Agency Merchandise Brief: Client Intake and Approval Checklist

An agency merchandise brief connects the client's campaign idea to the decisions a sourcing partner needs: who the merchandise is for, how many finished items or kits are required, what the budget covers, which artwork is approved, where it must arrive, and who can authorize each step. It should also say what remains undecided.

Use the template below for a client launch, partner campaign, PR mailer, or branded merchandise project. It is a planning resource, not a purchase order, a production release, or a promise that a particular product or delivery route is available.

Start with the client decision, not a product list

Write one sentence that describes the job: “We need merchandise for [recipient group] to support [campaign moment], with [distribution method] and a required arrival window of [date and timezone].” Then separate non-negotiables from preferences.

A mandatory logo treatment, an immovable launch date, and a maximum delivered budget are constraints. A preferred color, material, or package style may be negotiable. Ask the client which can change if the first direction is unsuitable. A sourcing brief is more useful when it explains the order of priorities than when every preference is marked essential.

Keep concept references distinct from product selections. A mood board can communicate tone; it does not confirm a material, decoration process, stock position, or final packaging configuration. Label each reference “visual direction” or “specific item for review.”

For the broader buying process, see the B2B corporate gifting and merchandise buying guide. This checklist focuses on the additional handoffs between an agency, its client, and a sourcing partner.

Copy this client intake template

Copy these fields into your own project document. Use “unknown” where necessary and name the role responsible for resolving it. Keep confidential client details, supplier pricing, and recipient information in your approved private systems.

Campaign and audience

• Project label and brief version:
• Agency project owner and internal backup:
• Client industry or business context:
• Campaign moment and intended recipient experience:
• Recipient group and estimated count:
• Distribution method: in person, one business location, several locations, or individual recipients:
• Non-negotiables, in priority order:
• Preferences and acceptable alternatives:

Product and quantity

• Specific product links or item numbers, if already selected:
• Otherwise, useful functions, preferred categories, and categories to avoid:
• Finished items or complete kits required:
• Items per kit, including inserts and packaging:
• Size, color, logo, or recipient-group variants:
• Spare quantity requested and its purpose:
• Quantity tiers to compare:
• Substitutions allowed for review, not automatically approved:

Budget and commercial scope

• Currency and budget amount or range:
• Budget basis: goods only, decorated items, complete delivered project, or guidance needed:
• Costs that must fit inside the budget:
• Separate agency fee or client-facing price structure, if applicable, recorded privately:
• Vendor onboarding, purchasing entity, purchase order, or payment requirements:
• Who may approve the supplier quote and who may approve the client proposal:

If the client-facing total includes agency services, identify the amount available for the actual merchandise scope. Do not present the full total as the sourcing budget or disclose confidential margins unnecessarily.

Brand, proof, and documentation

• Artwork files, version, brand guide, and approved logo variants:
• Required decoration locations, size, color references, and co-branding rules:
• Person or role authorized to approve each client's artwork:
• Questions the proof or sample must answer:
• Packaging, insert text, and variable-content versions:
• Product or material documentation required by the client:
• Permission to use supplied marks and campaign assets:

Delivery and information handling

• Required in-hand date, destination timezone, and whether the date can move:
• Number and type of destinations; city/state or country for initial review:
• Receiving hours, venue rules, or distribution restrictions known so far:
• Requested sample, proof, and client-review milestones:
• Who may communicate with the client and who approves exceptions:
• Any requested confidentiality, neutral-packaging, or shipment-label terms:
• Owner of recipient information and approved transfer method, if later needed:
• Open questions, responsible role, and next review date:

Start with destination counts and regions. A full recipient address list is not needed to explain the project. If individual delivery becomes part of the agreed scope, confirm who needs the information and how it will be transferred before sharing it.

Keep three approvals separate

“The client likes it” should not become shorthand for “release the order.” Use separate records for concept selection, commercial approval, and production approval. The same person may own more than one decision, but each decision has a different scope.

Decision	What the approval should identify
Concept selection	Preferred direction, recipient fit, acceptable alternatives, and unresolved feasibility questions
Commercial approval	Exact quote version, configuration, quantity, inclusions, exclusions, payment terms, and delivery assumptions
Production approval	Exact proof or sample reference, artwork version, decoration details, packaging content, and applicable release conditions

For each record, capture the authorized approver, decision, timestamp and timezone, document version, conditions, and next owner. Use explicit states such as “approved for concept development” and “commercial review pending.” Do not treat silence, a thumbs-up to a mood board, or an obsolete email attachment as approval of a later production file.

This record is a suggested coordination method. The actual contract and agreed supplier process determine what authorizes production; completing this checklist does not create those terms.

Review the right thing at the right stage

Before asking the client to approve artwork, confirm what the review can establish. A layout review, a blank product sample, a decorated sample, and a complete pack-out review answer different questions. Ask the supplier to state the scope of the selected proof or sample and the related cost and schedule.

For a layout review, check the file version, spelling, logo orientation, decoration location, dimensions, and color references. For a multi-brand kit, also check the mapping: which logo goes on which item, which insert belongs to which recipient group, and which packaging surrounds the finished set. See logo file preparation for custom printing for artwork-specific guidance.

Use a simple version convention, such as “Project label — item — artwork v03 — review only.” Archive older versions as superseded. If an agency presents a visual that differs from the supplier's proof, resolve that difference before asking for production approval.

Agree on the agency–supplier boundary

Ask directly about client communication, quote visibility, shipment paperwork, and exception handling. Agency service does not automatically mean white-label service, blind shipping, net pricing, or a no-solicitation agreement.

Put requested arrangements in the brief and obtain written confirmation of what is actually available. For example, “Please confirm the sender name, packing-slip content, and outer-carton markings available for this shipment” is more actionable than “Please make it white-label.” Do not promise the client a service that the sourcing route has not confirmed.

Decide who will tell the client about stock substitutions, proof revisions, cost adjustments, or date risks. Keep the agency account owner informed about decisions made in parallel email conversations, so they do not discover a change only after presenting an earlier version to the client.

Use this change-control note

When a requirement changes, copy this short record into the private project thread:

• Previous approved brief or quote version:
• Requested change and business reason:
• Items, quantities, artwork, packaging, or destinations affected:
• Supplier confirmation of whether affected work can still be changed, and cost/schedule impacts:
• Client decision required and authorized approver:
• Revised version and approval deadline, including timezone:
• Current state: awaiting review, approved for the stated scope, or declined:

Pause the affected decision until you understand the consequences. If production has already been released, obtain the supplier's acknowledgement of whether the affected work can be held or changed. An updated brief does not cancel earlier instructions. Moving the logo may require decoration review; switching from bulk delivery to individual recipients requires a fresh delivery and handling scope. Leave all other parts of the brief unchanged so the team can see exactly what changed.

Send a useful first inquiry

A useful initial inquiry identifies the agency role, campaign purpose, recipient count, quantity, budget basis, brand requirements, destination pattern, and in-hand date. The product can remain undecided. If a detail is missing, say what is unknown instead of supplying an arbitrary answer just to fill a field.

openXpromo is a B2B sourcing partner for corporate gifts and branded merchandise. The website supports product discovery and inquiries; project-specific commercial terms are confirmed by email. Send your agency project brief, including any client-approval or communication requirements that need review.