How Shopify Uses Enamel Pins to Support Their People-First Culture

“I have used other companies in other countries, but WizardPins has become my go-to.” — Shopify Events Team

Shopify has always used exceptional promotional products to help team members feel connected to their company culture. That’s why great swag was a part of every Support Summit—the yearly gathering of Shopify’s customer support team.

When COVID-19 suddenly made in-person gatherings impossible, the Summit’s organizers had to find a way to bring the celebration, and the swag, to their employees’ doorsteps.

The logistics of that pivot weren’t simple. It meant any promo products they picked had to be:
  • Small enough to ship to over 1,000 addresses
  • Meaningful enough to be a worthy gift for the people on the front lines of Shopify’s success
  • Easy enough to produce so the Events team could focus on creating their first virtual Support Summit.
That’s why Shopify chose to include a custom enamel pin from WizardPins.

Once employees began wearing and sharing their beautifully designed pin—a laptop with flora growing from it, because great things grow, even when your team works remotely—the events team knew they had a hit.
Shopify's laptop enamel pin

Shopify uses pins to help retain its best employees

Businesses using Shopify grow twice as fast, and the average e-commerce store and the support team are major reasons why. To keep that critical team filled with top talent, Shopify leaders find little ways, like enamel pins, to reward and recognize their success.

PCMag calls Shopify’s customer service “excellent.” Over on Capterra, more than 3,500 users gave Shopify customer service an average 4.5/5 stars—higher than the top listed competitors. Clearly, Shopify’s support team is doing something right.

What’s in the secret sauce of Shopify’s successful support team? A healthy dollop of recognition, for one thing.

“We like to use our events to ‘spoil’ our employees in little ways since they work so hard on the front lines helping our merchants day in and day out,” explains the Shopify Events team.

That’s a good employee retention strategy. In a study by O.C. Tanner Learning Group, 79% of people who quit their job said it came down to a lack of appreciation.

For the Summit, Shopify spoiled their team by sending them a box full of branded promotional gifts, including their new pin.

screenshot of an Instagram post with Shopify's enamel pin
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The thoughtfully designed and curated collection of swag was yet another reminder of how much Shopify appreciates its customer service specialists.

Shopify’s pins turn employees into recruiters

Virtual events don’t generate the same social media buzz that in-person events do—screenshots of Zoom calls aren’t very Instagrammable. But attendees of the Support Summit shared pictures of their enamel pins and swag boxes, showing off Shopify’s amazing company culture to future employees.

Previous Support Summits generated a lot of positive PR. Attendees shared images and stories from the live event on their social media feed—effectively turning those employees into HR recruiters.

This year, it was the swag boxes that drove online sharing.

screenshot of Instagram post showing Shopify's custom enamel pin
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Everyone that snapped and posted a pic of their promo pack was saying, “Hey friends, the company I work for is awesome!”

While the entire gift set was beautiful, the enamel pins offered an additional benefit. They’re meant to be worn as an accessory, so those pins did double duty by starting conversations in real life.

Screenshot of Instagram post showing Shopify's custom enamel pin
Source

It turns out that showing off your company culture is a pretty good recruitment tool. Before applying to a company, most people (77%, according to this survey) say they choose an employer based on its culture. And 65% of millenials said that culture is more important than salary for job satisfaction.

Getting a little WizardPins Magic

It takes a lot of heavy lifting to bring a normally in-person event to the homes of over 1,000 people. The Shopify Events team crushed it with a little magic from WizardPins.

Working with WizardPins meant that Shopify could have started with just their logo or even a rough sketch on a napkin. But since they have the design talent in-house, they submitted a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind design.

Our pin wizards then created a proof for Shopify’s review.
digital proof of Shopify's custom enamel pin

Once the Events team approved the proof, we did the rest, turning the design into 1,500 soft enamel pins.

“ The process is so quick and clean and it requires very little back and forth to know that I’ll be getting a perfect product.” — Shopify Events Team

A couple of weeks later, Shopify’s shiny new pins showed up ready to be added to their swag boxes.

Shopify’s tips to make your own pin

Creating your own one-of-a-kind enamel pin is surprisingly easy. But the Shopify Events team does have a few pieces of advice.

“I would say to measure out exactly how large you’re wanting a pin, try to start early to avoid rush fees, and that WizardPins is the way to go! They are fast, friendly, and make a great product.”
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