Merchandise solutions for the Higher Education Sector

Argon - University Specialists

Contents
Introduction What we do CO - online ordering Who we work with Case Studies: University of Manchester London Business School University of Warwick Contact us 3 5 7 9

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INTRODUCTION
Argon was founded in 2000 and has rapidly grown to become one of the UKs leading branding specialists, delivering a broad range of services including promotional merchandise, corporate clothing and uniforms, print fulfilment and point of sale. Our goal is to provide The Complete Branding Solution. Supporting each of these services is a capability in web design and development, graphic design and strategic marketing, that helps build brands by creating awareness and connecting them with their target audience to encourage purchase behaviour. Today, our client portfolio features leading trade and consumer brands, top universities, retailers and manufacturers worldwide. We are committed in our approach to Corporate Social Responsibility, and we work hard at minimising our impact on the environment. We do this by employing the latest technologies, such as carbon neutral deliveries, paper recycling, and re-using packaging to minimise waste wherever possible. Our team is a 60-strong mix of dedicated and experienced account and project managers, talented creatives and marketing specialists, print and product experts, who together, help look after our clients, manage their projects, adding creative inspiration and ideas to your branding requirements. We are strategic and creative thinkers. Whilst this is extremely important, we also feel that gut instinct and intuition are what really sets us apart. We run our business by doing what feels right this approach can be hard to quantify, but its even harder to imitate and mass produce. This underpins everything that we do.

We help to build brands by creating awareness and connecting them with their target audience

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Argon - University Specialists

WHAT WE DO
Branded Products and Promotional Clothing Specialists
Web We have an in-house web design team who design and create our bespoke online ordering system, CO. Being in-house is ideal as it allows developments to be constantly made to the system to improve and streamline our service offering. We also offer email marketing to clients with the ability to design, code, distribute and track e-shots and report on their success. Marketing Dedicated to working closely with our account managers and creative/ web team, they help to add input at various stages of a clients campaign, in terms of strategy, insight and brand positioning - linking the your objectives with the creative output. In-House Production Our in-house screen printing, embroidery and transfer printing department offers a wide range of finishes to meet your demands, to exceptionally high standards by utilising the latest technology and quality control processes.

We work in partnership with leading brands, creating innovative solutions to help them connect with their target audience and stand out from the competition. We love to design, source or manufacture bespoke products and clothing - for promotional campaigns, events, uniforms, merchandise, incentives or for any other requirement you have.

With our extensive network of specialist suppliers and manufacturers from the UK and beyond, with far east sourcing a speciality, we can produce even the most unusual of merchandise
We are experts in sourcing the right products to match your Universitys brand, and strive to put innovation at the forefront of everything we do. By being forward-thinking and flexible in our approach to both project management and product sourcing; we source, brand and distribute a wide range of promotional products and clothing; from basic t-shirts to bespoke promotional gifts USBs, pens, bags, sports equipment, mugs and much more. This guarantees fantastic customer service and competitive pricing without compromise on product quality.

Design We have a team of in-house designers who are able to visualise any artwork you require as well as full product design and 3D concept work. Having an in-house design team allows us to offer quick turnaround on designs and instant responses to any artwork requests you might have. Each member of our team is specialised in different areas of artwork giving us the ability to offer you a wide range of services.

With over 10 years experience - your university brand is in safe hands

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Argon - University Specialists

CO
Online Ordering, Beautifully Simple

CO is a custom-built online ordering and e-commerce system that removes all the pain, administration, and hidden costs out of ordering branded merchandise, marketing collateral and clothing

Our industry leading bespoke online ordering and e-commerce system, CO, provides a flexible online retail solution for universities, who wish to sell their branded products online, with dispatch to any location worldwide. The CO system has been designed and developed in-house by our award-winning web team. It is both quick and efficient, offering a single order point for all promotional merchandise and collateral. It allows people to place orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, making it ideal for universities, where there

are many staff and different faculties each with their own requirements, in addition to the wide range of students and alumni throughout the world. We will manage all stock requirements for you, working in perfect unison with any orders you place via your online system. With online ordering, the items can either be already printed and in stock, or printed on demand, allowing a quick and simple order process. All goods that leave our warehouse are

carefully packed and inspected to ensure that your order will reach you or those ordering from the site such as your students and alumni, in perfect condition. Working in partnership with our approved delivery partner, we are able to dispatch all goods within 24 hours of an order being received. We also have a timed service for when those deliveries are urgent, giving you complete peace of mind.

Benefits: A central online solution for your University - all the information you need in one place Flexible payments - you decide how you want to pay for stock, with complete flexibility to suit your accounting needs and it can integrate with your existing finance systems Live online reporting & analysis tailored to your exact requirements with 24/7 access Built-in track & trace functionality, a fast and efficient service Less admin, more control Overseas shipping

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Argon - University Specialists

WHO WE WORK FOR

We have made a vital contribution to the branding campaigns of several of the UKs top Universities. Our experience suggests that there is a gap in the market for a simple and user friendly system to help University staff source, manage and order branded merchandise for the various marketing, events, recruitment and hospitality activities throughout the year. Furthermore, universities can widen their revenue streams and generate brand exposure through on-campus and online gift shops which promote and sell their branded merchandise. Our unique suite of services, combined with our experience with a diverse range of university clients, including some of the UKs top universities and business schools,

means we have developed a niche in the university sector, with particular expertise in bespoke graduation products, promotional merchandise, clothing, online ordering systems and e-commerce sites. Working with prestigious educational institutions means we are used to working with established and well-known brands, and realise the importance of protecting that brand and ensuring that the goods sold are of the highest quality possible in terms of garment quality and branding. We work in partnership with our clients as an extension of their team, championing their vision and values not just brand management, but brand guardianship.

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CASE STUDY #1
UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
Having been involved in an extensive public tender process for the provision of our promotional merchandise, one of the things which gave them the edge over the other suppliers was their innovative CO system it makes it so easy for us to manage products and stock, and its so user friendly its perfect for our students and staff to order from directly!
Nichola Gill, Senior Procurement Officer University of Manchester

The Solution:
As part of an intensive tender process, we considered the entire customer experience for buying University branded merchandise. Prior to being awarded the contract we visited the University and conducted an audit for how they currently displayed and promoted their branded goods. During the pitch, we made suggestions on how to improve the customer retail experience, by making improvements to point of sale and in-store merchandising. However, what really made us stand out was our ability to provide a complete branding solution for the University; and to take their retail gift shop online via our CO e-commerce system, to help widen their revenue streams and expand the product and service offering from the gift shop on campus, to a bespoke e-commerce store: uom-giftshop.co.uk

The Result:
The next phase of development will include offering a Graduation section with a custom personalisation service, to enable students to order bespoke, personalised items and clothing, with their name and graduation year, course title, or a combination of these options. Personalisation of products is an exciting feature which we will launch ahead of their Summer graduation events in July 2013. It will provide a variety of options for students to choose from, to pre-order their items in advance and simply collect the finished item on the day of Graduation.

The Project
The University of Manchester is one of our latest clients to take advantage of our innovative, bespoke online ordering system, CO. Designed and launched in Winter 2012, it allows the University of Manchester to have complete control of all procurement activities and effectively promote and sell their branded merchandise online.

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Argon - University Specialists

CASE STUDY #2
LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL
Were delighted with the new online Gift Shop. Having dealt with Argon since 2009, they have been a reliable and professional partner in supplying our branded merchandise. They are always suggesting new ideas to improve and promote the products ranging from clothing and stationery to bespoke items, which are all finished to a high standard. They were awarded the contract to run and maintain our online gift shop owing to the excellent support and quality of service they continue to provide, and a thorough understanding of our organisational needs and, evidently enjoys exceeding their customers expectations. We are very pleased with the online gift shop and have seen an increase in orders from across the world
Ayo Abugo, Branded Merchandise Manager, London Business School

The Solution:
The online Gift Shop, shop.london. edu, is powered by using flagship CO technology the unique online ordering and e-commerce system designed and developed completely in-house by Argon. As London Business School already has an on-campus Gift shop where stakeholders are able to purchase branded merchandise, it was the natural next step to take their presence online to enable them to widen their revenue streams, increase brand awareness, and attract more interest from their students and alumni in the product range, to ensure the site is operating effectively as an e-commerce website and encouraging purchase behaviour.

The Project
We have has worked with London Business School since 2009, as their preferred supplier for all of the Schools promotional merchandise and clothing for their oncampus Gift Shop and staff requirements. In 2012/2013, we developed and launched an online merchandise store, to enable the School to sell their branded merchandise online and better reach their existing students, prospective students and alumni worldwide.

Designed with end users in mind, it enables students and alumni to order Business School branded merchandise and clothing a great way for students and alumni to get a proud lasting memory of their time at the University. In addition to the e-commerce website, we also built a Graduation site for London Business School, lbsgraduation.co.uk which enables students to order branded merchandise personalised with their name and Class of. The site is also available to London Business School alumni across the world with delivery possible to all countries.

The Result:
The Gift Shop website includes e-commerce functionality, such as the ability for its users to redeem vouchers, which are equivalent to credit to spend on the shop. An interactive promotional scrolling banner has been developed, to add a dynamic function to the site, and act as a call-to-action for specific promotional and seasonal messages. Within the first month of launch, the website took orders from staff, students and alumni worldwide from the USA to Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to Belgium.
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CASE STUDY #3
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK

Thank you Argon, for working so hard on getting the ordering system up and running! The system is really simple to use and allows us to place our orders quickly and easily for all our uniform and work wear needs.
Rebecca Devaney, University of Warwick

The Project
After a detailed tender process which included a number of presentations and a full sample range, we became the official supplier to Warwick University in 2011, for all their corporate wear requirements for a three year period. We have a team of people specialised in the supply of uniform and work wear. We appreciate that uniform comes with its own unique challenges which is why we put a dedicated team in place. Detailed visuals were provided at every stage of the process so they could see exactly what their finished garments would look like, giving the added reassurance that the finished product will be exactly how it was envisioned.
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The Solution:
We created a corporate wear range for five departments within the university, including: Accommodation, Conferences and Exhibitions and the Warwick Arts Centre. This project included the design of an online ordering system for Warwick University so that employees can place orders for all their uniform needs online:
warwick.creativeemporium.com

The Result:
We worked closely with each university department to ensure the right clothing was selected to suit individual requirements this is a consultative approach which we undertake with all our clients to ensure a practical and consistent approach to uniform supply.

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Let us create a complete merchandise solution for your university

Contacts
Tara Richardson Business Development Executive Tel: 0113 386 5591 Email: tara@argonpromo.co.uk

Blog: argonpromo.co.uk/blog @argonpromo linkedin.com/company/argon-promotions Web: www.argonpromo.co.uk

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Thank you

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