Merch Budget Cut in Half? Where to Spend What’s Left

A 50% cut to your merchandise budget doesn’t mean you need to settle for cheap giveaways or cancel your plans altogether. You might be better off keeping one useful product, dropping the extras, and saving higher-quality gifts for your priority customers.

The tricky part is deciding what deserves a share of the remaining budget. Should you order fewer items, switch to affordable alternatives or rethink your giveaways entirely? Here are some practical ways to make your money go further without compromising on quality.

Which Merchandise Should You Cut First?

Start with the products that aren’t essential to your campaign. If you’ve planned three different giveaways for the same audience, you may not need all three. Think about who will receive the merchandise and what you want them to do afterwards. For example, an event organiser might need affordable giveaways for visitors and a smaller number of better-quality gifts for important customers. Here’s how we’d prioritise common merchandise orders:

What Can You Do With a $2,500 Budget

Say your original merchandise budget was $5,000, but you now have $2,500 to spend. You can still organise a useful selection of branded products, although you’ll need to be more selective. Here’s an example of how a business might divide the remaining budget for an event.

This is an illustrative allocation, not a product quotation. 

We’d start by confirming how many people genuinely need merchandise. If you’re expecting 300 event visitors but only plan to give gifts to 100 qualified prospects, you can spend more per recipient without increasing your overall budget.

Cheap vs Better-Quality Merch

Katherine Durham, one of our account managers, suggests that this choice should depend on your audience and the purpose of the giveaway. If it’s to reach as many people as possible for events, going for cheap and novelty items is recommended. For example:

• Large exhibitions: Affordable pens, lanyards, or simple tote bags.
• Customer meetings: Notebooks, drinkware, or useful desk accessories.
• Staff welcome packs: Products employees will use at work.
• VIP clients: A smaller quantity of better-quality gifts.
• Community events: Practical items suitable for families and visitors.

If you’re choosing between 1,000 inexpensive giveaways and 200 better-quality products, think about who will receive them. A large community event may benefit from wider distribution, whereas a targeted business event might justify fewer items for selected prospects.

Budget-Friendly Merch Worth Keeping

Here are some of the items you can keep:

• Pens: Useful for conferences, offices and customer counters.
• Stress balls: Can work as giveaways during events.
• Hoodies: For new employees as part of the onboarding packs.
• Notebooks: Handy for seminars, training sessions, and meetings. If notebooks are too expensive, sticky notes are a great option.
• Mints: Perfect for events, and you can put them at the reception for your clients and visitors to munch on.

Hidden Merch Costs To Look Out For

A reduced budget leaves less room for unexpected expenses. That’s why you should look beyond the advertised unit price when comparing promotional products. Before approving an order, check these four things:

• Branding costs: Extra print colours or decoration methods may affect pricing.
• Minimum order quantities: Some products require larger orders than others.
• Delivery: Freight costs can vary by destination and deadline.
• GST: Make sure you’re comparing prices on the same tax basis.

For example, ordering fewer units doesn’t always reduce the total cost as much as you’d expect. Some products have quantity-based price breaks, so reducing your order could increase the unit price. Ask for quotes at two or three quantities before making a decision. 

Five Ways to Reduce Merch Costs

Once you’ve chosen which products to keep, look at how you can simplify the order. Small changes to the design, quantities and packaging may help you stay within budget. Here are five options worth exploring:

1. Choose simpler branding. A single-colour logo may cost less than more complex decoration, depending on the product.
2. Skip unnecessary packaging. Standard presentation may be enough for general giveaways. 
3. Order for realistic attendance. Use confirmed registrations or previous event numbers instead of optimistic estimates.
4. Avoid last-minute orders. Allow enough time for normal production and delivery so you don’t need to pay for express services.

We can also help compare alternative products within your preferred price range. If a particular drink bottle or notebook is too expensive, there may be another style that meets your requirements for less.

Make Your Remaining Budget Count

Had your merchandise budget reduced at the last minute? Send us the amount you’ve got left, who you’re buying for and how many products you need. We’ll help you compare practical options and work out where your money is best spent.

You don’t need a huge budget to order useful branded merchandise. Call us on 1300 858 288 for a bulk quote, and we’ll help you find products that suit your campaign without unnecessary extras.