Apparel & merch

Improving Online Ordering for Custom Apparel and Merchandise

Team Image, known for its custom apparel and promotional products, sought to enhance its online customer experience. Cmsmart played a pivotal role in streamlining the ordering workflow, enabling users to easily navigate through service offerings. With an improved catalog structure and simplified design upload options, customers can effortlessly select products and submit artwork. The integration of a user-friendly online ordering system has resulted in a more efficient service discovery and purchase process, elevating the overall customer journey from quote request to order fulfillment.

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Improving Online Ordering for Custom Apparel and Merchandise - project preview

The challenge

Context and Problem

Team Image, a prominent player in the custom apparel and promotional products sector, provides a comprehensive range of services, from screen printing to embroidery, catering primarily to sports teams, schools, and corporate clients in Central Indiana. However, their existing online ordering system faced challenges, including complex navigation and a cumbersome design upload process. As a result, customers experienced friction when attempting to place orders and submit their artwork.

Goals

The aim was to revamp Team Image's digital presence to deliver a more intuitive ordering experience, improve service visibility, and streamline customer interactions throughout the buying journey.

The solution

Solution Overview

To achieve these goals, Cmsmart delivered a refined online platform that emphasizes user experience, making it easier for customers to discover services, configure products, and upload designs. The structure of the service catalog was enhanced to promote better visibility of the various offerings, ensuring that customers could effortlessly find the solutions they needed.

Implementation Approach

The implementation involved several high-level phases, including user experience research, design enhancements, and testing. Each phase was designed to address specific customer pain points and iteratively refined based on feedback.

What was built

  • Online ordering system for streamlined purchasing.
  • Product configuration features that simplify selection processes.
  • Artwork upload capabilities allowing seamless submission of designs.
  • Improved categorization for service offerings, enhancing discoverability.
  • Clearer customer journey flow from initial quote requests to production and fulfillment.

How it fits the order workflow

The integration of this upgraded system closely aligns with Team Image's operational workflow. Customers can now submit a quote, collaborate on design approvals, and seamlessly transition into production and fulfillment, all while enjoying an improved online experience. This ensures that Team Image remains competitive in their market, offering a premium service to their clientele.

Outcome

The refined ordering experience has led to significant improvements in customer satisfaction. Users now enjoy a smoother journey, reducing the friction associated with selecting options and submitting artwork. The enhanced catalog structure allows for better service visibility, guiding customers through their purchasing decisions with greater ease.

What the workflow covers

  • Faster quote-to-proof turnaround

    Captures order details and artwork up front, so your team spends less time chasing missing info and more time preparing accurate quotes and proofs.

  • Cleaner artwork intake

    Standardizes file uploads and notes, reducing lost attachments, incorrect versions, and the confusion that often slows down custom apparel decoration.

  • Smoother art approval workflow

    Keeps approvals visible and traceable so customers know what to review and your art team can move orders into production with fewer last-minute surprises.

  • Better service discoverability

    Supports a clearer catalog structure so customers can quickly find what they need—custom apparel, team uniforms, embroidery, screen printing, and promotional products.

  • Fewer manual handoffs

    Automatically routes requests to the right internal owner based on order type, reducing delays and mistakes when juggling multiple service lines.

  • Consistent customer communication

    Sends timely confirmations and updates so customers feel informed from request to fulfillment, while your staff avoids repetitive follow-ups.

  • Improved readiness for production

    Ensures key details are collected and approved before production begins, helping reduce rework and improving on-time delivery performance without promising specific timelines.

  • Scales with webstores and programs

    Fits ongoing corporate and team-store workflows by supporting repeat ordering, fulfillment coordination, and clearer tracking for multi-order programs.

What clients say

Better handoffs between sales, art, and production

Routing rules made a noticeable difference. Each request reaches the right person with the right details, so jobs don’t sit in limbo when we’re busy.
Steve Lu

Much smoother ordering experience

Customers can find what they need faster and submit artwork without confusion. Internally, requests arrive organized, which cut down on back-and-forth before we can start the proof process.
Ary

Artwork approvals are easier to manage

We finally have a consistent way to track proofs and approvals. It’s easier to avoid old versions, and the team spends less time searching for files and email threads.
deeggy

Strong foundation with room to tailor

The template covered the main flow well, and we customized a few fields and messages to match how we run corporate programs and team orders. Setup took a bit of testing, but results were worth it.
adimart

Clearer service categories improved discovery

The way services are grouped makes more sense now. Customers understand options like screen printing vs. embroidery more quickly, which helps them request the right thing the first time.
Jay Rivera

Questions about this project

Yes, you can enable automatic messages for milestones like request received, proof ready, approval needed, and production started. A paid plan helps with dependable delivery and monitoring.

Yes. You can tailor required details like sizes, quantities, due dates, logo placement, and delivery preferences. This helps reduce missing info that typically slows down quoting.

It’s designed for custom apparel and promotional product businesses that handle quotes, artwork approvals, and production handoffs—especially for teams, schools, and corporate programs with repeat orders and webstores.

It reduces back-and-forth by organizing requests, collecting artwork cleanly, routing work to the right person, and keeping customers updated through key steps like quote review and proof approval.

It can store uploads in a structured way, label versions, and track approval status. For best reliability and searchability, a paid plan is recommended if you expect frequent revisions or larger files.

Yes. You can set routing rules by decoration type so requests go to the right team and the workflow asks for the correct details (such as stitch files or print-ready art expectations).

No. It can start from a simple quote/request form and still manage the internal workflow. If you do have webstores or private portals, you can extend it to support reorders and fulfillment updates.

A basic setup can be done quickly, but most businesses spend additional time refining categories, routing rules, and message templates. A paid plan can speed this up with priority guidance and fewer operational surprises.

Yes. You can add customer segments (corporate, school, team store) and apply different rules for approvals, invoicing preferences, and fulfillment steps to match ongoing program needs.

Free usage is best for testing and learning. For business-critical use, a paid plan is recommended so you can rely on monitoring, alerts, and faster support to keep orders moving.

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