FedEx Office, Vericast Unveil Branded Product Marketplace

Rhea-AI Summary

FedEx Office and Vericast have collaborated to offer custom branded merchandise, helping businesses enhance brand recognition amidst COVID-19 challenges. A FedEx Office study highlights that small business owners increasingly use personalized products, such as note pads (59%), t-shirts (55%), and bags (54%), to engage customers and promote their brand. This initiative aims to support businesses as they recover financially and maintain relevance in the market. The online marketplace facilitates the customization and purchase of promotional products, showcasing FedEx Office's commitment to its clients' growth.

Positive

• Collaboration with Vericast enhances FedEx Office's service offerings.
• Market research indicates strong demand for custom promotional products among small businesses.
• The initiative aims to help businesses recover financially from COVID-19 impacts.

Negative

• Dependence on market recovery amid ongoing COVID-19 uncertainty.

FedEx Office, a world-class provider of convenient, state-of-the-art printing, packing and shipping services and subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX), and Vericast, a leading marketing solutions company, together with its line of Harland Clarke promotional solutions, have joined forces to provide a wide selection of custom branded merchandise to help businesses across industries build brand recognition and drive company growth as COVID-19 challenges continue.

According to a recent FedEx Office study conducted by C-Space, small business owners use personalized products to support a number of business needs—engaging with customers and employees, promoting their brand at trade shows, and for special occasions. Businesses that have experienced a financial setback due to COVID-19 are scaling spending in this area and looking for promotional products that are cost effective and will deliver the best ROI by helping drive brand awareness and maintain relevancy.

The study found that while masks and hand sanitizer are in-demand now, these items are not expected to be a top need post-COVID, and further revealed the promotional products preferred most by small business owners include note pads (59%), post-it notes (59%), t-shirts (55%), and bags, such as tote bags and clear bags (54%).

“Through our business insights, we know our small to mid-size business customers are looking for solutions that will keep their brand top of mind as they reopen and work to reengage with their customers and drive revenue,” said Kim Dixon, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, FedEx Office. “This branded offering is the latest example that demonstrates the FedEx Office commitment to provide our customers trusted services and solutions to grow their businesses.”

The FedEx Office online branded promotional products marketplace is powered by Harland Clarke’s leading promotional products offering, one of Vericast’s many solutions designed to help businesses engage with their customers. The dynamic platform lets businesses customize and purchase high-quality promotional products to get their brand and message in front of targeted audiences in a unique and relevant way.

“Promotional products are powerful marketing tools that can boost awareness, influence sales and lead to measurable business results,” said Scott Hansen, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Vericast. “We are thrilled to be collaborating with FedEx Office to bring this platform to life and support businesses in elevating their market presence. This effort comes at a time when organizations are seeking new ways to remain visible and extend their reach as they continue to recover in an uncertain environment.”

With an ever-expanding assortment of customizable, branded products, the FedEx Office online marketplace creates an opportunity for businesses to motivate prospects, share a token of appreciation with clients, or reward employees. From health and wellness and safety products, apparel to drinkware, technology and more, promotional merchandise fosters engagement and leaves a lasting impression.

To learn more, visit promoproducts.fedex.com.

About FedEx Office

FedEx Office gives small and medium businesses, large commercial customers, and consumers convenient access to expert printing, packing, shipping, and returns. The company’s digital-to-physical capabilities support the growth of e-commerce with online design and print, commercial and grand format signage, local and national logistics solutions. More than 2,100 print and ship locations include traditional retail stores complemented by locations inside Walmart, as well as FedEx OnCampus at hotels, convention centers, hospitals, corporate facilities, and universities. Customers work closely with more than 13,000 team members to obtain custom design, professional finishing, document creation, direct mail, signs and graphics, promotional products, copying, computer rental, free Wi-Fi, and corporate Print OnDemand solutions that include nationwide delivery. The company offers FedEx Express^® and FedEx Ground^® shipping with the flexibility of Hold at FedEx Location and FedEx Returns, as well as packing services backed by the FedEx^® Packing Pledge. FedEx Office is also home to FedEx SameDay City on-demand and scheduled local delivery service, as well as Roxo^TM, the FedEx SameDay Bot under development for autonomous last-mile delivery. For more information, please visit fedex.com/office or connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

About FedEx Corp.

FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenue of $79 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively, operating collaboratively and innovating digitally under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 570,000 team members to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit about.fedex.com.

About Vericast

Vericast is a leading marketing solutions company, delivering actionable insights and expertise through its Valassis and Harland Clarke omnichannel solutions, to help more than 70,000 businesses engage with their customers. Every day, Vericast influences purchasing and transaction behavior of more than 120 million households – impacting where they eat, shop, buy, save and borrow. Follow Vericast on LinkedIn and Twitter to learn how Vericast drives commerce.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210415005698/en/

FAQ

What is the collaboration between FedEx Office and Vericast?

FedEx Office and Vericast have partnered to provide a selection of custom branded merchandise aimed at helping businesses build brand recognition and drive growth during COVID-19 recovery.

What types of promotional products are small businesses interested in?

According to a FedEx Office study, small businesses prefer products like note pads (59%), post-it notes (59%), t-shirts (55%), and bags (54%) to enhance engagement and promote their brand.

How does FedEx Office support small businesses?

FedEx Office supports small businesses by offering a marketplace for customizable promotional products, aimed at improving brand visibility and driving revenue.

What is the objective of the new branded merchandise initiative?

The objective is to assist businesses in recovering from financial setbacks due to COVID-19 by providing cost-effective promotional products that enhance brand awareness.

What insights were revealed from the FedEx Office study?

The study revealed that small business owners are increasingly utilizing personalized products for customer engagement and brand promotion, particularly in the context of recovery from COVID-19.