Branded Merch: Why It’s Even for Non-Retail Businesses
Merchandising is often associated with e-commerce websites as a strategic practice to boost sales and revenue. But what if you want to sell a few items with your logo? In the never-ending struggle to get your brand seen, selling branded merchandise can be one more tool in your brand-awareness arsenal. Besides, it’s really fun, and the costs are minimal.
Why Sell Merchandise If You Are Not in Retail?
You might be a service provider, offer business support, or a non-profit helping the community in some way. Why would you ever get into selling products?
What Should You Sell?
There are hundreds of options available through dropshippers so how do you know what products may do best? Look at your target customers and pick items that suit them best.
Are you a business consultant or coach? Then maybe your clients would like office supplies like pens or portfolios might do best.
Are you a non-profit? T-shirts are a great idea for volunteers or others that may want to support your cause.
Is your target market families or parents? How about toys or educational material?
Are you a local coffee shop or food truck? How about a refillable mug with your logo?
If your target market is very large, you can always test-drive a few of the old favorites:
t-shirts
hoodies
baseball hats
pins
mugs
posters
tote bags
backpacks
stickers
phone cases
The trick is, don’t overwhelm your viewers. Choose just one or two and see how they do. Change it up if those first ones are selling.
Where to Find Your Merchandise
You can make it yourself. If you have the time and talent, this gives you the most control over pricing and profit. Unfortunately, there are very few busy business owners that have this kind of time.
You can buy from a wholesaler and either buy your own screen-printing or embroidery machine or hire someone to brand your merchandise. This is a very costly option and unless you know your products will sell en masse, it is not recommended.
While you can find white-label merchandise and have it printed in advance, it may not be the best idea when first trying to sell your branded items. If they do not sell, you may be stuck with a large, expensive pile of shirts or mugs. The upside? If you have a hot item, your profit can be 50% or more.
The markup on dropshipping is small, usually only about 15-20%, but there are no out-of-pocket costs if nothing sells other than your web designer’s fee to set it up for you. This is usually the preferred way when first testing the market to see if your branded merchandise attracts enough buying customers to upgrade to another option.
How to Sell Merch Online
To sell items from your own website, you’ll need a payment processor. Some website generators have this built-in while others are an add-on with extra fees.
If using WordPress, you can use the WooCommerce plugin. The plugin is free to use but there is a fee taken from each purchase.
Wix must be upgraded to an eCommerce plan; there are three to choose from with varying levels of option.
Weebly has a partnership with Square but hosting must still be upgraded to the Pro or Business plan (based on the number of transactions you expect).
Squarespace has three plans available, Business, Basic Commerce, or Advanced Commerce. If you are trying out a few items, the Business plan is adequate but the fees on each item sold is slightly higher. Squarespace also has a robust integrated inventory management system and CRM.
Own Store vs Dropshipping
Here’s the thing: you would not be setting up an e-commerce store and all that comes with it:
Paying additionally for e-commerce hosting
Getting a facility for storage or creating of items
Setting up shipping, taxes, returns and all the other headaches associated with selling your own products
Selling branded merchandise can be done easily using dropshipping so you have the following benefits:
No upfront costs (other than setting up your website page)
No manufacturing, storage or inventory issues
No shipping, tax or return headaches
With dropshipping, you don’t pay unless something sells, so you have nothing to lose.
Why Boost Your Brand with Merch?
With options offering relatively low startup costs, offering branded merchandise is simple, easy and usually very cheap to try. But it’s not about the money. Branded products can invoke a connection and customer loyalty. It’s also a great way to get your brand out there to be noticed by potentially new customers or clients.
Ready to Try It Out?
Not every business owner has the time or expertise to add branded merchandise to their website. Here’s a link to sample website I set up to show you what branded merchandising can look like.
Please get in touch with Charlotte’s Web Designs, LLC for help getting your business seen and remembered. I’ve worked with over 100 small businesses and have a perfect 5-star rating for several reasons: over 35 years of technology and marketing experience, customer service, reliability, and unparalleled results. I understand how busy you are and, even more importantly, how to ensure your online presence reflects the care and expertise you put into your own business. Visit my current portfolio here or reach out to get started.
