About Imprint Plus
North America’s #1 Name Badge Suppliers
At Imprint Plus we believe that name badges, name badge components, name badge printing software, and corporate ID products, are all sales of an extremely personal nature. We’re in the business of helping individuals and businesses define and communicate their unique identities. Not only does the brand need the right look & feel, but it also has to convey a message and values-no small feat. But, despite this, the decision about name badges was historically based on a “least cost option” philosophy. So, Imprint Plus had to strike a balance between quality and cost. Everyone loved Imprint Plus’ sleek, professional name badges, but the system had to be cost effective in order to win over customers.
Imprint Plus designs, develops, manufactures and distributes multiple identification products. Its signature product is “The Reusable Name Badge”, a DIY badge system that includes proprietary components and copyrighted name badge printing software. Imprint Plus is and always has been known as an innovator in name badge design and development. Since our inception over 30 years ago, we’ve been deeply committed to manufacturing top quality, premium products that are at the cutting edge of design and technology.
Imprint Plus’ corporate vision is for the brand to define and own the Professional and Reusable Name Badges market category. Simply put, we intend to own the professional name badge category, both in the business-to-business and business-to-consumer sectors.
Name Badge Purchasing
Historically name badge purchasing was predominantly based on the “least cost option”. Most name badge buyers felt there was little or no distinction between the different badge companies and styles. The badge was a last minute purchase, and engraving or window badges with paper inserts were the standard fare. The smaller companies often purchased at a “Mom and Pop” local key shop or Ad Specialty Company (which can run up to $12 per badge!); the larger companies bought individual badges engraved internally from a central location and shipped to each location (factor in shipping costs!), or employed pre-molded plastic forms with paper or tape inserts.
3 Trends that Have Helped Imprint Plus Grow
Fortunately, three popular business trends have assisted in strengthening and growing Imprint Plus:
- Branding
- Customer Experience
- Green
Branding, a concept that is critical in market positioning for most companies, altered the “least cost” philosophy that many companies employed in regards to their name badge programs. As the emphasis on branding increased, many companies began to recognize that the name badge was a critical piece of their branding collateral, especially as it was often the ONLY connector between the employee and the customer. Companies in all industries began to understand an employee’s impact on a brand; the staff’s attitude, style and physical look was communicating a message to the customers, whether they liked it or not. As branding grew more important, so did name badge craftsmanship and styling.
Choosing the “perfect” individual to represent a company and its core philosophies is near impossible. It’s also incredibly challenging and costly to train new staff to be “brand-right”, especially in industries with high turnover. It became obvious that companies had to find new tools to help them control the message that employees were putting out to customers. One tool in their toolboxes was a personalized, branded, polished name badge. Enter Imprint Plus.
The second business trend that had a positive impact on premium, “craftsman”, on-site badge industry was the focus of hotels, resorts, cruise lines, banks and retailers on the customer experience during their stay or visit. Most customers like to feel a connection with the person serving them. This has become particularly relevant in a world of technology, when online shopping, text messaging, and overall self-service are standard fare. Personal service begins with a name. Imprint Plus name badges assist in instant connections, and feed into the customer experience, which has become a focus for business models who consider the experience critical to customer loyalty.
The third trend, the interest in sustainable, green products, fits extremely well with the reusable feature of the Imprint Plus product range. Many badges that boasted reusability featured adhesive labels that had to be scraped off before the tags could be cleaned, and, finally, reused. It was actually less expensive to throw the product away. All of Imprint Plus’ name badge components are reusable, and many are recyclable. Our product was designed for the purchase of components to supplement the original supply.
It has been easy to position and reposition the Imprint Plus reusable name badge programs to adapt to industry trends, and hold the attention of industry leaders across sectors. Over the past five years we have become an exclusive, endorsed or preferred vendor to many key companies including Macy’s, Walgreen’s, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Wynn Resorts, and others. Imprint Plus’ next phase will be to dig deeper in to the industries that have front line employees or a requirement to network, and offer our product line either directly, or indirectly, to business at large.
Industries We Serve
Our customer base spans across 21 industries. Industries currently serviced include: Hospitality, hotels, resorts, restaurants, clubs, cruise lines, casinos, chain and department stores, boutiques, financial service centers, parks and recreation centers, theme parks and attractions, government agencies, spas, health care facilities and any business with customer contact, networking, or front line servicing. We are proud to partner with Fortune 500 Companies such as Walgreen’s, Macy’s, Marriott, Aramark and UPS.
Our Locations
Our head office is located in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, and we operate satellite offices in Toronto, Florida, and Scotland. All of our products are created out of our Head Office to maintain quality control. Our production department employes approximately 25 employees, and our warehouse/factory houses countless pieces of equipment ranging from screen-printing to metal punching to engraving machines. We are committed to continuously developing new ways to meet your needs in terms of logo re-creation and more.
