Many employees, partners and contributors at LiteFarm are interested in “representing” LiteFarm.
T-shirts are a standard for the tech industry and may have benefits for company culture, teambuilding and recognizing contributions. This was passionately discussed in a 2010 blog post https://adamnash.blog/2010/11/29/why-t-shirts-matter/.
However there are some downsides to t-shirts. I myself have received maybe too many t-shirts and I would imagine there are many who have worked in the tech industry with closets that look like this:
It has also been proposed that t-shirts are not the true “unisex” they seem to be. The second half of the article https://hollycummins.com/fashion-and-programming-ii/ discusses their personal issues with the t-shirt which are worth taking into account when thinking about how to allow all persons to represent the company comfortably.
No one can deny t-shirts are fun and great but lets asks some questions make sure were not creating waste and we are delivering value to our Mission at LiteFarm.
Requirements
We have ~50-100 persons who we would like to show our gratitude to or would like to represent LiteFarm in a visible way.
Our preferred way is t-shirts
Questions
How does this seek to meet our mission: "To meet farmers where they are and equip them with the tools they need to make informed and responsible decisions about the health of their farm, their livelihood, their community, and the planet”.
Employees & Partners - During trade shows and for branding generally -- being identifiable allows farmers who know us to find us more easily. And to farmers who don’t know us branding and pseudo-uniforms provide a professional look that allows them to have confidence in our platform.
Contributors - By recognizing contributions to LiteFarm we put value on the work done by volunteers as greater than the cost of a t-shirt. By recognizing the contribution we believe the farmer will be more likely to benefit from further/continued contributions to LiteFarm.
How do we want to distribute and organize swag such as t-shirts?
Option A: Make a bulk order. Store and distribute from LiteFarm Office.
Pros: Can use local (Vancouver) business, may be a cheaper option (per shirt)
Cons: Cost must also include a shipping package and postage. Storing and shipping the items constitutes extra work
Option B: Use a “drop shipping” style swag service.
Pros: Takes care of most of the work for us, can get a variety of swag options, could be used to make an online store too
Cons: Would likely have to source internationally (USA).
Are t-shirts good for everyone?
What one wears may or may not be highly personal depending on the person. Can we provide different options at the very least? For example:
polos
long sleeves
hats
smaller or alternative placement logos
for acknowledging contributions: is uniform style swag necessary? Alternatives like sticker, notebook etc?
Cost Analysis
Method | Cost Estimation | Options |
|---|---|---|
Bulk Purchase | Regular T-shirt cost (~$12(>100) or $24) |
|
On Demand + International + Managed Fulfillment | Tshirt Cost (~21) | https://www.printful.com/ - Wifes company uses |
BulkPurchase | Subscription cost $200/mo Actual cost for 75 shirts = $2550 +$200subs | https://try.kotisdesign.com/get-started/platform - Docker uses this and I loved the UX probs cant afford this |
Conclusions
Overview
LiteFarm has shared that based on the above analysis: “I liked Ethical Swag. Drop shipping seems like a better option for our volume and having a partner that aligns with our values is important. I'm OK with paying a slight premium for those two qualities”
So as further analysis I will find a few more options in the same category as Ethical Swag since they may be more than a slight premium. Then will defer for the final selection so that we can kick off a design/feedback session then to request samples of the chosen company.
In Depth Comparison*
Prices are meant to be an overestimate and based on these constants
shipping costs are typically ~$15 to Bogota Columbia (high end of shipping)
tax may not apply in some circumstances so I chose Ontario for all
In some cases there may be a non profit discount
Website | Score with note | Cost For 1 White T-shirt with logo & shipping OR MOQ | Cost For 25 White T-shirt with logo & shipping | Cost For 50 White T-shirt with logo & shipping | Cost For 100 White T-shirt with logo & shipping | Color Options | Other swag options available | Eco-friendlyness link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOQ 13 | CAD Total per: ~50 | CAD Total per: ~48 | CAD Total per: ~45 |    | Yes - Notably Plants, Plantable paper | ||
| CAD Total per: ~36 | CAD Total per: ~36 | CAD Total: ~1767 Total per: ~36 | CAD Total: ~3534 Total per: ~36 |  | Yes | https://www.bellacanvas.com/eco_friendly - product specific | |
| MOQ 24 | CAD Total per: ~51 | CAD Total: ~2243 Total per: ~45 | CAD Total: ~3766 Total per: ~38 |  | Yes, notably plants | https://ascolour.com/social-responsibility - product specific | |
| NA | CAD Total per: ~86 | CAD Total: ~4003 Total per: ~80 | CAD Total: ~7406 Total per: ~74 |  | Yes, notably a plant | https://www.cloveandtwine.com/blogs/blog/sustainability-corporate-gifting - this company | |
| CAD -14 markup of own store | CAD -350 markup of own store Total per: ~33 | CAD -700 markup of own store Total: ~1654 Total per: ~33 | CAD -1400 markup of own store Total: ~3308 Total per: ~33 |  | Yes | https://www.bellacanvas.com/eco_friendly - product specific | |
See printify | see ^^ | |||||||
See printify | see ^^ | |||||||
See printify | see ^^ |
Other companies considered
https://www.dnaswag.ca/ - No online ordering
https://promoleaf.com/theme/eco-friendly - Only USA delivery
https://fairware.com/ - No online ordering
https://www.madmonkeyapparel.ca/ECO-Friendly--Bamboo-Swag__001.htm - no online ordering
https://swagprintfactory.com/cart/ - Only ships to Canada, no multiple addresses, 10% non profit discount
https://go.kotisdesign.com/blog/swaglab-best-sustainable-t-shirts/ - Expensive but great product $1500/qtr platform fee, amazing UI (I received a mug once from Docker).
https://mountaindiva.ca/ - multiple address not offered online manual process
https://www.4imprint.ca/checkout - multiple address not supported
https://roody.co/pages/contact-us - no online ordering
https://www.teehatch.com/ - integration for shopify or other store
https://customcat.com/ - integration for shopify or other store
https://jetprintapp.com/ - integration for shopify or other store
https://aop.plus/ - integration for shopify or other store
Quick Analysis
Multiple addresses
Multiple addresses, especially internationally, seems to be difficult for many of these businesses. Ethical Swag for example ships to multiple addresses only if less than 20% are international.
Eco-friendliness
Most company's use similar suppliers so the maker of the t-shirt seems to typically have their own Environment & Sustainability goals(ESG) or Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) goals. So if this is considered than we can prioritise products/manufacturers that have ESG or resellers that have good CSR or both.
Price
The estimates above are highly dependent on what is needed, tax, and shipping take it with a lump of salt. Generally speaking what you can see in the table above is:
single price or bulk price models.
base cost for a comparable product (keep in mind it is not necessarily the cheapest offered that would meet our requirements)
The max price you can expect to pay for this product (its a fairly safe upper bound I think)
What this does not show:
Possible non-profit discount
CAD vs USD
Accurate shipping and tax
Suggestion
I would suggest we move forward with Printful as the first choice to get a sample. Swag would be my second choice. Keep in mind they are very different on how they operate.
Printful
Consistent pricing
Single order quantities
Bulk orders to multiple addresses : See https://help.printful.com/hc/en-us/articles/4402035227922-How-does-the-CSV-Order-Import-Tool-work- + https://help.printful.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021468480-How-do-I-prepare-my-data-file-to-import-orders-in-bulk-
Ability to create a “store”
Comes recommended from my spouses company who uses it regularly
Swag
Bulk pricing available
Minimum order quantity of 24 – but can be stored for 1 cent per product per day and shipped from their warehouse.
Ability to create a “Store”
Seems like a big brand name
I would suggest we do the following:
Pick a few product options from keeping in mind Employee items vs Contributor/Appreciation items
Unisex T
Some other apparel option (one or more of)
Collared work shirt
Shaped “womens” T
Hat
1-3 Non apparel items for contributors to feel valued
Plant or seed option if available
Coffee mug
?
Design session with Caro and Kevin
Request non-profit discount
Get samples of sizes (for ability to give common sense size suggestions)
Review sample and re-evaluate
Make a list of receivers and make an email with size recommendations
Create future task to evaluate value of a LiteFarm store
References
UBC List of Approved Suppliers - https://finance.ubc.ca/buy/list-ubc-approved-suppliers
Notes: No tshirt companies visible on list
UBC Sustainable Purchasing Guide - https://finance.ubc.ca/procure-pay/sustainable-purchasing-guide
Notes: No tshirt companies visible on list