, please let your customer service team member know as soon as possible.
8) Proforma Payments
If this is your first time collaborating with us on a project, we may request that you pay for your order upfront. You can learn more about proforma payments and what they mean here.
9) Receiving your artwork proof
24/48 hours after receiving your order confirmation, you’ll receive your artwork proof. This shows exactly how your merchandise will be branded. It’ll often show the size of the print, the branding method used, and the colours your logo will be. This is your chance to check that everything is correct. If you want to amend/correct some details, let your customer service team member know and we’ll get working on an amended artwork proof for you. We will ALWAYS send an artwork proof for final approval, and will not proceed with your order until this is approved.
10) Approving your proof
Your proof has to be perfect - that’s why we ensure you’re 100% happy with it before proceeding. Once you’ve approved your proof in writing, no artwork amendments or changes can be made. It’s super important that you check all details thoroughly before going ahead. We’ll also check too, but we’ve found the more checks the better to ensure no details are missed, however small.
11) Confirming your delivery date
You’re now over halfway through your order journey! And halfway to receiving your branded merchandise. When we’ve received your final artwork approval, your customer service team member will let you know when to expect your order. This can differ depending on the lead time specified for your item. You can read more about lead times here.
12) Delivery updates
Whilst your order is being created, you can relax knowing that everything is in hand. Our team are dedicated to checking up on your order at regular intervals, making sure to let you know of any delays as soon as possible. If you’d like more regular updates, our team will be happy to accommodate you, just ask!
13) Your order has been despatched
Good news! Your customer service team member will let you know as soon as your order has been despatched. This means that your order has left the warehouse, and that we’ll endeavour to get accurate tracking details over to you within 24 hours.
14) Here’s your tracking number!
After your order has been despatched, you’ll shortly receive your tracking details. You can either track your order through our Customer Lounge, or manually through the specified courier.
15) Your order has been delivered!
We’re happy to let you know that your order has been delivered safely and securely to your chosen delivery address! Your customer service team member will let you know once your order has arrived, plus theyll send you proof of delivery. This will often include the time your order was delivered and who signed for it.
16) Receiving your invoice
If you didn’t previously pay via proforma, you’ll now receive your invoice from our accounts department. Your payment terms depend on your account. Please contact your sales team member if you have any questions.
17) Payment received
Once payment has been received, your order journey is nearly complete!
18) Feedback
We always appreciate your honest feedback on any aspect of your order journey. From our end, your order journey isn’t complete until we hear from you on what we could have done better! Please let us know your feedback by contacting our customer service team directly, or completing your feedback form.