Bulk Swag.

Bulk swag is branded merchandise produced ahead of time, held in regional warehouses, and shipped to recipients on demand. It trades the no-minimum flexibility of on-demand for lower per-unit cost and faster delivery.

What it is

An organization (often with a CSM) designs and orders a run of merchandise. PerkUp coordinates production with a supplier, receives the finished goods into a warehouse, and then ships individual units to recipients as rewards are sent. Common patterns:

  • New-hire kits: a standard reorder pattern for growing teams.
  • Event swag: produced ahead of conferences and offsites.
  • Executive and milestone gifts ordered in advance.

Suppliers

Bulk orders are sourced through a network of decoration and promo suppliers, each with its own minimums, pricing tiers, and decoration methods. The bulk catalog combines API sources, file feeds, and curated Swell products, then normalizes them into bulkSwagProducts for search in Typesense.

Catalog data audit

Each customer-facing catalog tab has its own source mix, refresh behavior, stored fields, and AI cleanup. Use these pages when auditing why a product appears, why it is hidden, or why data such as color, inventory, pricing, or images looks different across regions.

The staff-only private catalog is a curated view over existing bulk catalogs, not its own supplier feed.

Production lifecycle

A bulk order moves through a defined production lifecycle (proto/perkup/v1/production.proto):

  1. Proofing — artwork is uploaded and routed for approval; proofs are pending, approved, or rejected.
  2. Production — the supplier manufactures the run once proofs are approved.
  3. In transit — finished goods ship from supplier to the fulfillment warehouse.
  4. Stocked — inventory arrives and is counted into the warehouse.
  5. Delivered — individual units ship to recipients as rewards are sent.

Warehousing & inventory

Stock is held in regional warehouses (US, UK, EU, and more) so recipients get domestic-speed shipping:

  • Stock is tracked per warehouse location as an InventoryLevel (on-hand, committed, available).
  • Shipments to recipients generate tracking tied back to the production and fulfillment.
  • Monthly warehousing fees are billed per package size and quantity (WarehousingInvoice).

For the broader order and delivery mechanics, see Fulfillment & Warehousing.

Source: proto/perkup/v1/{cart,production,warehouses}.proto · functions/src/catalogs/bulk-swag · functions/src/catalogs/ai · apps/frontend/src/pages/bulk-swag · GLOSSARY.md