Summer is over. Fall has just begun. The days are getting shorter, and the temps are dropping off—well, a little bit at least. We all know what that means: it’s time to start thinking about the holidays.

Before you say it’s still too early—Halloween is still a month away, after all—it’s important to point out the benefits of getting an early start. This is especially true for businesses looking to order corporate-branded holidays gifts for their customers and employees.

As we all know, the holidays are synonymous with inventory shortages and inconsistent quality. The closer we get to December, the harder it will be to guarantee targeted items will be available, at least in the quantities required. Replenishments will be available—eventually—but likely not until sometime in the new year due to growing demand. Popular brands and “must have” products will be even harder to come by if not ordered early.

When we meet potential new customers for the first time, the initial discussion is invariably dedicated to information gathering. They heard about us, requested a meeting, and want to know what we do, how we do it, and—ultimately—how we can help them solve a pressing or immediate business problem.

We wouldn’t have it any other way. We love sharing our expertise with prospects and customers alike. We enjoy meeting new people and hearing about the challenges they are facing with respect to their marketing fulfillment or event management obligations. And most of all, we welcome the opportunity to present them with solutions that help them achieve their goals.

That’s why we’ll never turn down a serious request. But we also know that not every prospective customer is enthusiastic about filling out a form and scheduling a blind meeting. We’ve often wondered if there wasn’t a better way to help prospects get up to speed about what we do so they can educate themselves prior to an initial consultation. A way for them to learn about our software, our services, and our innovative approach so they can arm themselves with information and come prepared with pertinent and relevant questions. Or perhaps a way to determine whether OnFulfillment is even a good fit for their needs before they submit a meeting request.

Your company is celebrating a major milestone, and you’ve been asked to find a nice brand-name gift for employees. Unfortunately, the budget doesn’t cover the projected costs.

Or imagine your department is hosting a large meeting and you’d like to present attendees with a high-quality branded polo shirt, but the price tag for a recognized brand means you’d have to cut corners elsewhere.

Or you want to find a memorable giveaway for an upcoming event, but don’t want to break the bank. What do you do?

It’s time to consider dupes.

When Yesenia Montiel and her husband relocated from California to Mexico in 2022 to be closer to her aging in-laws, she couldn’t believe what she saw.

“I was shocked at how many stray dogs there were,” says Yesenia, a Strategic Account Manager at OnFulfillment for the past six years. “Too many.”

It didn’t take long for this situation to land on their doorstep. Within a week of arriving at their new home slightly north of Veracruz, Yesenia and her husband were awakened by a dog crying outside their door. “I got up and saw the dog, who was shivering,” she recalls. “She had very little hair, which it turns out was caused by scabies, so she was very sick.” To make matters worse, someone had poured burnt motor oil on the animal, believing it would help with the scabies.

“I started crying,” says Yesenia. “We knew we had to do something, so we brought her into the garage, called a vet, and got her into treatment right away. After about three weeks, she was in pretty good shape—we were astonished at how quickly she recovered with the appropriate treatment.”

In today’s digital age, where business is increasingly conducted online and virtual exchanges are the primary method of personal interaction, ensuring a seamless and, more importantly, secure user experience is absolutely critical.

One of the key obstacles to achieving this goal lies in the ability to effectively manage user identities and access. While user-friendly and convenient single sign-on (SSO) technology is typically used in these cases, it can pose a security risk if it's not well-managed or properly deployed. A better solution is required.

Enter Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM), a solution that is revolutionizing the way organizations handle these authentication and authorization processes. Not only does CIAM enhance the capabilities of existing SSO solutions, it also enhances both user convenience and security, providing a level of comfort that businesses are looking for.