According to Branding Strategist David Brier,
Simply put, branding is a big part of a company’s success or failure and corporations spend a lot of time and money getting the combination just right. Your client’s customers have come to expect a certain type of experience when interacting with that brand and part of that experience includes how the logo looks and where it is used.
Consistency Is Key
When working on a project with a client, it is important to make sure that you stick to their guidelines and maintain consistent branding. According to HubSpot’s Karla Cook,
Most brands ensure consistency by creating a Style Guide. These guides vary in length but often include a brand’s fonts, color codes, logos, icons, and provides specific details about how and where the logo can be used.
Maintaining control over branding has long been an issue when it comes to adding product personalization to an online Company Store. Most store platforms that provide storefront personalization allow shoppers to upload their own logos and manipulate logo size, color, and placement on a variety of products, relinquishing control from the brand to the end-user. Having end-users in charge of brand management can be a recipe for disaster when it comes to consistency. If your client’s style guide states that Logo A can only appear on a dark background and a shopper places that same logo on a white cotton t-shirt, that disrupts the brand’s consistency and the brand’s ability to be easily recognized.
Virtual Samples & Brand Management
The robust Virtual Samples feature adds an extra layer of features and functionality to logo management, permissions, and product personalization. It is one of the only features available on today’s market that allows a high level of personalization while ensuring that your client, and not shoppers, maintain control over their brand assets and imagery.
One of the ways that you can help your client maintain control with Virtual Samples is by utilizing logo management which allows you to upload your client’s logos, create logo locations, and set up specific permissions for each logo. With permissions, you can specify which categories, products, and users have access to a particular logo. You can also specify where each logo can be applied using permissions and logo locations. Meaning that when Joe from accounting logs into the store, he can only apply Logo A to a 2×2 inch square located on the right chest of a dark colored polo. However, if Lauren from marketing logs into that same store she can also add Logo B to a 2×2 inch square on the left sleeve of that same polo. In both scenarios the shoppers are accessing the same product but their experiences are different due to the logo permissions and logo locations configured.
Once you have your client’s logos, permissions, and locations set up in the store you can create a product template for items that have multiple areas where logos or personalization can be added. Let’s say your client is getting ready for a conference and would like each employee that plans on attending to order a polo from the Company Store. While the polos will be personalized with each employees’ name and branch location, you still ensure a consistent design and end product by setting up a product template in the back-end of the system.
Next Steps
The Virtual Samples feature is an add-on we only recommend for distributors who have the time to learn the ins and outs of the feature as it is very robust and can be used in a variety of ways throughout your clients Company Store. If you are interested in getting started or want to learn more about this feature and how it can help manage your clients brand reach out to our team at marketing@brightstores.com.