The story of Avail began with a vision to disrupt the traditional promotional product industry and ignite a massive change in merchandise management. They sought an easy-to-use workflow where every aspect of the merchandise procurement process is controlled and consolidated, providing first-class client experience.

"We recognized significant technological gaps within the fragmented promotional product industry. Branded merchandise is notorious for being difficult. We are changing the status quo,” says Brian Hensen, President of Avail Labs.

The industry was originally designed to make promotional business accessible to a wide variety of people wanting to start a small business. By nature, many distributors must outsource most of their operations. The lack of cohesion led to miscommunication between vendors, sales agencies, and third-party service providers, leaving clients in the dark and resulting in a suboptimal experience.

Since its inception, Avail has remained consistent in its goal to unify all the fragmented pieces of the branded merchandise puzzle. They do this by rolling their services into a single, centralized platform that empowers clients to collaborate during every stage of the process, from sourcing to shipping.

By developing an in-house enterprise resource planning system, proprietary warehouse management software, and customized e-commerce platform, the company delivers an elevated level of service, improved communication, and enhanced merchandise management efficiency.

Clients can effectively oversee essential functions, such as managing complex projects, establishing company stores, sending and distributing swag, curating custom kits and packaging, and effortlessly sourcing products. The one-stop solution significantly optimizes merchandise management and provides a user-friendly experience for those responsible for making purchases.

Avail’s customer facing swag management platform, Connect, plays an instrumental role in this regard. It offers clients an efficient way to collaborate on all aspects of their merchandise projects. It replaces cumbersome email communication and simplifies scheduling projects, fielding swag requests, distributing swag, sourcing creative options, managing budgets, and protecting the brand.

When users log into Connect, they'll find a dashboard that provides an overview of ongoing projects, pending approvals, and other activities. The 'Projects' section enables users to create project timelines, specify product categories (e.g., technology items, office supplies, drinkware, etc), and request Avail's assistance in finding suitable options.

Connect's Project Planner is akin to a “TurboTax step-by-step” model. It walks the users through the complexity of creating a project. Making things like establishing budget, choosing product categories, setting deadlines, and shipping specifications as simple as possible. The Project Planner was built to help alleviate the numerous requests that marketing teams have to field. Many times, these requests are incomplete which puts added stress on the teams handling merchandise.

With Connect, users enjoy extensive customization options, including colors, materials, brands, sizes, and the ability to add custom artwork or logos. This high level of personalization empowers users to manage the entire project lifecycle, from creation and option review to proof approval and order tracking. This significantly streamlines merchandise procurement, no longer leaving clients in the dark.

Avail Labs has remained consistent in its goal to unify all the fragmented pieces of the merchandise procurement puzzle into a single, centralized platform that empowers clients to collaborate on every stage of the process, from sourcing to shipping

Throughout the process, users benefit from engaging with Avail's experts, who provide guidance and support at each stage. These interactions, including questions and comments, are diligently recorded in the 'Activity' section for reference and transparency. The platform is secure with SSO domain protection, ensuring exclusive access for authorized users within their organization.

Connect also simplifies on-site inventory management, enabling clients to monitor inventory levels, access store-specific information, and make informed decisions for effective program management.

Avail enhances this further through continuous API connections that operate year-round with key suppliers. These integrations seamlessly connect merchandise programs to the entire business, eliminating time lags, reducing errors, and eradicating order discrepancies.

A case in point is a technology consulting company that had a small team responsible for merchandise management, in addition to their core responsibilities. They were tasked with overseeing merchandise for various purposes, including events, client engagements, internal rewards, and new hire kits. One significant challenge they faced was "rogue purchasing," where individuals within the company made unauthorized purchases from suppliers outside of the approved vendor list.

Avail provided enhanced control over the purchasing process, streamlined communication, and curbed rogue purchasing behavior by providing an amazing new experience for purchasers. Avail became a valuable partner, simplifying the program management, allowing clients to dedicate more time to their core responsibilities, and significantly reducing the effort required to handle swag-related tasks.

Avail's commitment to clients involves actively listening to feedback. Its internal development team, responsible for every line of code, allows for swift changes and ongoing feature enhancements. As Hensen puts it, “At the end of the day, it's all about listening to our clients and continuing to build what they need to simplify their lives and streamline the process.”

Avail’s vision is clear; to simplify, streamline, and inject an element of fun into merchandise procurement, turning it from a cumbersome task into a delightful experience.