Standardised merch for 1,800 branches across 32 Mexican states

The program at a glance

Client

Mexican commercial bank with a national branch network (composite case)

Industry

Multi-purpose banking, mass and wealth segments

Coverage

1,832 branches across the 32 Mexican states, grouped into six operational regions

Volume

78,400 pieces delivered in 2025 across 14 waves

Period

January to December 2025

Compliance

Internal gift policy aligned with CNBV and anti-money-laundering (PLD) guidance

The network was running branch openings, regional relaunches and sales-recognition campaigns with three different suppliers. Each supplier had its own catalogue, its own invoice and its own definition of “premium”. Marketing could not compare unit costs, and compliance opened a separate file for every gift that pushed the policy threshold.

How we approached it

The program was designed as a closed catalogue with three tiers. Tier 1 was the branch-opening kit: a cotton tote, a stainless thermal bottle, a notebook and a pen, all carrying the bank's logotype and a regional legend. It went to clients who opened an account in the first 30 days and was delivered at the branch, not through an external courier.

Tier 2 was the premium gift for wealth and corporate segments: a wooden case with wine, an embroidered textile from an artisan community and a tech accessory with the bank's mark in a discrete engraving. Each delivery came with a document carrying a folio number, a declared value and the recipient's tax ID (CURP) — exactly what compliance needed to close the file.

Tier 3 was internal recognition: apparel and accessories for top-performing advisors, embroidered with the bank's badge and engraved with the recognition (tenure, campaign, etc.). It was handed out at the regional convention, not at the branch, so the event stayed visible.

Logistics backbone

The pieces were stored in three distribution centres: one in Estado de México for the central and southern regions, one in Monterrey for the north, and one in Guadalajara for the west. Each wave was produced to order, but the core catalogue —tote, mug, thermal bottle, notebook, pen— was kept as safety stock to handle last-minute openings. Regional replenishment ran as consolidated less-than-truckload, which kept unit transport costs in check.

Every delivery to a branch shipped with a CFDI 4.0 stamped by Corp-Merch and the corresponding complement. Internal courier waybills were generated from the client's own portal, so compliance could see, in the same system, which item was delivered, to whom and under which concept.

What we learned

Lesson one was that more catalogue does not mean more flexibility. The previous program carried 110 SKUs and the marketing team spent more time choosing than operating. The closed catalogue — 34 pieces and three tiers — was more useful because everyone knew what to ask for and why.

Lesson two was that compliance is designed before, not after. When Corp-Merch proposed the folio + declared-value format in the very first meeting, compliance could automate capture and stopped receiving manual emails. That single decision made the whole program cheaper.

Lesson three was about how a national network behaves. It is not one client, it is six regions with different habits. The regional hub, the wave-by-wave invoicing and the client-branded waybill portal were the three decisions that made the difference.