Ciloo Overview

Ciloo was founded in 2008 by Richard Benesti and Christian Sæterhaug in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The platform positions itself as a global On Demand swag solution designed to help you provide branded swag to employees, clients, partners, and other audiences through e-commerce-style swag stores. At its core, Ciloo functions as a swag store platform built specifically around made-to-order production rather than traditional bulk inventory.

Main Features

Local and On Demand production

Ciloo’s business model is entirely built around On Demand swag production. Instead of manufacturing items in advance and storing them in warehouses, each swag item is produced only after an order is placed. This approach eliminates the risk of excess inventory and unused swag sitting in storage.

Orders are fulfilled as close as possible to your recipient’s location, which helps shorten shipping distances, reduce delivery times, and lower environmental impact. For you, this means fewer logistical decisions around inventory planning, but also less flexibility when immediate fulfillment or bulk preparation is required.

Admin control

As an administrator, you have full control over how your Ciloo swag store operates and who can access it. You can decide which products are visible, assign budgets, and determine which recipients or regions are eligible to order specific items. This structure allows you to control spending while still giving users freedom of choice.

Recipients can browse approved products and place orders within their allocated budgets, ensuring that purchases stay aligned with internal guidelines. Each order is then produced near the delivery address, reinforcing Ciloo’s localized fulfillment approach.

Eco-conscious approach

Sustainability is a core pillar of Ciloo’s value proposition. By relying on made-to-order production, the platform avoids mass manufacturing and excess waste. The use of local fulfillment centers across the US, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific further reduces emissions caused by long-distance shipping.

Pricing

Ciloo doesn’t publicly list its pricing. To receive a quote, you’ll need to book a demo with the sales team. Pricing likely varies depending on factors such as company size, expected order volume, and geographic coverage.

Because pricing details aren’t available upfront, it can be difficult for you to evaluate budget fit or compare Ciloo against other platforms before entering the sales process. This lack of transparency may add friction if you prefer clear cost estimates early in your decision-making.

Pros and Cons

Pros

✅ On Demand production model: Swag items are only produced when ordered, which helps you avoid excess inventory and reduce waste, especially for one-off or infrequent campaigns.

✅ Branded swag stores: You can create internal swag stores where employees, clients, or partners browse and order items independently, resulting in a self-serve experience.

✅ Localized fulfillment with global coverage: Production centers in over 30 countries allow orders to be fulfilled closer to recipients, helping reduce international shipping costs and emissions.

✅ Sustainability-focused approach: The combination of local production and made-to-order manufacturing supports environmentally conscious swag initiatives.

Cons

❌ Bulk purchasing not supported: Because the platform operates exclusively on an On Demand model, you cannot place traditional bulk orders or benefit from volume-based discounts.

❌ Narrow swag capabilities: The platform is focused solely on On Demand swag, which limits your ability to offer swag kits, personalized gifts, or digital gift cards within the same system.

❌ Single-model swag stores: Since only On Demand items are available, it isn’t possible to combine bulk swag and On Demand swag in one unified store.

❌ Inventory and storage unavailable: Warehousing and inventory management are not part of the platform, which restricts its usefulness for large-scale or recurring swag programs.

❌ HRIS and CRM connections missing: Direct integrations with HR and CRM tools are not available, which limits workflow efficiency.

❌ Manual ordering required: Without integrations, swag sending cannot be automated and must be handled manually for each order.

❌ Product catalog visibility limited: There is no public catalog available to review products ahead of time, making it harder to assess quality before booking a demo.

❌ Marketing event support can be limited: The absence of bulk swag, inventory, and warehousing makes the platform less practical for marketing event campaigns.

Ciloo is best for…

… companies with occasional swag needs 👍

Ciloo works well if you only send swag from time to time, such as for small team moments, internal initiatives, or occasional appreciation campaigns. Since items are produced only when ordered, you avoid committing to minimums or holding unused swag. This approach suits smaller teams or organizations that prefer flexibility over preparation, though per-item costs can be higher due to the made-to-order model.

… businesses that want to offer recipient-choice swag 👍

If giving recipients the freedom to choose matters to you, Ciloo’s swag store format supports that goal. Employees or partners can select items they actually want, which helps reduce waste and increases satisfaction. This model works particularly well when autonomy and personalization are more important than discounts or automation.

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

Ciloo aligns well with companies that prioritize environmental responsibility. Producing swag only when needed and fulfilling orders locally allows you to reduce waste, emissions, and logistical complexity.

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. For organizations running recurring campaigns, onboarding programs, or large events, bulk swag and stored inventory play an important role. Without warehousing or advance preparation, managing these initiatives becomes difficult.

… busy leaders who seek to automate swag sending 👎

Since HRIS and CRM integrations are unavailable, milestone-based gifting, such as new hires, birthdays, or anniversaries, can’t be automated. Every order requires manual effort, which can become time-consuming as programs scale.

… companies looking for swag flexibility 👎

If you plan to expand beyond physical swag into digital gifts, experiences, or curated kits, Ciloo’s focused model may feel restrictive, particularly if you’re looking to offer something beyond physical swag items.

… businesses that require transparent and clear pricing upfront 👎

Without public pricing or product catalogs, estimating costs or comparing platforms before sales conversations can be challenging, especially if budget approval depends on early visibility.

Ciloo delivers a sustainability-focused swag experience through its On Demand production and localized fulfillment model. It works best for organizations that want simple, branded swag without managing inventory or logistics. However, the platform’s limited scope, particularly around bulk swag, automation, integrations, and gifting variety, may not meet the needs of growing or globally distributed teams.

Looking for better swag solutions? Explore the best Ciloo alternatives

If Ciloo’s limitations leave gaps in your swag strategy, alternative platforms offer bulk swag, automation, swag kits, and clearer pricing in one system. Exploring other platform options aside from Ciloo can help you avoid juggling multiple vendors.

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

While both Ciloo and PerkUp support On Demand swag, their approaches differ significantly. Ciloo focuses exclusively on made-to-order production with localized fulfillment, offering a streamlined e-commerce experience for swag stores. PerkUp builds on that foundation by supporting both On Demand and bulk swag within a single platform.

With PerkUp, you can prepare bulk swag for events, run On Demand programs for teams, and manage everything through one swag store. Its global warehousing network allows you to store and ship swag worldwide, while HRIS integrations enable automated sending for onboarding, anniversaries, and other milestones. In addition, PerkUp supports swag kits, localized gifts, and digital gift cards, giving you far more flexibility as your programs scale.

For a deeper comparison, review the Ciloo vs PerkUp analysis to see why teams like Alta and Wellhub choose PerkUp for global swag programs.