Heads up, creators! You might have already noticed: your Merch Shelf isn’t where it used to be. At least not on mobile.
On your computer or your phone, the Merch Shelf for creator stores used to show right below the video. Now, on mobile, there’s an ad where this used to be.
Not to worry – your Merch Shelf hasn’t disappeared. We’ve got the lowdown on where to find it and everything else you need to know about the update.
Where does the year go!? It seems like summer just got started. Now it’s October – and high time you prepared your shop for the Christmas holidays. We’d like to give you a helping hand – so we’ve put together a few useful tips for the perfect winter-inspired designs. Have you got that festive feeling like we do? Happy reading! Read more
Fall is finally here! It’s the perfect time to give your shop a little makeover. Switch up your designs and take advantage of the spooky season by creating themed merch. It’s a great way to drum up interest in your shop and attract new customers.
Here are a few tips to get you started!
Launching a new design is a fun way to refresh your shop. You don’t need to be a professional graphic designer, either. FREE tools like Canva have a bunch of text and graphic elements that will inspire you. Create a graphic in honor of the new season or add something you know your fans will love. Canva has fun graphics of ghosts, pumpkins, bats, and more to help you stay on brand.
Ask for feedback on your socials and whatever channels you typically use: Twitch for streamers, Youtube for content creators. You want to drum up as much excitement as you can around a new design before it launches. And the more you involve your fans and followers, the more likely they are to buy your merch design when it launches.
If these designs are inspired by the season, they’re probably not going to be in your shop forever. Make sure you let your followers know that these designs are limited and that you’ll be retiring them after Halloween.
Think about where your customers spend most of their time. Go to those channels and create conversations. If you already have similar interests, it’s going to be easier to market your merch. You can speak in a personal tone. Beyond what you do on your own, you should also take advantage of offers from Spreadshop!
We have promos running nearly every week this fall. Everyone loves a discount or deal, so use these as an incentive to get people to purchase. Pro tip: cross-promote these promos with the launch of new fall merch to draw more attention! Your socials will be a valuable asset to your shop if you have a marketing strategy in place this fall.
The landing page of your Spreadshop can have a real impact on your fall merch sales. You want it to be inviting, clean, and easy to navigate. This boils down to different design choices and the vibe you want to create with your shop. It’s time to change it up!
If your shop doesn’t have a logo or flashy promo images, let your products do the talking. Have your landing page be a simple banner with product options available to browse (make sure they’re seasonally appropriate). Nephyrus’s shop page is simple but super aesthetically pleasing. Feature your newly launched fall designs here, too. That way, customers won’t be clicking on other sections. It will already be there for them to view and shop.
Maybe things have changed for your shop in the past few months. You have a new message, a new passion. If it’s not there already, toggle on the About Me feature in your shop settings. Create an updated bio that lets people know who you are and why you have merch in the first place.
As the fall season approaches, it’s the perfect time to start promoting your merch! Whether you’re a professional model or not, it’s important to show off your products in photos. This will help potential customers feel more connected to your brand.
If you don’t want to be in front of the camera, you can always recruit family and friends to model for you. Just make sure the photos have a natural and relaxed vibe. You don’t want them to look super posed. These shots will be great to reuse on social media in different formats: Instagram stories, static posts, boosted ads. So get creative and start promoting your fall merch today!
Don’t have merch? It’s FREE and easy to open your own Spreadshop!
There’s real value when it comes to merch; and it’s more than just revenue. Brands, YouTubers, and creators can use merch to build their brand and form a deeper connection with their customers. Print-on-demand (POD) merch is more than just a source of income: it’s a powerful tool for building brand awareness, fostering community engagement, and driving customer loyalty. Join us on this journey as we explore the diverse dimensions of merchandise and how it can transform your brand’s impact!
Merchandise isn’t just about generating revenue; it’s a potent instrument for constructing and reinforcing your brand identity. Let’s explore how merch contributes to brand building:
Creating a Strong Brand Identity: Merchandise serves as a canvas for brands to express their unique personality and values, establishing a deeper connection with their target audience.
Increasing Brand Visibility: Branded merchandise transforms customers into walking billboards, expanding brand awareness to a broader audience. But being a billboard doesn’t have to be boring.
Enhancing Brand Recall: Well-designed, high-quality merchandise leaves a lasting impression on customers, increasing the likelihood of them remembering and engaging with your brand in the future.
Merchandise has an unparalleled ability to foster a sense of community among customers, fans, and followers. Let’s explore how brands can leverage merch to build and nurture their communities:
Exclusive Merchandise for Community Members: Offer special merchandise exclusively to community members to create a sense of belonging. Incentivize people to join and actively engage with your community.
User-Generated Content (UGC) Contests: Encourage customers to share photos or videos of themselves with the brand’s merchandise to increase brand visibility. UGC also strengthens the sense of community among followers.
Limited Edition and Collaborative Merchandise: Collaborate with influencers, artists, or other brands to create limited edition merchandis. Generate excitement and engagement within your community and theirs.
Merchandise is a potent tool for cultivating customer loyalty. Here’s how brands can use merch to reward and retain their most loyal customers:
Loyalty Programs: Offer exclusive merchandise as rewards for customer loyalty. By doing so, you’ll incentivize repeat purchases and cultivate a strong base of brand advocates.
Personalized Merchandise: Customized products, such as custom t-shirts or mugs, make customers feel valued, strengthening their loyalty to your brand.
Surprise and Delight: Send unexpected merchandise gifts to loyal customers to create a positive and memorable experience, further deepening their connection to the brand.
Influencer marketing has become integral to many brands’ strategies. Merchandise can amplify the effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns:
Branded Merchandise for Influencers: Provide influencers with branded merchandise to wear or use in their content enhances brand visibility and credibility among their followers.
Exclusive Merchandise for Influencer Collaborations: Collaborate with influencers to create limited edition merchandise generates excitement and drives sales, strengthening the brand’s relationship with the influencer.
Affiliate Marketing with Merch: Offer influencers a commission on sales generated through their unique affiliate links to incentivize them to actively promote the brand’s merchandise.
In our socially conscious world, brands are expected to contribute positively to society. Here’s how merchandise can support social responsibility initiatives:
Cause-Related Merchandise: Create merchandise that supports a specific cause or charity raises awareness and funds, while also fostering a connection with socially conscious customers.
Sustainable Merchandise: Eco-friendly or ethically sourced merchandise appeals to environmentally conscious customers and aligns with sustainable practices.
Transparency and Accountability: Communicating the brand’s social responsibility efforts and the impact of its merchandise builds trust and loyalty among customers.
Merchandise isn’t limited to businesses; it’s a potent tool for individuals looking to build their personal brand:
Branded Merchandise for Content Creators: You can’t go wrong with a logo or catchphrase. Strengthen your connection with the audience and generate additional revenue.
Merchandise as a Networking Tool: Branded merchandise helps individuals stand out at industry events or conferences. Make memorable connections with potential collaborators or clients. Remember: It’s more than a T-Shirt!
Limited Edition and Collectible Merchandise: Creating limited edition or collectible merchandise generates excitement and demand, enhancing the perceived value of the individual’s brand.
Merchandise is a valuable tool for cross-promoting products, services, or other brands:
Co-Branded Merchandise: Collaborate with other brands to create co-branded merchandise. Find brands that share your vision. This allows both brands reach new audiences and increases both of your brands visibility.
Merchandise Bundles: Offer merchandise bundles that include products or services from multiple brands. This incentivizes customers to try new offerings while driving cross-promotion.
Affiliate Marketing with Merch: Offer affiliate commissions on sales of co-branded or cross-promoted merchandise. This motivates partners to actively promote the merchandise.
E-commerce businesses can significantly benefit when they incorporate merchandise into their product offerings:
Product-Related Merchandise: Offering merchandise that complements or enhances the brand’s core products increases average order value and customer satisfaction.
Merchandise Upsells and Cross-Sells: Promote merchandise as upsells or cross-sells during the checkout process. This enhances the overall value of each customer’s purchase.
Seasonal and Holiday Merchandise: Create limited edition merchandise for holidays or special occasions. This helps drive sales and creates a sense of urgency among customers. It won’t be here for long!
Start reaping all the values of merch TODAY. Make custom merch FREE with Spreadshop.
Wow! What a huge achievement. With our 2023 Spreadshop Design Challenge, we put all of you in our community to the test – and you delivered!
The story: The retro trend is everywhere in 2023. So we asked you lot to come up with retro designs in the style of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s and showcase them on your Shop products. Man, did we feel nostalgic! We ended up receiving over 100 incredible entries that turned out to be a real ‘blast from the past’. Our jury selected a shortlist of 10 finalists and we put them to a vote in our community. Shop owners, friends and family went to work voting for their favourite design. Read more
