How to Create a Winning Merchandising Line That People Will Be Lining Up to Buy

Every business benefits when income is diversified. It’s a simple, basic fact. If your business doesn’t hinge on just one income stream, it can take the hit in one place or another. This hit could be completely external — for example, your supplier might have difficulties with the latest shipment because something happened to one of their suppliers. The global supply chain is great, but it isn’t without its own set of problems.

That’s why every business will want to have multiple streams of income. In general, the three most popular options include: products, services, and merchandising. Offering all three gives your business a firm foundation, but only when you truly invest in each avenue. Merchandising, for example, is usually the income stream that’s invested in the least.

This is a huge mistake. If you want people to actively buy your merchandising, you need to give this endeavor the attention it deserves. You can have customers lining up to buy your merchandise items, but you firstly need to use the tips in this guide.

What Products Will You Sell?

Merchandising can include tote bags, T-shirts, hats, and more. Technically you can offer it all, but this can end up being very expensive for no reason. That’s why it’s better to narrow down what products you’ll design then sell based on your business type. A café, for example, will likely sell custom coffee supplies and a few articles of clothing, like a T-shirt or beanie hat. A gym might sell workout clothes and gym bags. Figure out what you want to sell, and then find a supplier that will bring your design to life on high-quality products that people will actually want to buy.

Designing your Merchandise

To design your merchandise, you’ll need to follow these steps:

Find Your Supplier First

Every supplier has their own base products and design options. This means that you can very rarely create a universal design that will immediately work for everyone. That’s why you need to choose the supplier first, get the specs for the products you want to customize, and then create your design.

This is known as designing backward, and it’s how you can get the most out of each product. For example, say you want custom beanie hats from Anthem Branding. Choose the hat, the type of customization you want, and then take those specs to design your own custom badge, motif, or logo.

Remix Your Branding

While you can just put your existing branding on your products, it’s actually the cheapest way to go about merchandising. It’s also the least exciting. You can do so much more by creating winning designs that really speak to customers on a fashion level. Branded shirts are, and have always been a staple for every wardrobe. Typically, those shirts are band shirts, so take a page out of their book to get customers wearing your product line instead. Work with motifs, imagery, and color schemes that flow with your brand to create unique versions of your logo for shirts, beanies, hats, and bags.