Keys To A Successful Online Merchandise Drop
From working at AS Colour & now running Full Cowboy, we’ve seen our fair share of merch drops—from the AFL to niche podcasts and everything in between.
While there’s no perfect recipe for this, there are strong themes that run through the success stories.
I’m going to dive into them below, but as you read through, if you’re interested in running your own merch (or you just want a mental workout), I suggest thinking about how you could implement these key points into what you’re doing.
1. Resonate with your audience: Bobby Hundreds said it best, This Is Not A T-Shirt. Think about why people would buy something. Any logo can be put onto a t-shirt/hat, but tying the design, logo, or wordmark to an emotion, moment, or something niche to your audience makes all the difference.
In a nutshell, don’t overthink the design—just make sure it resonates with your audience.
For instance, if you’re a podcast, and there’s an inside joke or recurring theme in your episodes, turn it into a hat or shirt. Here’s a great example from the After Work Drinks podcast.
Simple, easy, relates with their audience
2. Death to mock-ups: A lot of merch is pre-sold these days, but print up some samples and wear or showcase the products in a way that directly resonates with your audience.
Think about it—what are you more likely to buy? A simple mock-up made on Illustrator, or a real flatlay or action shot of the product? If you need any inspiration, the crew at Fourlow does a great job with this.
So much nicer than the a no life mock up
3. Capitalize on the moment: With merch, timing your drop can be just as important, if not more so, than the product itself. Releasing merch tied to a specific event, season, or trending moment can boost its relevance and increase demand.
This ties back to the idea of resonating with your audience—every time they wear the item, it evokes a memory or emotion. Don’t leave dollars on the table.
Check out how some of the Brisbane Lions players did just that.
A simple post like this + a link to purchase in bio is super simple but super successful
4. Create a customer, don’t just make a sale: If the product and print are top-notch, not only will they order again, but every time they wear it, they’ll talk about it (remember, what they’re wearing resonates with them and their mates). This means next time you drop something, they’ll be hyped—and so will their friends.
On the flip side, if someone buys from you and the print is off, the sizing is wrong, or the shipping takes forever, they’re unlikely to order again—and they’ll tell their friends about the poor experience, hurting your next release.
This approach allows you to do merch drops 3-4 times a year and accurately forecast demand as you grow. Repeat customers become champions of what you’re doing.
In a nutshell (TL:DR)
Design merchandise that resonates with your audience
Product imagery is KEY
Make the most of the moment, be prepared
Focus on creating the halo effect with product/service
I hope this info helps out. It’s not a silver bullet, but more of a structure to think about when setting yourself up for success with your next merch drop.
On the back of next week, I’ll dive into why/how working with local decorators (screen printing, embroidery, puff printing, etc.) paired with quality blanks (think Colour Plane Heavyweight Hood or AS Colour Two Tone Class) can be super beneficial.
If you’ve got any other questions or if there’s anything else you want me to cover, just holler!
Geremy
