The SWAG B2B Buyers Actually Want (According to Our Survey)

When you’re giving a gift, sometimes it’s best to ask the recipient what they actually want. That’s why we surveyed our customers on what kind of SWAG they want to receive, so you don’t have to worry about what will be a worthwhile promotional product to spend your budget on.

Think of this like a wedding registry — the happy couple has made a list of all of the items they would actually use and enjoy. You can easily look at the list and decide what is in your budget and what is meaningful to you. By buying them something that wasn’t on their list, it will likely end up stored in a box in the attic, donated to Goodwill, given away, or even end up in the trash.

Avoid your SWAG ending up in the trash and read this survey to get ideas for your next branded giveaway.

About the SWAG Survey

We asked 125 business professionals from all different industries what kind of branded merchandise they would be excited to receive. There were two categories: small items you might receive at a trade show, in a training class, or as a token gift; and bigger budget items for leave-behinds or client gifts.

Using items from Mimeo’s branded item catalog, we provided six options for the smaller handouts and seven options for the bigger budget items.

The SWAG Winners

We offered up some interesting SWAG choices in the survey. The marketing team was expecting customers to go for more unique ideas, like the cuddly soft branded teddy bear or promotional bamboo cutting board.

However, it turns out that B2B buyers are most excited about practical gifts that they will be able to use in their everyday lives. When it comes to trade show promotional items or small gifts, our customers voted for the RFID Phone Wallet with Ring as their most-wanted item! The Universal Car Adapter came in a close second.

Trade Show Promo Item Winner: RFID Phone Wallet with Ring

As for the big client leave-behind gift? The pragmatic Eastman Tritan Water Bottle won with 29% of the votes, followed by the Bluetooth Earbuds at 28%. Everything else clocked in with less than 10% of the vote.

Here are the final results for our *very official* B2B Buyer SWAG Survery:

Leave-Behind Gift Winner: Eastman Tritan Water Bottle

What would you be most excited to receive at a tradeshow, in a training class, or as a small gift?

1. RFID Phone Wallet with Ring (29%)
2. Universal Car Adapter (28%)
3. Flip Top Candy Dispensers with M&Ms (23%)
4. Rubik’s 9 Panel Full-Stock Cube (10%)
5. 6” Big Paw Bear (9%)

What would you be most excited to receive as a leave-behind after a meeting or as a client gift?

1. Eastman Tritan Copolyester Water Bottle (29%)
2. Bluetooth Earbuds (28%)
3. Hemingway Journal Notebook (10%)
4. Bamboo Cutting Board (9%)
5. Cotton Canvas Grocery Bag (8%)
6. Office Buddy Cube (8%)
7. 3-Piece Gift Stress Relief Tube with Popcorn (7.5%)

SWAG’s Biggest Loser

If there’s one conclusion we can draw, it’s that B2B buyers do not want your branded sunglasses. The LensTek Sunglasses came in last place with 0 votes. While branded sunglasses were a very “in” product in the last decade, buyers are seemingly overwhelmed — or just over — receiving sunglasses in their SWAG bags.

How to Order Your Own SWAG

Branded promotional items are an important part of B2B marketing, whether it is to build brand awareness at an expo or strengthen relationships with your clients.

If you like these ideas or want to order other items from Mimeo’s catalog, schedule 15 minutes to brainstorm with one of our representatives or reach out to your account manager.