Ciloo Overview

The Ciloo platform is founded in 2008 by Richard Benesti and Christian Sæterhaug in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The platform is marketed as a global On Demand platform that provides e-commerce solutions for companies who are looking to provide their employees, clients, partners, and other audiences with branded swag. Ciloo, in simple terms, essentially offers swag store solutions for different use cases.

Main Features

Local and On Demand production

Ciloo’s entire business model revolves around On Demand swag production. This means that all of the swag items it offers are only created when an order is placed. With this approach, the need for warehousing and inventory is eliminated, ensuring you’re not stuck with leftover swag. Every order is also fulfilled as close as possible to your recipient’s location, helping reduce shipping times and minimize carbon footprint.

Admin control

If you’re a user of Ciloo, you or other administrators will have full control over your swag store setup and user experience. For example, you can choose which branded swag to display, assign budgets, and choose which recipients (employees, clients, or otherwise) or regions have access to particular items. Your recipients/users can then order the latest, approved products in the quantities they need, in line with the pre-set budgets allocated to each cost center. Each order is produced closest to the delivery address.

Eco-conscious approach

Ciloo highlights sustainability as a major part of its value proposition. For one, the platform reduces waste through made-to-order swag, avoids mass production, and minimizes carbon emissions by shortening delivery routes with its local fulfillment centers across the US, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific.

Pricing

Ciloo doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing. What this means for you is that you’ll need to request a demo to receive a quote. In addition, this likely means pricing varies based on your company size, order volume, and geographic scope. Still, without transparency, it might be difficult for you to assess whether the platform fits your budget before entering the sales process.

Pros and Cons

Pros

✅ On Demand production: The platform’s On Demand approach helps reduce waste and avoid unused inventory. This is ideal if you have one-off swag or gifting campaigns.

✅ Swag stores: Ciloo allows you to build a branded internal swag store where employees, clients, and partners can browse and order merchandise on their own. This creates a self-serve experience.

✅ Localized fulfillment and global reach: Ciloo has local production centers in over 30 countries, which allows the platform to reduce international shipping fees and carbon footprint.

✅ Sustainability approach: By cutting down shipping distances with its local fulfillment hubs and focusing on On Demand swag production, Ciloo has an eco-friendly approach to swag.

Cons

❌ Absence of bulk swag: Since Ciloo only offers On Demand swag, it means you won’t get to buy swag items in bulk. As such, you won’t enjoy discounts or have prepared items ready for shipment at a moment’s notice.

❌ Lack of swag flexibility: The platform focuses narrowly on On Demand swag items. If you need curated swag kits, personalized gifts, or digital gift cards in addition to bulk swag, then you’ll need a separate provider.

❌ Inability to combine On Demand and bulk swag in one swag store: Considering that Ciloo only has On Demand swag, it also can’t support adding both bulk and On Demand swag in one swag store.

❌ No warehousing and inventory: Ciloo also doesn’t offer warehousing or inventory management. Because of this, you can’t stock swag or manage physical inventory through the platform, which limits the platform’s usefulness for large-scale swag initiatives.

❌ Can’t integrate with HRIS and CRM integrations: The Ciloo platform also doesn’t integrate with HR or CRM systems.

❌ No automation: Since the platform lacks integrations with HRIS, it also doesn’t support automation. As such, every swag or gift order must be placed manually, adding extra work.

❌ Catalog isn’t publicly available: There is no public swag catalog to browse on Ciloo’s platform, making it harder to evaluate product quality or options before booking a demo.

❌ Not suitable for marketing events: With no bulk swag, inventory management, or warehousing services, Ciloo won’t be suitable for marketing event needs where those three aspects are essential.

Ciloo is best for…

… companies with occasional swag needs 👍

Ciloo works well for organizations that only send swag once in a while, such as for one-time team celebrations, small internal initiatives, or occasional employee appreciation moments. Since every item is produced On Demand, you don’t have to commit to minimums or bulk quantities, making it a practical choice for low-volume swag programs. This is especially useful if you have smaller teams and prefer a made-to-order swag approach without paying a huge amount upfront. However, it’s also worth noting that On Demand swag items can also be expensive as they’re made-to-order and usually don’t have discounts.

… businesses that want to offer recipient-choice swag 👍

Ciloo’s internal swag store format allows your employees, clients, or partners the freedom to choose the swag items they want rather than receiving a one-size-fits-all product. This approach can reduce unwanted swag, increase satisfaction, and minimize returns or waste. It’s especially good if personalization and employee autonomy matter more to you than discounts or automation.

… eco-conscious organizations that want to reduce waste and carbon footprint 👍

Ciloo is a good match if your company focuses on sustainable gifting and wants to avoid inventory management and logistics. By only producing items when they’re needed and fulfilling orders closest to the recipient, the platform helps you reduce waste and shipping emissions and costs.

Ciloo may not be a good fit for…

… enterprises with warehousing and inventory needs 👎

While Ciloo’s On Demand swag model is its main value proposition, it can also be its biggest weakness. This is because, for enterprises that require swag for recurring events (campaigns, conferences, onboarding, etc.), bulk swag and inventory management are important aspects to consider. Without warehousing or stored inventory, there’s no way to prepare large quantities of swag in advance or handle recurring shipments.

… busy leaders who seek to automate swag sending 👎

Considering that Ciloo lacks HRIS and CRM integrations, it won’t be a great choice for automating swag or gift sending. For instance, if you’re welcoming a new hire or celebrating a birthday or work anniversary, you won’t be able to send swag and/or gifts based on triggers. Everything has to be manual, which can be time consuming and inefficient especially if you’re a big or busy team.

… companies looking for swag flexibility 👎

Because Ciloo is only focused on On Demand swag, it also can’t support you if you want to expand your offering to include experiences, digital gifts, and swag kits. As a result, you may find it too limited or restrictive, particularly if you’re looking to offer something beyond physical swag items.

… businesses that require transparent and clear pricing upfront 👎

Ciloo’s website doesn’t provide pricing and product catalogs, and this lack of transparency makes it difficult to properly compare platforms or estimate total spend before entering sales conversations. This can cause issues for you or your team if you require clarity upfront and wish to see estimates or product variety before committing to demos.

All in all, Ciloo offers a sustainability-focused approach to swag through its On Demand production and localized fulfillment model. It’s best for companies that want simple, branded swag without managing inventory or logistics. However, its limited scope, especially the lack of bulk swag, warehousing, automation, integrations, and other gifting options, means it may not meet the needs of growing companies with more complex swag and gifting requirements.

Looking for better swag solutions? Explore the best Ciloo alternatives

Ciloo’s limited feature set may leave you searching for a more flexible and automated platform. If you need bulk swag, automation, swag kits, or more transparency, it’s worth exploring alternative platforms that offer a more complete end-to-end solution. This way, you won’t need to work with two separate swag platforms.

Ciloo vs PerkUp, the #1 platform for global On Demand and bulk swag

Ciloo and PerkUp aim to help companies deliver branded swag, but their approaches are fundamentally different. On one hand, Ciloo focuses on an On Demand model and localized fulfillment, providing an e-commerce solution for companies looking to offer On Demand swag for various use cases. Meanwhile, PerkUp provides that and more.

For one, PerkUp supports both On Demand and bulk swag in one swag store, allowing you to produce small runs for specific teams or large quantities for events and campaigns. Beyond that, PerkUp’s global warehousing network enables you to store, manage, and ship swag anywhere in the world. The platform also automates key moments in the employee journey through HRIS integrations, so swag can be sent automatically for milestones, anniversaries, and new hires. PerkUp even extends beyond traditional On Demand and bulk swag, offering custom swag kits, localized gifts, and digital gift cards. As such, if your goal is to support global teams while reducing manual work and expanding gifting possibilities, PerkUp delivers a far more comprehensive solution for global companies.

Check out this Ciloo vs PerkUp comparison we prepared to better understand why companies like Alta and Wellhub choose PerkUp.