There are thousands of products that can be offered for merch and fundraising shops. The question you’re probably asking yourself is, “How do I choose products that sell best in merch stores?” so that you can give your fans what they really want. Let’s have a look.
The likeliest suspects for merch are garments and that breaks down into t-shirts, hoodies and caps. Each of those categories break down further, such as unisex sizes versus offering women’s sizes in tee shirts, or offering trucker hats, beanies and FlexFit caps in the hat category.
T-Shirts
The most popular type of product in the U.S. for merch stores is undeniably tee shirts with custom art and that’s what we’ll be discussing here. People love to own a piece of their heroes, and show their support. A nicely-designed graphic tee that incorporates identity elements, like a logo, is a great starting point. Of course, fan merch tees can be anything creative and visually catchy that will drive an impulse purchase.
Popular Brands
At Altacolor, we think that offering brand-name products to carry your artwork is important. Some merch providers take brand products and make them generic, limiting the store sponsor’s choices. That also means that the fan merch buyer has no idea of fit and finish of the product. So, we recommend sticking to products your buyers will recognise to add value and confidence to the purchase.
These following brands are known to most people and represent good value for money:
Gildan – makes a wide range of t-shirts products including lightweight, ring-spun cotton tees in the Softstyle line, super heavyweight tees in the Hammer line, as well as the classic “Heavy” 5.3 oz tee and “Ultra” tee. Gildan also make tri-blend and performance tees as well as garment-dyed tees that get a more vintage, worn-in look over time.
Hanes – offers a similar range of products to Gildan. The main difference between the brands would be fit, which is definitely a personal preference. Hanes Authentic is similar in weight and finish to Gildan Ultra, and Hanes Perfect T is similar to Gildan Softstyle. Some people feel Hanes is a higher-end product, maybe because Hanes is broadly known to consumers.
Bella+Canvas – Bella+Canvas makes a range of more fitted tees with a very wide range of colours. They promote their brand heavily and so, many consumers are familiar with the brand and associate their products as premium goods. Their products are more expensive than other commercially-available tees, but some feel the added costs are “worth it”.
Next Level – Next Level make an excellent tee, in our opinion. They offer abroad range of styles for women. Similar to Bella+Canvas’ niche for soft, ring-spun cotton products, Next Level’s finish and consistency is excellent. Clients tell us that Next Level’s fit is more realistic for the American body, too. Of course, fit is a matter of personal preference.
Nike – For a super-premium, branded tee, the well-known Nike brand brings novel fabrics, fashion-forward styling and, of course, the Nike logo to casual t-shirts.
Are Those The Top Products That Sell Best In Merch Stores?
The answer is – yes and no. Your goals may be different ff you’re creating fan merch, club gear or fundraising tees. Badger or Under Armour are most appropriate for sports wear, like track and field garments. Golf shirts as premium merch are probably going to be polos as offered by Adidas, Nike or Calloway. So, choose the brands depending on the market you’re selling to.
Why It’s Best To Limit Options
It may be tempting to offer every single colour of every style as available in your store, but this isn’t a good idea. When consumers are faced with too many choices, they may wind up frustrated and make no choice at all, resulting in a lost sale. Offer “Good/Better/Best”, such as a basic tee like the Gildan Heavy, then maybe a Hanes Authentic and finally a Next Level or Port & Company tri-blend. Offer more complex designs in a variety of product types. Do offer women’s sizes. Don’t be afraid to mix it up.
Tone Down The Rainbow
Some t-shirt lines have 60 or more colours. Offering all will result in option paralysis. Instead, choose 4-6 colours that work well with your artwork and work with that palette across your designs. You should be aware that some colours can be harder to stock than others, resulting in backorders or cancellations. Here is a list of popular colours:
- Black
- White
- Royal Blue
- Carolina Blue
- Dark Heather
- Sport Grey
- Red
- Kelly Green
- Military Green
- Daisy Yellow
- Orange
- Purple
Here are some colours that we find are very unpopular (and we don’t know why, because we like them just fine):
- Navy
- Brown
- Light Pink
- Lime Green
- Heather Red
- Ash
- Maroon
- Cobalt Blue
- Forest Green
Just because the “unpopular” colours don’t sell well for others doesn’t mean they’re not appropriate for what you’re doing. These colours may be amongst the products that sell best in your store.
Special Colours
But wait, there’s more! Besides solid colours, there are camouflage and tie-dye colours, too. So if you’re looking for something unique, non-solid colours may work for you.
If you’re creating your merch store, talk to us first to make sure of availability of these products.
Summing Up Choosing Products The Sell Best
Altacolor offers a full range of products you can customise and offer to your buyers. If you’re not sure what colours and styles will work with your artwork, so, hit us up for help! Mainly, focus on good, eye-catching design that your fans will be proud to wear.
Resources
- If you haven’t yet started your free fundraising store, click here to start.
- If you want to look at every last product you could possibly want to offer, click here.
- Want to design a single tee shirt as a sample? Click here!
- Finally, click here to get back to our front page.