5 Pro Tips For Designing Better Merch
With extensive backgrounds in the craft beverage industry, we’ve seen a lot of merch in our day, some good and some that fall flat. While we are sure everyone has their own preferences and philosophies around designing merch, apparel, and POP materials, we wanted to share some of our observations we’ve made over the years with the goal of helping you on your path to designing killer merch. In the undying words of Keenan and Kel “Awwwwwwwwww here it goes!”:
Branding doesn’t stop with your logo.
We will be the first to admit, getting your branding dialed in is absolutely critical, and your parent company logo is a big part of that. With that, merch and apparel emblazoned with your logo are also important and will always have their place, but we have found that this approach can get stale very quickly. Merch can be a great place to showcase secondary and tertiary logos/marks, as well flex your creative design chops when paired with a unique item. Taglines, sub-brand references, fan-sourced references/inside jokes all make for great merch options that don’t necessarily have your main logo center stage (or even on stage at all). So when you are designing your next merch and apparel line-up, be sure to have a healthy mix of logoed options and other options that are still true to your brand but may not feature your primary logo. This approach will give your merch and apparel far broader appeal to those customers that may not want logoed wearables, but would still gladly buy a shirt from you.
2. Context is critical.
When considering merch, apparel and POP design, you have to put yourself in the shoes of those who will be using it and understand the context in which the items will be used. That new brand design might be beautiful and look great on a big retailer poster, but when you shrink down the format to the size of a table tent or cooler static cling, those fine details tend to get lost and legibility/visibility may start to become a concern. Similarly, a big display piece might look great at a large chain retailer, but it may lose all functionality when trying to sell in the same display at your local small corner store. What is the physical working environment like at your company? Sourcing items that best fit with that will likely see the most use by your team. Your production team might value durability and breathability more than your FOH/retail team who may place a higher value on style and eye-catching design. We are speaking in very broad terms, of course, but you get the picture. When looking through the lense of the customer, always keep in mind their likes and dislikes. Is your target customer really into Dungeons & Dragons and other board games? Perhaps branded 12-sided dice, Magic the Gathering card playmats, or decks of playing cards are a good fit. Maybe your customers love their dogs and/or fur babies? Branded dog collars, bandanas, chew toys or collapsible water bowls might just make their day. We can keep going, but the message here is clear: understanding just how these items will be used/worn and who will be using them is key to the success of your program.
3. Quality over quantity.
We are firm believers that the quality of your merch should match the quality of your product/service. Afterall, your merch is a direct extension of your brand(s). You might have the hottest restaurant in town, but if your apparel is falling apart just weeks after being purchased, that is going to leave a sour taste in the mouth of your customer, and we don’t mean the good kind of sour from your world class cuisine and drinks. We’ll be the first to admit, branded merch and apparel can be a blackhole for time and money if not managed well. 5 different hats, 10 different t-shirts, 4 different hoodies, 3 different beanies, 7 different button downs… the list goes on with all of the possible items and color/material combinations you can stock, which can get expensive. Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, we recommend avoiding the “shotgun” approach of having 57 different and low quality offerings. Instead, focus on a handful of items (to start, at least) that are high quality and reflect the same level of quality and thoughtfulness that you put into your core business offerings. Rather than spending countless hours researching the latest style trends, let someone else figure it out for you. Here’s what we recommend: follow a bunch of industry peers or even companies with merch that you admire on social media and see what they are offering. Then, follow suit or riff off of their ideas. If you are so inclined, reach out to that company directly and ask to speak with the person in charge of their merch and apparel program. If you offer your compliments on their merch and ask for some advice, we have found that most people are flattered and are usually more than willing to share their insights with you.
4. Scarcity can be king.
“People want what they can’t have.” - Socrates…. probably. If something is hyper limited and likely won’t be made again/anytime soon, people are drawn to purchasing that item as a “collectible” and because of the exclusivity of owning that item. People will ask them “yo, that jacket is gas, no cap! Where did you find that?!” to which they will reply “Oh this old thing? I got it at XYZ, but they only made a handful of them. Deadass, they release dope and super limited stuff all the time- you should check them out fr fr!” (that is what the kids are saying these days, right?). When designing your merch, keep this “limited edition” concept in mind. You can absolutely keep your year-round best sellers in stock, but adding in the hyper limited and small run items can be a great way of creating excitement and return customers looking to get their hands on something unique and special. What’s more is that if for some reason the limited run item ends up missing the mark, then you aren’t stranded with dozens or even hundreds of units. You can mark the limited items down to move through the inventory, pivot, and move on to the next run.
5. It’s nice to have friends, so get their opinions!
We mentioned in our blog post about starting a merch and POP program that while you might think an obscure/niche style of hat or shirt material is the bees knees, your team and your customers may think differently. You want to make sure that the items you are selling will actually be worn/used by your customers and team members, so ask for their input! When you solicit the opinions and feedback of your team, distributor and customers, not only are you ensuring they will actually wear/use the merch and turn them into walking billboards, but they will also feel heard, boosting their affinity of your brand(s) and they will be that much more likely to share their fancy new merch with their networks. That’s what we like to call a win-win!
Design can be daunting, but with some research and careful selection of the right items, you can create some truly beautiful and unique offerings that anyone would be proud to use or wear, and you can have some fun while doing it. Stay tuned to this station for more blog posts and recommendations for all things merch, apparel and POP management!
