Yes! IGO Promo has existed for more than 75 years. Since the beginning we’ve always had one mission: make it easy for brands to express themselves through personalised gifts. How has this mission manifested itself in our company for years? What has changed? We asked Jan Jacobs, who has been working at IGO for 45 years now, and in this article we’ll hear what he has to say while also telling you what our focus for the future is.
How it all started
In 1945, Martien Jonkers was one of the first to set up a company that focused on the sale of printed items. That immediately formed the basis for the current service: printing promotional gifts for entrepreneurs.
Jan Jacobs, who has been working at IGO for 45 years now, can tell you all about it: “I started in 1976 when our company was located in ‘de Mortel’. At that time the department store only consisted of a few wooden racks, now we have 18,000 pallet places. Nowadays I am responsible as Operator of the Warehouse. Jan talks about the beginning ”. Although we as a company have grown a lot in size – more about that later – our mission has always remained the same. Namely: make it easy for companies to strengthen their brand by giving away promotional gifts. And it appears to work.
Did you know that… the abbreviation IGO stands for International Gift Organization? The name IGO Post was changed to IGO Promo in 1996?
Then and now
Despite now being an indispensable part of our society: Wifi, mobile phones, zoom meetings, WhatsApp, it used to be very different. Jan explains: “In the beginning we had no computer, no e-mail or even no telephones in the warehouse. We then received one of the first cordless telephones from China and were one of the first companies to work with a computer. Then things became a lot easier.” In the 1980s, IGO used direct marketing and sold almost all of our products through catalogues. That turned out to be a golden move. In 1988, sales were only made by sending a catalog.
We have so much space here! In the end, our company was expanded three more times because there was not enough space.
In the past, most work was done manually. “At that time, everything came unassembled, staff still had to assemble the pens themselves.” says Jan. “Now, of course, the pens arrive assembled. However, many operations are still done manually, so that we can continue to guarantee the real quality. This also allows us to offer such low numbers when it comes to the minimum order quantity.”
In 1992, IGO van de Mortel moves to its current head office in Helmond. Jan still remembers the first thing he noticed when he first entered there “We have so much space here! In the end, our company was expanded three more times because there was not enough space. From office to factory, everything is under one roof in the current building.”
IGO Promo is still growing, and we are constantly renewing and developing ourselves. Which is also necessary in this market. For example, we focus on an ever-expanding product range, the latest trends, and we are busy behind the scenes to stay up-to-date with all developments in our field, a lot is happening behind the scenes to keep up with the times.
Did you know that… IGO Promo now offers over 4.600 different products and 250 product categories? That way we have the right product available for everyone?
IGO goes international
IGO is not only active in the Netherlands but also abroad. In 1984 the first international office is opened in Belgium. Now 37 years later we are active in 13 markets within Europe. You can find us in: The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Wallonia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, and UK. Although we are well represented in Europe, we all strive for the same goal. Motivate companies to give a personalised product to their customers and employees. And we do all this in a personal way, to guide everyone step by step through the process. The same core values apply to all employees within IGO, which are important. It doesn’t matter what position you hold. Our core values: informal, easy, supportive, personal, and quality can be seen everywhere. And that’s not all!
Did you know that… IGO promo is now active in 13 countries with 55 employees of 11 nationalities? With our team, we can proudly say that we already have more than 500,000 satisfied customers?
Corporate Social Responsibility
We prioritise Corporate Social Responsibility and are constantly expanding our sustainable product range. In addition, we donate a percentage of every order placed with us to plant trees around the world. We do this in collaboration with One Tree Planted. We also work with Senzer, a company that supports people with a distance to the labor market to integrate into jobs in which they can grow. Do you want to make a positive impression with your company? A corporate gift with a logo contributes to an effective promotion. If you choose a sustainable business gift, you show as a company that you care about the environment.
Did you know that… IGO Promo has already planted 26.231 trees through the IGO Green project? The larger the order, the more trees will be planted?
Motivate customers and employees
IGO Promo motivates and inspires customers to donate a printed article to customers and staff. We do this by giving them professional and appropriate advice from our customer service. Personal advice is our top priority.
The basis for motivating and inspiring customers lies with our employees. We think it is important that the employees are healthy! By offering a piece of fresh fruit every day, organising weekly bootcamp sessions, introducing health challenges and a cycling plan, we try to motivate our employees to stay healthy and fit.
Did you know that… 79% of employees are more productive on the days they exercise? Read more about this in the article ‘How to get employees moving’?
On to the next anniversary
If it is up to us, we will continue to strengthen brands for the next 25 years. Of course we do not sit still and we continue to grow as an E-commerce company. We continue to expand our (sustainable) product range and focus on a social position in society. And most importantly; keep improving our service for our customers.
That is why you will receive a high discount of up to 75% on at least 75 products from September 1st for 75 days!
75 years: we celebrate with a discount!
IGO Promo believes in the power of business gifts and promotional products to strengthen brands and will not let the 75th anniversary pass by without proper celebration. That is why from September 1st you will receive a high discount of up to 75% on at least 75 products for 75 days. Take advantage during the ’75 years of IGO discount days’ and make your brand stand out.