When you’ve been tasked with ordering custom pens for your company and you’ve got your manager’s credit card in hand, nothing is more frustrating than getting all the way through the ordering process only have your total change because previously undisclosed fees are suddenly added at checkout. To top it off, these late additions push you over budget, and you have to either go back to your boss requesting his or her approval, or even worse, start all over.
From hidden fees to unfulfilled delivery date promises, the current standard of ordering promotional products leaves much to be desired. In an industry plagued with dishonest pricing and hidden fees, consumers are left clueless as to where to turn.
To gain some perspective on the situation, only 8% of promotional products businesses provide a total delivered price at checkout.* In an industry with over 30,000 businesses, it’s no wonder so many customers feel they are being taken advantage of. More often than not, the price customers think they are going to pay at the time of ordering ends up being much more by the time their order is complete. Too many times, important fees such as a setup charge, sales tax, and shipping are not disclosed until the very end. Unfortunately, the “bait and switch” trend is currently the rule and not the exception.
However, it’s worth noting that this problem certainly is not exclusive to the promotional products industry. From airlines to hotels, consumers are consistently being tricked into making uninformed buying decisions and being hit with mystery fees at the very last moment. Whether it’s unanticipated convenience charges or confusing processing fees, the prominence of dishonest pricing online is undeniable.
“That’s why Amazon has blown up the way it has and taken over internet shopping for the most part,” said Quality Logo Products® customer Lance S. “You can see exactly what you’re going to get and exactly how much it’s going to cost you.”
The frustration of these hidden fees is felt across all ecommerce industries. According to the National Economic Council in 2016, Consumers are more likely to buy an item that appears to be less expensive at first, even if it means paying an additional hidden fee later on. As long as customers are willing to put up with the bait and switch tactics of ecommerce, the trend is likely to continue.
However, in an effort to change the way consumers perceive online shopping, Quality Logo Products® is putting their best foot forward by investing significant time and money into a better purchasing experience. By launching No Surprise Pricing® , they have fundamentally changed the way users shop and research promotional products.
No Surprise Pricing® shows exact pricing and delivery dates without requiring shoppers to enter personal information.
With No Surprise Pricing®, shoppers instantly see exactly how much their order will cost down to the penny. As the user adjusts their quantity, number of logo colors, and more, the total updates in real-time with 100% accuracy. In addition, this new way of shopping provides a guaranteed delivery date so customers know exactly when their items will arrive. In a world where tight deadlines are increasingly common, No Surprise Pricing® and guaranteed delivery dates lets customers know exactly how much it will cost and when their order will arrive – allowing them to shop with confidence.
“It’s really great to know that there are no extra surprises,” said Quality Logo Products® customer Mark M. “The price for shipping and everything is there, so when I quote a client on what my price would be, all of my expenses are taken into account.”
Customizing products isn’t easy. If not done properly, delivery delays and additional fees can quickly cast a dark cloud over the experience. Though these fees are unavoidable, the problem lies in the deception that occurs and not necessarily the fees themselves. Instead of disclosing all the fees upfront, many companies take a more misleading approach by intentionally hiding them.
The repercussions of these deceptive practices are not only impacting consumers, but they’re also having a negative consequence on the economy. According to the 2016 National Economic Council report, “effective competition is hindered when consumers cannot get the information necessary to make informed choices, because options are presented in a deceptive or biased way.”
With the exception of Quality Logo Products ®, there aren’t any other companies in the industry who display the total delivered price from start to finish.* Whether you’re purchasing personalized notepads for a trade show or custom koozies for wedding favors, customers deserve to know exactly how much their order will cost and when they’ll receive it without having to jump through hoops. The industry needs to challenge themselves to abandon these predatory pricing practices and put their customers’ interests before their own.
*Statistics based on a 2017 survey of top U.S. promotional products distributors