It’s a simple fact: gifts are always worth the investment, but the promo industry can be an intimidating one to jump into. With the countless features and capabilities available, it’s hard to narrow down which brand marketing partner is the best fit for your company and goals. SwagUp is a popular option for managing brand experiences, but let’s dive deeper into its platform and its closest competitors. Here’s a look at the 5 best SwagUp alternatives in 2024.


Here are some considerations to make when browsing SwagUp’s competitors: 

  • Turnaround expectations
  • Global logistics capabilities
  • Inventory options & customization freedom
  • Ease of platform setup & integrations
  • The “human” element: How automated or involved do you prefer your customer journey to be?

Table of Contents

  • What Is SwagUp?
  • Top SwagUp Alternatives
    • 1. Imprint Engine
    • 2. Sendoso
    • 3. Postal
    • 4. Swag.com
    • 5. Tango


What Is SwagUp?

Rating: 4.5/5 (G2) 

SwagUp’s platform gives users the power to manage product design, creation, purchasing, inventory management, streamlined distribution, and global logistics all in one place. It boasts an uncomplicated format for creating and shipping swag. SwagUp receives positive reviews for its fixed shipping rates, integration options, and a good selection of products. Negative reviews cited long setup times, slow turnaround, an extensive need to outsource, and issues with fulfillment.


Key Features of SwagUp

Key Features:

  • Proof Portal
  • Inventory Management
  • Procurement
  • Fulfillment
  • Warehousing
  • Spend Reporting
  • Conversion Rate Management


Pros & Cons of Using SwagUp

We compiled pros and cons based on customer reviews and by comparing features found among competitors. Consider the scale and features necessary for your business as you explore. Some standout differences between competitors include varying levels of flexibility, turnaround times, integration capabilities and the human element of customer service. 


Pros:

  • Easy to manage a project autonomously within the platform 
  • Able to ship swag to remote and international workers
  • A high-quality selection of products
  • A smooth tracking and management system

Cons:

  • Customers report long setup times and confusing inventory stock data
  • Customers also report slow turnaround times and production errors
  • Slower/more automated customer service than other competitors
  • Added costs/unclear pricing


Best SwagUp Alternatives

SwagUp markets itself as “the only End to End Swag Management Platform,” which is simply untrue. Below are 5 of SwagUp’s competitors offering streamlined solutions for building brand experiences with varying levels of product offerings and team support.


1. Imprint Engine

Rating: 5/5 (G2)

“Imprint Engine has been instrumental in helping maintain brand integrity as we’ve scaled. Their ability to integrate with our procurement system, turn projects around quickly, and coordinate between multiple stakeholders is unmatched.” – Janel Higgs, Uber


Key Features: 

  • Direct Mail Design
  • CRM Integration
  • Dashboards & Reporting
  • Dedicated Brand Team
  • Gift Status Tracking
  • Global Inventory Support
  • Unlimited Inventoried Products
  • Unlimited Campaigns
  • Customized Store
  • Customized Reporting

Imprint Engine’s IEX Platform gives customers full access to its team, services, infrastructure, and technology so brand experiences are managed collaboratively and securely on a global scale, making us an ideal SwagUp alternative. We provide a “one size does NOT fit all” approach, prescribing our advanced but easy-to-use tech like a brand doctor. With IEX, customers have their own designated team of brand managers, designers, and customer support located around the world to help bring brand experiences to life from ideation to reconciliation. This level of service gives customers clear insights throughout the project and allows them to pivot or request help as needed, regardless of where they’re located. Imprint Engine receives positive reviews for our responsive and helpful customer support teams, excellent and competitive turnaround times, global warehousing and fulfillment capabilities, and for our variety and quality of products. 


“Imprint Engine is an absolute dream of a team to work with. Coming from a super-fast, ever-changing, agile company, the pros at Imprint Engine never blink twice at a last-minute need or quick turnaround quote. They’re proactive, positive, and an absolute joy to work with, always going beyond the call of duty to make me and my business look great. The cherry on top: their swag and products are top-notch, amazing quality, and always on the pulse of what’s trending in culture.” – Taylor Goldman, GoPuff


2. Sendoso

Rating: 4.5/5 (G2) 

H3: Key Features of Sendoso

  • Direct mail design
  • CRM Integration
  • Dashboards & Reporting
  • Fulfillment 
  • Warehousing
  • Gift Status Tracking 
  • Inventory Management
  • Budgeting & Spend Reporting 
  • Conversion Rate Measurement 

Sendoso markets itself as a software company rather than a marketing company. Its gifting platform enables companies to send direct mail, gifts, emails, gift cards and more. Its automation software is integrated with Amazon and combines tools for direct mail, marketing automation and email marketing. Customers gravitate towards Sendoso for reliable software solutions with personalized messaging, CRM integration, and custom batch sizes. We compared Sendoso more in depth with Imprint Engine and Reachdesk. Read the blog post here.


3. Postal

Rating: 4.5/5 (G2) 

Key Features:

  • Broad marketplace
  • Direct Mail Design
  • Delivery Speed
  • CRM & Marketing Automation Integration
  • Custom Batch Sizes
  • Mailing List Management
  • A/B Testing
  • Procurement
  • Budgeting 
  • Fulfillment
  • Warehousing 
  • Inventory Management
  • Status Tracking
  • Dashboards & Reporting
  • Spend Reporting

Postal calls its platform an offline marketing automation solution designed to personalize and automate gifting and direct mail to ultimately boost prospecting and sales. The platform allows personalization, automation, and scaling direct mail campaigns. It also offers branded merchandise and personalized gifts. Postal promotes a focus on automation and user-friendliness. Customers say the speedy onboarding process and ease of use make Postal a favorable platform. They also appreciate access to items from local businesses and the ability to request additional products. Complaints include a lack of international items and integration-related bugs. Postal offers unlimited seats, sends and events for all users. Users can also request their preferred vendors or access a marketplace with more than 500 vendors.


4. Swag.com

Rating: 4.5/5 (G2)

Key Features:

  • Warehousing
  • Fulfillment
  • Procurement
  • Inventory Management
  • Spend Reporting
  • Proof Portal
  • Swag Stores
  • Customer Advocacy Integration

Swag.com labels itself an all-in-one solution for shopping and sending customized gifts, employee swag boxes, and promotional items. At Swag.com, customers can shop from a pre-selected curation of products. Within its Swag Management Platform, customers can store and distribute swag and maintain “online swag closets” to ship when and where its needed. These shipments can go out in bulk or be drop shipped to individual addresses. Swag.com is less “human” than other companies, but allows users to see their logo on products and obtain shipping quotes with just a couple of clicks.


5. Tango

Rating: 4.5/5 (G2)

Key Features:

  • Reward Catalog
  • Bulk Ordering
  • Dashboard 
  • User, Role, and Access Management
  • Reward API
  • Customization
  • Budget Management
  • Analytics & Reporting
  • Integrations

Tango is a stripped-down version of its forementioned competitors. Rather than organizing physical brand experiences and merchandise, its platform helps customers send gift cards and run reward and incentive programs—from customer loyalty and employee engagement to wellness and research participation. Customers can instantly deliver digital gift cards to recipients with customizable email templates, no transaction fees, international reward options, and a catalog filled with 650+ gift cards, prepaid cards, and nonprofit donations. 


Build a Brand Experience With Imprint Engine

Few platforms combine a user-friendly interface with competitive pricing, a wide selection of desirable and totally customizable products, a quick turnaround, and dedicated support. What truly sets us apart most is our expansive team of people who are dedicated to helping clients keep costs down and your end-customers happy. 


IEX by Imprint Engine enables enterprises like DocuSign, Walmart, Uber and Github to execute brand experiences flawlessly from one, seamless platform. Let’s talk about how IEX can improve and simplify your next project. 

Contact us!