If you’re a large business, national chain or consistently order large amounts of custom apparel, then you should contact us about the many benefits of becoming a wholesale screen printing client.
The obvious benefits include the deeply discounted pricing and dedicated account executive who will be able to take care of your account but what other secret factors about wholesale printing do the smart companies look for that are often overlooked by everyone else? We’ll reveal those secrets below but let’s first answer some frequently asked questions.
Who are the typical wholesale printing clients?
While anyone can become a wholesale client if they do a lot of volume on a consistent level, typically our normal wholesale clients include national businesses and brands, convention expo service companies, restaurants, event organizers, professional service companies and more.
Contract screen printing
People are often confused when it comes to the difference between wholesale and contract screen printing – and who can blame them when many custom apparel shops themselves don’t know what the difference is.
Contract printing is very similar to wholesale printing but the main difference is that contract customers buy their own products, ship it to us and we print it and ship it back to them. Clients who use contract printing are usually ‘print brokers’ who have relationships with manufacturers and buy very large quantities on a consistent basis.
THE SECRETS SMART BUYERS LOOK FOR
PRINT COSTS
Price is the factor that most companies rely on to make their decisions. But smart companies know that although price is very important, they know the importance of stepping back and taking a look at the big picture.
Price alone should never be the deciding factor
This is where many companies make their mistake. Smart companies know the quoted price can become much higher and a drain on time and resources if problems arise.
- fixing problems
- losing revenue from not meeting deadlines
- redoing any bad work
Exclusivity
It’s no myth people want to be a part of something exclusive and our wholesale client base is just that. Many companies will call all their clients who order more than 12 shirts on one occasion a wholesale customer. They use this ‘ego boost’ on their clients because they think by giving them that status that it will keep their customers coming back to them. While this can be an effective marketing ploy, this classification error gives true wholesale clients a major disadvantage on many levels because these companies are putting all their clients on the same level.
Reliability
You need a company who is reliable and can get the job done on time, on budget and completed correctly. The custom apparel industry is, unfortunately, known for a lot of flaky people and when you have a deadline to meet, these are the people you don’t want to entrust your order to.
Dedicated art department
We feature a dedicated art and marketing department to help take your design to the next level.
Some of our clients work with their own artists to design their shirts and do not need this feature but for those customers who do not have access to artists and marketing personnel, this is an invaluable resource that is available to them as a wholesale client of ours.
One stop shop
While you may think you’ll only print on one type of garment, ie. a shirt, hat, hoodie, etc. there may come a time when you’ll need to print on a specialized garment or with specialized ink. Having a company who can do all forms of specialized garment printing saves you time and allows you to avoid the hassle of establishing, ordering, tracking and the general logistical nightmare that comes with adding a new vendor or supplier to your business line.
Product quality and presentation
We realize the custom apparel you get from us is a direct extension of your company and it’s important to treat it as such. And when it comes down to it, the quality of the products is of the utmost importance. We take pride in the quality of our work and the control checks we employ to ensure you get a product you’ll be proud to represent your brand.
We also feel that presentation is important – which is why we fold your shirts for you. This gives you a nice, uniform, well-displayed product and saves your employees from having to go through and fold it themselves.
These small things help make your company more professional and stand out and it’s these little extras that help elevate us above the competition.
A dedicated account executive
An account executive, or “AE”, is a dedicated person who is your point of contact for that company. They handle orders, designs, updates and any issues that arise. AE’s are usually found in larger media and distribution companies. If you ask other apparel companies what an “AE” is, they most times don’t have a clue. What they don’t realize is that it’s affecting you and your business.
But we know how important an AE can be to you and your business and that’s why we provide dedicated account executives for our wholesale clients.
Having this single person is essential on many levels:
- They get to know your company and the products you get. If there is a new product that fits your needs, they can contact you to let you know about it.
- You have a direct line of contact to someone within our company who can help you right away.
- You save time by not having to explain yourself over and over again. It’s a big pet peeve of ours when we have to re-explain our entire situation to a customer service representative because every time we call a vendor or supplier we get someone different. Sure, they may have notes in their system but each person takes, and interprets, notes differently. This not only creates frustration but time lost as well.
Relationships
At the end of the day, it all comes down to relationships. If you’re getting a great deal but loathe the thought of communicating with the personnel at your print company, it puts a lot of unnecessary tension and stress on you and it’s only a matter of time before something gives.
Here is a great article about from the U.S. Small Business Administration on how to research and find wholesale suppliers: https://www.sba.gov/blogs/4-tips-researching-and-finding-wholesale-suppliers
Naka Apparel knows the ins and outs of wholesale screen printing and have incorporated our client’s feedback to make the communication and process easier for our clients. Contact us today to get started as a wholesale customer of ours.
