There’s Still Time to Buy Branded USB Memory Sticks For Christmas

If you’re still wondering what to send your customers or clients for Christmas then with only 4 weeks to go you’re leaving it late but if you hurry there is still time to order USB memory sticks printed with your company logo on and an appropriate message.

Xmas Tree with Hanging USB Memory Sticks

The lead-time for USB memory sticks printed with a logo is around 10 days but ideally you need to allow a few days more because at this time of the year the factories that produce them are incredibly busy as are the carriers that ship the printed sticks from China to the UK. Some suppliers, like USB2U do carry UK stock that can be turned around in 48 hrs but typically this locally held stock will be limited in terms of quantity, memory size, colour and style. Bear in mind if you do order your sticks at the last minute and you’re forced to use locally held stock and if your sticks are printed in the UK then you’ll end up paying a premium for them.

Like most promotional products, USB memory sticks are assembled and printed to order and the most cost effective way of doing this is to get the factories in China to manufacture them one an order has been placed.  This way your local supplier can offer you the widest possible choice of styles and memory size and can even give you lots of additional options like pantone matching the body shell, supplying the sticks with lanyards or keyrings and a range of different packaging options.

A realistic deadline for orders that can be fulfilled from China is the 6^th December 2010. This gives enough time for your USB sticks to be manufactured, printed, a sample photo sent to
you for approval, the sticks then manufactured and finally placed in the hands of an international courier like TNT, UPS or DHL to get them to the UK for onward delivery to you. The challenge for your UK supplier is managing and co-ordinating all of the elements involved and ensuring they all run smoothly and ultimately making sure you get your printed USB memory sticks in time for Christmas.

If you miss the deadline of the 6^th December you might still be able to send USB memory sticks out for Christmas but your challenge will be finding a local supplier that holds blank stock that can be printed up for you. Whilst there are lots of companies that “supply” USB flash drives very few of them hold stock and are able to print and data-load the sticks – USB2U is one such company so if you are struggling its worth giving them a call.

As a gift idea USB memory sticks printed with your company logo and pre-loaded with a Christmas message from your team are a brilliant idea – USB sticks are incredibly popular, they’re useful, they get lots of re-use so your brand gets lots of exposure, they have a high perceived value and despite all of this they are not that much more expensive that Christmas cards you buy in the high street!

The relatively low cost means you’re not going to run into any trouble from the naysayers about being profligate with your company’s money at a time when the economy is in trouble. Quite the reverse is true – a branded USB memory sticks is more cost effective than a Christmas card because it is far more likely to lead to repeat business, to reinforce your brand and if you use the memory on the USB stick to pre-load sales and marketing information about your company you can turn a “gift” into a genuine sales tool.