Marketing Inserts | Compliance & Best practices

Marketing inserts let you include flyers or small samples in your B2C orders without adding them as product line items.

This article explains which items qualify, how pricing works, how to set them up, and how to plan inventory.

What qualifies as a marketing insert?

A marketing insert must be a flat, lightweight flyer or small sample that can be added to a parcel.

To qualify, an insert must not exceed: 21 x 15 x 0.5 cm.

Marketing inserts are not suitable for thick samples or gifts. These items must be managed as regular products and stored on shelves or in dedicated warehouse areas.

Barcode requirements

We recommend adding a barcode to every insert to improve inventory identification and tracking. However, inserts without a barcode are accepted.

Inventory & reservations

• Marketing inserts reserve inventory. Your available insert inventory quantity will decrease as new orders come in.
• But if an insert is unavailable, Bigblue will continue preparing and shipping the order without it. They do not block the order. An order will not turn into BACKORDER when a marketing insert is out-of-stock.

Pricing

Marketing insert pricing follows your Bigblue contract. Using advanced conditions through a Workflow results in a higher per-insert price.

How it works

Setting up a marketing insert takes four steps:

1. Create the insert as a product

   - Add it in Inventory → Products, like any other item with Bigblue.

   - Make sure to include a photo.

2. Send stock to the warehouse

   Send the inserts through an inbound shipment. You can request activation only after the warehouse has received the stock.

3. Request a new insert

   Go to Packaging settings and request that the product be added to your orders as an insert. A Bigblue operator will review and validate the request.

4. Choose when the insert is added

   Once your request is validated, decide which orders should get the insert:

   • Add it to all orders: in Packaging settings, click Use as default insert.
   • Add it only to some orders: create a workflow that adds the insert when certain conditions are met

Note: You can also use workflows to change the default for specific orders, such as removing the default insert or adding other inserts.

Plan enough inventory

Order more flyers or samples than your exact forecasted demand. Shrinkage can be higher for loose materials such as flyers, and inventory may be distributed across several packing tables.

We recommend adding a safety buffer to your purchase order to reduce the risk of running out during a campaign.

Eligible orders and conditions

By default, marketing inserts are added to B2C orders only. They are not added to B2B orders.

The standard setup applies the insert to all eligible B2C orders. If you want to add an insert only under specific conditions—for example, according to destination, order value, language, or products ordered—configure those conditions in Workflows. Conditions may affect the per-insert price defined in your contract.

Choosing between a marketing insert and an additional item

Some free items—such as flyers, booklets, or thin samples—can be added to orders either as marketing inserts or as additional items. The right setup depends on the customer experience you want and what should happen when the item is out of stock.

Disclaimer: If the item is expected to arrive as an order line item in Bigblue (i.e., the CMS order contains itself the instruction to fulfill the product), the information below doesn’t apply, and you need to link your products as you would for standard order items. See https://help.bigblue.co/article/61-link-my-products

1. Check eligibility first — The marketing insert setup is only available for flat, lightweight items measuring no more than 21 × 15 × 0.5 cm. Larger or thicker items must be managed as regular products.
2. For both options, create the item as a product in Bigblue, and send inventory to the warehouse through an inbound shipment.
3. Compare the 2 options - use the table below
4. Depending on your choice,
   1. For marketing inserts, make the request for a new insert. Once approved, you will be able to set it to be used on all orders, or selected orders using Workflow conditions.
   2. For a regular product, create a workflow and use the Add free item action