The Tip of the Iceberg: Why You Need to Diversify Your Custom Merchandise
The 21st-century sea of competition for brands is both expansive and fierce. Custom apparel has unlimited potential to strengthen your brand name and profit margins, but only if it is implemented effectively and in the context of your product base and competitors. We love to adapt the iceberg analogy to help clients understand and develop a compelling custom merchandise strategy.
One of the most vital steps in building your inventory of branded or custom merchandise is diversifying the kinds of products and price points you sell. This might sound counterintuitive, mainly if you are new to the custom merchandise game, but giving consumers the ability to choose a price, function, and
The tip of the iceberg, the visible formations of ice that break through the sea of competition and stand out, is the premium custom merchandise. This is Thunderwear‘s specialty. The design, price, and function should be rooted in exclusivity and facilitating authentic connecting with your most loyal or base demographic. This is the time to let design and an on-brand artistic sensibility shine because your sales will be determined by well it resonates with consumers. A considerable part of the equation entails aligning the product design with your other branding and marketing efforts and ensuring that the product’s cost is justified.
There’s an entire block of ice beneath the ocean’s surface swells, though, that matters just as much as your premium custom apparel products. Your high-end custom merchandise’s success depends on the bulk of your product below the water’s surface. The very base of your iceberg is the most affordable kinds of product sets, like keychains and posters. While these might be branded products, they lack the functionality and detail that comes with apparel. Above keychains, posters, and other small-scale branded products are branded apparel basics. This includes basics like t-shirts, bags, and hats that might be branded and functional, but don’t have the same style, detail, and nuance that premium products have. These three layers work in conjunction with one another to create a stable, standout custom merchandise strategy that will grow your business.
The bottom line is: even though it’s tempting to jump straight to the most well-designed merchandise, high-end custom products cannot and should not be sold on their own. Without complementary, more cost-effective product options for consumers, custom apparel won’t reach its full strategic and financial potential.
Strategic Value: Sell Custom Merchandise That Matters
Having a range of branded options available to consumers is essential. More affordable products like keychains and posters add perceived value to the actual cost of high end, premium custom merchandise. Yet those cost-effective products still serve as profitable advertisements for your brand that come at minimal risk and expense. Lower-cost merchandise attracts new customers and helps them stay engaged and excited about the release of more premium products.
The Thunderwear team helps you curate the most compelling products for the peak of your iceberg. We are a family-owned and operated custom apparel company with a group of thoughtful, talented designers ready to make your custom apparel strategy stand out in a crowd. We have decades of hands-on experience working with clients from all kinds of industries to bring their premium custom merchandise ideas to life and into the marketplace.
As the economy shifts towards more permanent remote work and e-commerce becomes a mainstay in the retail industry, there’s never been a better time to take a deep dive into custom merchandise. Reach out today to discuss options for your business with one of our Thunderwear team members.