Procurement Strategy · March 20, 2026 · 12 min read
Why Smart Companies Buy Onboarding Gifts & Employee T-Shirts Before March 31
The financial year is ending — here's why India's sharpest HR and marketing teams rush to order branded merchandise before the March 31 deadline, and how you can make the most of your remaining budget.
By Pawandeep Bhullar, Co-Founder, Corpokit
Every year, like clockwork, our phones start buzzing around the second week of March. The callers are HR heads, marketing managers, and procurement officers across Delhi NCR — all saying the same thing: 'We have budget left. We need to place an order before March 31.' It's not a coincidence. It's a deeply ingrained pattern in Indian corporate culture, rooted in how marketing and HR budgets work. The financial year ending on March 31 creates a unique window where companies can — and should — invest in employee onboarding gifts, branded t-shirts, and corporate merchandise. But this isn't just about 'spending before you lose it.' Done strategically, this end-of-year procurement can set your company up for six months of brand visibility, employee engagement, and operational readiness. In this guide, we break down exactly why this March rush matters, what to order, and how to do it right.
The March 31 Budget Reality: Use It or Lose It
In most Indian organisations, marketing and HR budgets are allocated annually — from April 1 to March 31. Any unspent funds don't carry over to the next financial year. They simply disappear. This creates a genuine dilemma for department heads: if you don't utilise your allocated budget, not only do you lose those funds, but your allocation for the next financial year may be reduced based on your 'underspend.'
According to a 2025 FICCI-KPMG survey, over 62% of Indian mid-to-large companies reported having unspent marketing or employee engagement budgets in the last quarter (January–March). Of these, 78% rushed to place orders in the final two weeks of March — often paying premium prices for expedited delivery.
The smarter approach? Plan your March procurement in advance. Companies that place orders by the first week of March get better pricing (10-15% lower than last-minute orders), have more customisation options, and receive delivery well before the deadline. Yet only about 30% of companies actually plan this far ahead.
There's also a GST advantage to consider. Corporate gifts and branded merchandise purchased before March 31 can be claimed as business expenses for the current financial year, reducing your tax liability. Under Section 37(1) of the Income Tax Act, expenditure on employee welfare and brand promotion is fully deductible — provided it's incurred within the financial year.
The bottom line: spending your remaining budget on employee onboarding gifts and branded t-shirts isn't frivolous — it's financially prudent. You're converting an expiring budget allocation into tangible assets that deliver value for months to come.
Why Employee Onboarding Gifts Are the Smartest March Investment
If you have ₹1-5 lakhs of unspent HR or marketing budget, employee onboarding kits offer the highest ROI of any corporate merchandise purchase. Here's why: companies hire throughout the year, and every new joiner needs a welcome package. By ordering onboarding kits in bulk now, you're pre-building inventory that serves new hires for the next 6-12 months.
Research by the Brandon Hall Group shows that organisations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%. A branded welcome kit — containing items like a custom t-shirt, premium notebook, branded bottle, and company merchandise — makes the first day memorable and signals that the company invests in its people.
The cost per impression of an onboarding kit is remarkably low. A ₹800 welcome box containing 4-5 branded items gets used daily by the employee for months — in meetings, at their desk, during commutes. Compare this to a digital ad campaign where ₹800 might buy you 200 impressions that disappear in seconds.
From a procurement perspective, March is actually the best time to order onboarding kits because suppliers are eager to close their own FY targets. At Corpokit, we offer 10-15% volume discounts on March orders for 3-in-1, 4-in-1, and 5-in-1 gift kits — the same kits that would cost more in April when the new financial year begins and suppliers reset pricing.
Pro tip from our experience: Companies that order 100-200 onboarding kits in March typically don't need to reorder until September or October. That's six months of seamless onboarding operations without any additional procurement effort, purchase orders, or vendor negotiations.
Branded T-Shirts: The Most Visible Budget Utilisation
If onboarding kits are the smartest March investment, branded employee t-shirts are the most visible. Nothing screams 'we invest in our team' quite like well-designed, quality corporate apparel. And unlike mugs that sit on desks or notebooks that stay in drawers, branded t-shirts are walking billboards — worn at offices, gyms, weekend outings, and social events.
The typical use case for March t-shirt orders falls into three categories. First, team uniforms for the upcoming quarter — companies order polo t-shirts or round-neck tees for teams that have client-facing roles, event duties, or simply want a unified team identity. Second, event merchandise — with the April-June quarter packed with corporate events, team outings, and product launches, ordering event t-shirts in March ensures you're prepared. Third, employee appreciation — casual Friday branded tees are increasingly popular as a low-cost, high-impact morale booster.
From a cost standpoint, March t-shirt procurement is especially attractive. A quality cotton round-neck t-shirt with single-side screen printing costs ₹250-₹350 per piece for orders of 100+ units in Delhi NCR. Polo t-shirts with embroidery range from ₹400-₹600 per piece. For a department of 50 people, you can outfit everyone in branded apparel for ₹15,000-₹30,000 — a fraction of most unspent marketing budgets.
The branding options available today go far beyond a simple logo on the chest. Modern corporate t-shirts feature DTF (Direct-to-Film) printing for photographic-quality full-colour designs, sublimation for all-over prints, embroidery for a premium textured feel, and screen printing for cost-effective large batches. Each technique suits different budgets and aesthetics.
At Corpokit, our March rush capability includes a 7-day turnaround for orders up to 500 pieces — meaning you can place an order as late as March 22-23 and still receive delivery before the financial year closes. We maintain ready stock of popular t-shirt blanks in all sizes precisely for this FY-end demand.
What to Order: A March Budget Utilisation Checklist
Based on our eight years of handling FY-end corporate orders across Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida, here's the most effective merchandise to order with your remaining budget, organised by spend level:
Budget: ₹50,000-₹1,00,000 — Focus on a single high-impact category. Order 100-200 branded t-shirts for your team or 50-100 onboarding kits (3-in-1 kits with notebook, pen, and mug). This covers 6 months of new hire welcoming or outfits your entire mid-sized team.
Budget: ₹1,00,000-₹3,00,000 — Split between two categories. Order 200 t-shirts (₹60,000-₹80,000) plus 100 onboarding kits (4-in-1 kits with t-shirt, bottle, notebook, pen at ₹800-₹1,200 each). Add 50 laptop bags for senior hires or client gifts. This combination addresses both employee and client-facing needs.
Budget: ₹3,00,000-₹5,00,000 — Go comprehensive. Order 300 polo t-shirts with embroidery, 150 premium 5-in-1 onboarding kits, 100 branded drinkware sets for client gifting, and 200 eco-friendly tote bags for events. This sets you up for the entire next financial year across multiple touchpoints.
Budget: ₹5,00,000+ — Think annual programme. Work with your vendor to create a year-round corporate merchandise programme covering seasonal needs: April-June (summer tees, water bottles), July-September (monsoon essentials, independence day merchandise), October-December (Diwali kits, year-end gifts), January-March (New Year diaries, calendars). Locking pricing now protects against inflation and raw material cost increases.
Critical reminder: Always request a proforma invoice dated before March 31 for tax purposes. Ensure your vendor provides GST-compliant invoices with correct HSN codes — apparel falls under HSN 6109/6110, drinkware under 7323, and stationery under 4820.
Avoiding Common March Procurement Mistakes
The urgency of the March deadline leads to predictable mistakes. Here are the ones we see every year — and how to avoid them:
Mistake #1: Ordering without samples. In the rush to beat March 31, many companies skip sample approval. This leads to colour mismatches, sizing issues, and branding quality problems. Solution: Even with tight timelines, insist on a digital mockup approval at minimum. At Corpokit, we provide free digital mockups within 24 hours so you can approve designs before production begins.
Mistake #2: Ignoring inventory storage. Ordering 500 t-shirts is great, but where will you store them? Solution: Ask your vendor about staggered delivery — receive 200 now and the remaining 300 over the next quarter. Most vendors will invoice before March 31 but deliver in phases.
Mistake #3: Choosing the cheapest option. Budget pressure doesn't mean quality sacrifice. A ₹150 t-shirt that fades after two washes wastes more money than a ₹300 t-shirt that lasts a year. Solution: Ask for fabric GSM details (180 GSM cotton minimum for durability) and request wash-test reports for the branding method.
Mistake #4: Not aligning with upcoming needs. Ordering random merchandise just to spend budget is wasteful. Solution: Coordinate with HR (upcoming hiring plan), Marketing (event calendar for April-September), and Admin (office supplies needed) to ensure every rupee spent serves a genuine future need.
Mistake #5: Last-minute panic ordering. Orders placed after March 25 face premium pricing (20-30% higher), limited customisation, and delivery risks. Solution: Make March 15 your internal deadline. This gives you two full weeks of buffer for production, quality checks, and delivery — plus you get regular pricing.
How Corpokit Handles the FY-End Rush Across Delhi NCR
At Corpokit, March is our busiest month — and we've built our entire operations around handling this surge efficiently. Here's what makes the difference for companies ordering with us before March 31:
Express production: Our Delhi NCR production facility maintains pre-stocked inventory of popular t-shirt blanks (round-neck cotton, polo piqué, dry-fit) in all standard sizes. This means your order goes straight to branding — skipping the 7-10 day fabric procurement delay that most suppliers face in March.
Flexible MOQs for budget utilisation: Unlike suppliers who insist on minimum 500-piece orders, we accept MOQs as low as 25 pieces for branded t-shirts and 10 kits for onboarding gift boxes. This is specifically designed for companies with smaller remaining budgets who still want quality branded merchandise.
GST-compliant documentation: Every order includes proper GST invoices with correct HSN codes, making your accounts team's job easier during year-end reconciliation. We also provide delivery challans with date stamps — critical proof that the expenditure was incurred within the financial year.
Pan-India delivery from Delhi: While our production hub is in Delhi NCR, we deliver across India. For March orders, we use priority courier partners to ensure delivery within 5-7 business days to any metro city and 7-10 days to tier-2 cities. Orders within Delhi, Gurgaon, and Noida get same-day or next-day delivery for ready-stock items.
The bottom line: Whether you have ₹50,000 or ₹50,00,000 of unspent budget, we can help you convert it into branded merchandise that serves your team and brand for months. Contact our team today for a free consultation and instant quotation — we'll recommend the best products for your budget, timeline, and goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum order quantity for custom t-shirts?
Screen printing MOQ is typically 50 pieces (best pricing at 100+). DTF and DTG handle smaller batches from 10 pieces. Embroidery from 25 pieces. Sublimation requires 50+ for production efficiency.
How long does production and delivery take?
Standard branded merchandise ships in 7–12 working days from artwork approval. Premium customisation (laser engraving, embroidery, foil stamping) takes 10–15 days. Urgent same-day branding is possible on stock items within Delhi NCR with a small premium.
Is GST applicable on corporate gifts in India?
Yes. GST is charged at 5–18% based on item HSN code. Input Tax Credit (ITC) on free gifts must be reversed under Section 17(5) of the CGST Act. Free gifts to a single employee exceeding ₹50,000 in a financial year are taxable as perquisites.
Can each item be personalised with an individual employee or client name?
Yes. Variable data printing, per-unit laser engraving, and individual foil-stamping allow each piece to carry a unique name. Per-name personalisation is available from MOQ 25 across most categories with a small per-unit personalisation fee.