Businesses invest thousands in merch and uniforms each year. Most of them watch that money disappear into a never-ending cycle of replacements, employee complaints and missed opportunities to make their brand stronger. The managers who make these decisions usually treat uniforms and branded merchandise like they're just another box to check. But these items are actually useful tools that can help a business. When managers place orders without thinking about who's going to be wearing these items every day, or if they'll hold up for what the job needs, problems start to pile up pretty fast - your entire team gets frustrated, morale takes a hit, and your customers start to see a company that doesn't have its act together.
The financial side of this becomes a big problem pretty fast. Cheap materials pill up and fade after just a few washes, and soon enough, you're replacing them again and again. More than the cost, though, the employees who feel awkward or uncomfortable in poorly designed uniforms will bring that same energy right into every customer interaction. Studies have found that about 68% of customers view uniformed employees as more reliable and professional, but that credibility disappears the second that those uniforms look worn out or don't fit right.
The best uniform programs that are out there manage to skip five common mistakes that create these exact problems. When businesses can stay away from these five problems, they have merch programs that the employees want to wear - and the ones that actually show off their brand in a genuine way. The payoff shows itself in the better retention numbers, improved customer feedback and (believe it or not) a healthier bottom line.
Here are the common missteps so you can skip them with your company merch!
Cheap Materials That Cost You More
Businesses that try to save a few dollars on uniform costs usually wind up spending more down the line. You wash cheap options just a few times, and the quality problems are hard to miss. The fabric starts to develop pills all over, and the colors start to fade. Everything loses its shape and stretches out in the wrong places.
Look at those budget polyester blend options that cost about half as much as something well-made. After about a month of normal use, everything starts to fall apart. The fabric loses whatever structure it had when it was new, and it begins to bunch up in the places where you don't want any bunching.
You run into the same problem with print and decoration work if you go with cheap production methods. Wash them just a handful of times, and the design starts to crack and peel away from the fabric. Your company logo ends up faded and unprofessional after just a few washes, and it means anyone who walks into your office is going to see a pretty sloppy first impression of your brand.
This happens with bottom-tier pricing almost every time. An order comes in, and it feels great because you kept costs low. 6 months go by, and about half of everything needs to be replaced because it either broke or looked terrible. It's time to order again. You add it all up, and the total spend is actually higher compared to what you would have paid for something built to last.
You don't need to go out and buy the most expensive option on the market. Most businesses can skip over luxury fabrics and high-end embroidery. A middle ground between cheap and overpriced makes a whole lot more sense, and it's possible on just about any budget. You should spend a little extra on fabrics that can handle normal washing cycles. Decoration methods that won't peel or fade after a few months of wear are worth it, too. This middle tier gives you enough quality to last, and it doesn't make you pay premium prices.
Your uniforms are out there every day, and they represent your business to customers and clients. When those uniforms start to look ratty and worn out way too soon, it sends a message about everything else you're selling - and probably not the message you want to send.
Comfort That Fits the Daily Job
Businesses make a big mistake when they choose uniforms that are based purely on appearance and ignore the employees wearing them for 8-hour workdays. Businesses get so excited about a sleek, polished design that they never stop to ask if their employees can do their jobs comfortably in those clothes.
Servers have to bend down and clean tables dozens of times during their workday. When the skirt is too tight, or the waistband hits in the wrong place, every bend is going to feel uncomfortable. Warehouse workers are on their feet all day long, and when the fabric doesn't breathe the way it should, they're going to spend half their workday feeling overheated and miserable.
This disconnect happens when the decision makers focus way more on branding than they do on actual work gear. The main concerns become how the outfit will look in photos and how it appears on the sales floor. These are usually the first questions that get answered, and what really matters falls by the wayside - like if a delivery driver can reach and stretch in that jacket, or if outdoor workers are going to wind up drenched in sweat because the shirt doesn't breathe at all.
A few easy fixes can help with this. Stretch panels that are placed in the right places mean that workers can bend, reach and move around in any way they need to without feeling restricted at all. Moisture-wicking fabrics are another smart choice - they keep your entire team dry and comfortable even when they're outside in the heat or working through a long, physically tough workday. Features like these are what make the difference between a uniform that workers dread putting on every morning and one that they barely think about because it just works the way it should.
Your entire team is made up of workers with jobs - not fashion models for your brand image. They need to lift boxes, reach high shelves, walk for miles during every workday and talk to customers all day long. Planning the uniform around what they're doing hour after hour will give you something that the workers can wear without complaining about it.
Limited Size Options That Exclude Employees
A lot of companies have a tough time with sizing when they order branded merchandise. When you order just a limited range of sizes, you send a message to some of your employees that they matter less than everyone else - and you're going to have team members who wind up with shirts or jackets that just won't fit them right.
Merch that doesn't fit right causes a lot more problems than it should. Both a shirt that's too tight and a shirt that's too loose look unprofessional and sloppy. Either situation leaves your entire team uncomfortable for their whole day. Nobody on your entire team should have to choose between squeezing into something that's way too small or walking around in too much extra fabric that just hangs there.
More businesses have started to expand their size ranges, and it's a welcome change for teams that want to outfit everyone well. Tall employees can find options with extra length built into the arms and torso. Petite sizes are there for the shorter team members who need them to get a better fit. Some brands have even started to offer different fit styles that go beyond the standard cuts most of us have become used to over the years.
This range matters for your whole team. Everyone gets to find something that fits their body type well, and it means your crew will look polished and put together as a unit. Your employees are going to feel comfortable and confident in what they're wearing. When they aren't always fidgeting with ill-fitting or uncomfortable uniforms, they can do their jobs well.
The best way to handle sizing is to be sure that you have a full range available right from the start. You should build it into your ordering process from the very beginning - not treat it as an add-on or something to sort out later. Your entire team has all kinds of different body types and heights, and your merchandise needs to work for everyone from day one.
Merchandise That Sends the Wrong Message
A lot of businesses don't seem to realize just how much their branded merchandise and uniforms actually communicate about them. When it comes time to place an order, most of them just grab whatever generic options are sitting in the catalog (the items that could belong to literally any business down the street) - it's a huge waste of what's possible, and it matters because every person on your entire team is going to be wearing these items day in and day out, right there in front of all your customers and clients.
Tech startups are a great example of this. Plenty of them still put their employees in stiff polo shirts and khakis, even when the company wants to be seen as innovative and modern. The outdated uniforms send a different message, though. When the culture doesn't match what they're wearing, it causes a disconnect that customers, clients and future hires are going to see.
This happens with businesses too - especially when the merchandise they choose contradicts what they say they believe in. An eco-conscious brand that gives away cheap synthetic swag or fast fashion items is sending a message that's the total opposite of their environmental mission. Customers can see when it doesn't add up like this, even if the company doesn't know they're doing it.
Patagonia has done this well with their employee gear. Everything about what their team wears ties back to their environmental mission - from the materials they source to the look and feel of each piece. The gear that their employees put on every day actually reinforces what the company stands for, and it's just what you want to see. This creates alignment instead of sending mixed messages about who they are and what matters to them as a brand.
Every person who puts on one of your branded items turns into a representative of your business, whether they're at the office, out in the field or just running errands on the weekend. If the items feel generic or don't match up with who you are as a company, well, customers will pick up on that disconnect pretty quickly. They'll assume it says something about how your business operates as a whole. The opposite is true, too, when you take the time to choose items that actually match your identity and values. All those interactions can become ways to reinforce what your brand stands for!
Ask Your Team For Their Input
Businesses make a big mistake when they design uniforms without actually asking the employees who will wear them day in and day out. The executives at the top don't deal with the everyday challenges that employees face on the job. Uniforms get approved in boardroom presentations all of the time without anyone thinking about how they'll hold up during a full day on the warehouse floor or inside a busy restaurant kitchen.
A better way would be to include your employees right from the start. Some businesses will create a committee with workers from different departments who can weigh in on the designs they're looking at. Other businesses like to test them out first with a pilot program where a smaller group wears the new uniforms for a few weeks before anyone places a big order for them. Either approach works - they let you spot any problems early on before you've spent a whole lot of money on uniforms that the entire staff is going to hate.
Employees will wear their uniforms a lot more when they get to have some input on what you order. You don't want to fight with your entire team about whether they're wearing the right uniform when the real problem is that the shirts fit poorly or that the material makes them overheat every day. Your staff will notice details that never even cross your mind when you're flipping through a catalog - like which pockets they'll actually use every day and which design elements are just going to annoy them on the job.
Employee involvement also makes your entire team feel like they're respected and valued, and it goes a long way for morale. When you ask them for their input, they can see that their comfort and feedback matter to the company. This changes the relationship away from the old "just do what you're told" mentality and moves everyone toward being partners who have a say in these decisions.
Build a Program That Works
Mistakes like these almost never happen on their own. When a company picks the cheapest materials without thinking about the durability, that same company will probably skip the employee input and the sizing for everyone, too. One bad choice creates another, and before long, the whole program falls apart. What starts out as basic cost-cutting turns into a bigger problem pretty fast - the employees feel undervalued, customers pick up on the inconsistencies, and you wind up spending a lot more to replace the cheap items every few months. A review of your existing program against these common mistakes can help you break the cycle and create something that works for everyone on your entire team.
You don't need a big budget or a system overhaul to make uniforms and merch programs work well. What matters is thinking through what you want the program to accomplish and who's actually going to be wearing these items. The benefits show up in some interesting ways when you bring in your employees, pick materials that hold up over time and create designs that they actually want to wear. Employee morale gets better when your staff feels respected and comfortable in what they're wearing. Customers can see when your whole team looks put-together and professional. The best part is probably the money you'll save over time - you won't be placing orders for replacements all of the time, and you won't be covering all of the costs that come along with disengaged employees.
Responsible sourcing also matters. The merch you order should be made in a way that treats the workers fairly and doesn't damage the environment in the process. Our blog also has plenty of advice on workplace programs if you want to dig deeper into any of this.
We'd love to work with you on it.
Daniel Cardozo, CEO of Ethix Merch, is a passionate advocate for ethical promotional products. With a mission to transform global supply chains, he serves on the Labor 411 Foundation and Advertising Specialty Institute's Promo for the Planet Advisory Board. Daniel is dedicated to empowering socially and environmentally-conscious consumers.
