Swag, especially good swag, can be important. That’s where Swag.com comes in. The company, which launched 15 months ago, aims to be a way for companies to get quality swag to help people rep their brands.
“People think of swag as junk, but it shouldn’t be,” Swag co-founder Jeremy Parker told TechCrunch. “It could be an amazing marketing tool if it’s built right.”
Swag.com offers products like water bottles, umbrellas, shirts, jackets, USB drives, bags and other items from brands like Patagonia and Case Logic. Once you pick the product, you upload your designs, specify how many you want printed and then wait for Swag to send you the production mock-up for approval.
Standard production time takes about 15 days, while priority production takes 10 days and costs a bit more. Production doesn’t start until the customer has approved the mock-up. Because Swag works directly with the manufacturer and vendor, it doesn’t have to hold any inventory.
“We’re like Barney’s but without the inventory,” Parker said.
Swag currently has about 1,000 customers, including the likes of Facebook, Evernote, WeWork and Waze. With WeWork, Swag is integrated into the co-working space’s app for services, and is currently the No. 1 service for office needs.
“We love Swag.com because we know that every time we make an order it’s going to come out perfect!” WeWork Account Coordinator Casey Cadden said in a statement. “Every product on Swag.com has been vetted and tested and they only offer top quality products. Also, it’s insanely easy to use.”
Since starting the company, Swag has done more than $1 million in sales. What differentiates Swag from the likes of CustomInk and other competitors, Parker said, is its attention to detail and ease of use. For example, Parker pointed out that Swag guarantees each brand’s colors will be spot on, Pantone-matched. Though, CustomInk also seems to do the same thing.
Swag, which recently completed Techstars Chicago, has raised about $800,000 in seed funding. Parker says the company is in the process of closing a round of $1 million.