Shop Launch Challenge Winners for 2021!

10 Weeks of Challenges

Today we’re excited to announce the winners of our first 2021 edition of Shop Launch Challenge!

What is Shop Launch Challenge?

Over 10 weeks from January through March 2021, hundreds of people from all over the world signed up to launch their own shops. Optional weekly challenges helped new shop owners stay motivated and learn the best practices for running a successful print-on-demand brand of their own.

Something for everyone

This contest proved that there truly is a Spreadshop for everybody, as we saw introductions from topics that ranged from travel bloggers, hand-drawn robots, weight loss journeys, dancers, youtubers, cooks, bands (both signed and unsigned recording artists!) and we even had an immigration attorney launch a shop. No kidding!

Some Weekly Challenges had amazing bonus prizes, like the iPad Pro which was won by Malaika Burley, for her incredible story and passion behind her personal brand. See here.

Launchers

How our winners were chosen

A panel of internal judges reviewed every single shop that was eligible and engaged in the challenge. They ranked shops based on two main factors:

1. Level of creativity and originality.
2. Adherence to the tips & tricks found in the Spreadshop Selling Guide.

Battle of the micro-niches!!!

In this edition of the challenge it was interesting to see more “micro-niches”. What is that? Well a micro-niche is either two interests that have been blended together, or one main topic that has now been narrowed down into a specific interest or style within that niche. Examples: A painter who only draws digitally on iPad. Dancers who specialize in tap dancing. A pet expert in a specific breed. Sometimes the more narrow your niche, the more success you can have because there are not a lot of people serving this unique micro-niche with cool products or content. Keep that tip in mind for yourself!

Dancing right into our 3rd Place spot is….

Shop Launch Challenge 3rd Place Winner

https://shop.spreadshirt.com/taptogs/

“Fun, humorous and slightly irreverent shirts to wear while winging it, shuffling off to Buffalo, or wherever your tap shoes may take you.Marlene was living in NY and the first Broadway Show she happened to see was 42nd Street, and Karen was dancing in it! Flash forward twenty years when they actually meet for the first time in Colorado. Both still love to tap, but they also love to laugh. Looking for fun, humorous and slightly irreverent shirts to wear while tapping, they decided to create their own and share them with you!”

In their own words…

Why they were chosen:

These lovely ladies danced their way into our hearts and caught everyone’s attention with their promotions and videos on instagram. While participation in every weekly challenge was not necessary to win, it didn’t hurt that they were always jumping in to try the challenges, promote their shop, and have a really fun time doing it!
We also took note of how supportive Marlene & Karen were of the other Shop Launch Community members. Congratulations and keep up the great work!

Our 2nd Place winner is…..

2nd Place Shop Launch Challenge

Why they were chosen

The first thing that caught our attention from day one were the wonderful tea-inspired designs from SoCal’s shop. A surprising niche, that actually shouldn’t be so surprising at all, as tea lovers are super passionate about this topic.

Tea Designs

“Tea is exciting! It pleases our senses and gives us a reason to pause in a fast-paced world. Whether you like to socialize over a pot of tea or curl up with a good book, mug in hand, tea is a grand experience.” – Abigail, founder of SoCal Cup & Saucer

In her own words

One design in particular we found amazing was this mug with the actual steeping times for each type of tea. You’ll never ruin your tea again!

THE GRAND PRIZE WINNER…. DRUM ROLL PLEASE….

Grand Prize Hook's Hollands

https://shop.spreadshirt.com/hooks-hollands/

“What’s up, everybunny? I’m Diane from Hook’s Hollands, raising a small herd of Holland lop bunnies on our organic Ohio farm. I’ve been sharing bunny care information (and cute bunny photos and videos) on my website and YouTube channel since 2015!” – Diane, founder of Hook’s Hollands.

Why she won

Diane knocked our socks off by launching a really incredible looking Spreadshop right from the start.

  1. She followed all of our best practices and tips in our Selling Guide (some are listed here).
  2. While we’ve seen great pet shops before for cats, dogs… we’ve never seen the bunny niche!
  3. Diane consistently launched new designs that really fit the look of her overall brand. Friendly, fun, and vivid!
  4. Week in and week out, Diane took part in ever weekly challenge and she also seemed to give the challenges and promotions a dash of creativity. For example: She decided to launch a design contest during one of the last challenge weeks.

While not a deciding factor in winning the top prizes, all of our winners similarly were highly engaged and encouraging others in the Shop Launch Community. You could always count on an encouraging and supporting message.

In her own words

Great work Diane! We look forward to seeing more awesome bunny-centric designs from you as you continue to grow your brand.

Do you want us to do this again? Join the community!

While this edition of the challenge is over, the community born out of it is STILL alive, and we want to encourage you all to continue to engage and grow together. Details on future challengers will be posted there first, so get engaged! And introduce yourself. Even though this edition is over, several new people are going through the old weekly challenges and getting ready for the next big challenge!

We’d like to think Spreadshop was the real winner here. We’ve never seen this kind of community building around our brand to this point. It feels so great to see shop owners helping shop owners, cheering each other on, and even cheering us on and offering gratitude for our weekly challenges and motivational content. We really hope you join our community.

Three cheers to all of those who participated in this challenge… we hope you’ll continue this journey together.

See you there.

New: Contrast Face Mask (North America & Oceania)

New: Contrast Face Mask (North America & Oceania)

The Contrast Face Mask is just what your customers need in their face covering rotation. It’s already been a big hit in Europe, and now it’s available on the North American platform too!

The new Contrast Face Mask is available in two different sizes. The smaller size is ideal for smaller faces and teenagers, while the large size is suitable for men or people with larger faces. Your customers will get a snug fit thanks to the two rubber stoppers that adjust the length of the ear loops. Featuring contrasting colors, the mask is white with black trimmings! Try the all-over print option and add something truly special to your Shop.

Contrast Face Mask

Size S (ID 1488) / Size L (ID 1487)

  • Color: White with black trim
  • Three-layer mask (100% polyester outer, 100% cotton lining)
  • Elastic ear loops with two adjustable rubber stoppers
  • Not a medical product. Not proven to protect against infection.

Print & price details

  • Print areas:
    • Size small: 6” x 4” or 15 x 9.5 cm
    • Size large: 7” x 5” or 18.5 x 13 cm
  • Print type: Thermal sublimation, Pixel and vector graphics recommended
  • Pricing varies for USDCA, and AUD

While wearing a face mask is our new normal, it can still be intimidating! Keep your customers feeling encouraged and happy during these difficult times with fun designs and all-over patterns.

Any questions? Let us know in the comments.

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The Ultimate Guide to Selling Merch on Tik-Tok

Everyone knows that promoting and selling your own merchandise can take a lot of hustle. Finding the right audience and platform can take a lot of research. You need to get to know your target demographic and figure out how to appeal to them. Once you know more about them, you will know where they are spending their time online which will help you narrow down which platform to use. Once you know what platform you need to use, you still need to research the best way to market your products and sell them. This article will help you figure out how to get started in this new industry and share some of the best tips for selling merch on Tik-Tok!

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Merch on Tik-Tok

Selling Merch on Tik-Tok

You can sell merch on TikTok using Spreadshop to appeal to your target audience. Using visual platforms like YouTube and TikTok gives you several advantages. One of the biggest is that you can promote your own products, and your viewers will be able to see exactly what your merch will look like in person. The more a person feels like they know what to expect from a product, the more likely they will be to buy it.

One easy way to sell your merch on TikTok is to link your Spreadshop account to your profile. You can add that link to your profile and then mention where it is in your videos. This allows your followers to always know exactly where to go to find your products instead of having to find old videos.

Even if you don’t have a large audience, you can still start making money using TikTok. All you need is a profile, some dedicated and engaged followers, and follow the guidelines below. Once you have those things, you can add some products or merchandise and start making money.

Understanding Tik-Tok

Understanding TikTok

If you want to use TikTok to sell your merchandise, then you need to understand a little bit about it. TikTok is an app that is used for creating short videos that are shared with your followers. Once you share a video, they will see it in their feed or by going to your page and scrolling. Videos can be anything from recipes, to tutorials, or funny stories.

The videos can only be 60 seconds long (or less), but you do have the options to spruce them up using filters, music, and voice effects. You are able to edit your video right in the app, so it is quick and easy.

While it started off as an app for the younger generation, not it has now spread to involve all age brackets. It is also very user-friendly and it is not dominated by celebrities. Generally, the user base is regular people promoting each other so it makes it easier to get a larger following. It is also encouraged to engage with others by responding to their videos. You do this by duplicating their video and adding your own video beside it. This helps boost both channels.

Hashtags also play a role in using TikTok. Hashtags are used to organize videos and make them easier to find. You can categorize your video so people who are interested will be able to find it. It will also help the algorithm suggest your video to people who may be interested.

Low Overhead

TikTok is a great place to start promoting your merchandise because you will have no overhead costs to start a TikTok. There are no sign-up costs and videos are easy to create. It doesn’t cost anything to use the various sounds and excerpts in your own videos.

You can also boost your visibility without spending any money either. Joining a popular challenge will help increase visibility for your videos. If you choose a challenge that is appealing to your target audience, then your marketing will have a huge return on investment.

Understanding Brand Merch

Understanding Brand Merch

It used to be that only famous people or companies had merchandise, but that is not the case anymore. Even if you have a small following, you can still sell merchandise. It can be anything from tote bags to clothing to frisbees. The key is to pick items that will appeal to your audience.

You can also create designs in anything you think they will like. Of course, you should think about using your brand logo on merchandise, but you don’t have to stop there. You can use pictures or sayings from your channel that resonate with your audience. Offering a variety of designs and products will actually help diversify your story and lead to more sales.

Benefits of Creating Brand Merch

One of the obvious benefits of selling merch on TikTok is the added revenue. Even if you have a small following, you can still make a little money with very little overhead with brand merch.

It can also be a great way to increase brand awareness. When your audience starts wearing your merchandise, other people will start recognizing your brand. This is free marketing for you. Customers who were recommended to your company through a friend are more likely to purchase because they trust the source of the recommendation.

Increasing Brand Infinity

Selling merch on Tik-Tok can also be a great way to increase brand affinity. If someone receives free merch, then they are more likely to become a loyal customer. You can offer free merch with a purchase or after completing some kind of promotional challenge. It helps customers feel like they matter to you and gives off a positive association with your company. Giving away daily use merch like pens, mugs, or notepads will also help keep your company at the forefront of people’s minds.

Doing these things helps you create a community around your company. The more connections you make within your audience, the stronger your community gets. This can happen when a follower sees another follower with the same branded merch. When they see someone else wearing your merchandise, it is a signal that you are a brand worth looking at and can lead to new followers.

All of these things work together to create your brand image. If you are creating your own merch, then you get to say what it looks like, what kind of products you sell, and the causes you want to be linked to your brand. Your merch will be viewed as a representation of your brand, so make sure that anything you promote helps to strengthen your brand image.

You will need to have a diversified marketing strategy in place to promote your business. Branded merch is a great option to add to your strategy to strengthen it. Merchandise is also very versatile. It can generate more engagement in contests and giveaways, attract new followers, and can strengthen other social campaigns.

Create Merchandise

Create Merchandise

Of course, there is no way to sell merchandise in your videos if it doesn’t exist. The first step is to make merchandise and then use it in your videos. If you have a logo, then you should put it on some merchandise and use it in your video either by wearing a shirt, t-shirt, or hat or by using a mug or hanging a poster behind you. You can do this with anything that might appeal to your audience, but the trick is to put it in your videos.

You can design these yourself or hire a professional to design a logo that will appeal to your audience. By showing them in your videos, you are constantly advertising and increasing desire in your audience with every video you make.

Pick a Platform

Pick a Platform

You will also need to decide how you are going to sell your merchandise. You cannot sell directly on TikTok, so you will need to find another place to set up an e-commerce store with your products. There are a lot of platforms you can use like Etsy or Shopify, but one that you should consider is Spreadshop.

Spreadshop makes selling your merch on Tik-Tok easier because we will handle all the aspects of your business so you can focus on connecting with your audience. We can help you design and create a wide range of merchandise options that will appeal to your audience. We will process payments, handle production, fulfillment, and shipping. All of these things are included for you at no extra cost.

We understand how important branding is for your company, so you are also able to customize your shop page in order to align it with your brand. We want your customers to automatically know that this page is associated with your company, so you can personalize it quickly and easily.

Once you create your Spreadshop page and create your designs, you can link that to your TikTok profile so your audience will know where to find it. You can also order your own merchandise right away to start advertising in your videos.

Partner with other Companies

Partner with Other Companies

You don’t have to just sell your own merchandise on TikTok. You can also partner with other companies in order to sell their products as well. This can take some of the weight off your shoulder for managing a store and designing the products.

If this is an avenue you would like to pursue, then you will need to approach other companies to ask if they have partnership opportunities. You want to make sure you pick a company that aligns with your own brand and that will overlap with your target audience. Not choosing the right partnership will be frustrating for everyone involved.

Once you have a company in mind, you will need to see if they have any opportunities for you. Some companies will pay influencers to wear or promote their merchandise in their videos in order to drive sales. You may also ask if they have any affiliate programs where you will get paid a commission on any sales that you guide to their website.

If you sell your own merchandise on Tik-Tok and it starts to do well, you may also consider paying other people to promote it as well. You can approach other people on TikTok who have a large following and align with your brand and see if they would be interested in a partnership with you. You will not make as much profit on the sales because you will have to pay your affiliate partners, but it can also drive a lot of traffic to your site.

Getting Started

Getting Started

While it may seem overwhelming at first, starting to sell your merch on TikTok can be a huge benefit to your business. It really doesn’t take very long to get started, especially if you utilize easy platforms like Spreadshop to do all the hard work for you.

Merchandising is so versatile that anyone can incorporate it into their marketing strategy. Artists can sell prints of their work. Gamers can sell clothing with their logo printed on it. Beauty experts can sell merchandise related to their expertise. Whatever your niche, there is something that will appeal to and add value to your audience’s life.

It may be tempting to try to do everything. Casting a wide net may seem like a good idea, but it can actually have the opposite effect. You will have more success if you focus on your small niche instead of trying to make everyone happy. When you stick to your niche, you establish yourself as an expert in the field and that means people will trust you more. It will also give you more loyal followers because they will identify with your brand and will keep coming back. Don’t let your target audience get distracted or turned off because you are trying to cater to too many different kinds of people.

The most important thing is that you really think about your audience and cater to their lives. If an audience feels like you really understand them and you are offering content and merch that aligns with their values and needs, then you are going to be successful.

 

 

 

 

Introducing: PIZZA-ON-DEMAND

Pizza On Demand by Spreadshop

Today, Spreadshop is making the move completely AWAY from PRINT-ON-DEMAND merchandise to PIZZA-ON-DEMAND merchandise. You heard us right. PIZZA. ON. DEMAND.

Starting today, you will easily be able to upload ANY ingredients of your choice directly into your Spreadshop and offer fresh new pizza-on-demand merch directly to your friends, fans and followers.

?WHY NOW? HOW THIS CAME TO BE

In November last year Spreadshop hired a new director, Dennis Dörfl. We needed a leader who could revolutionize the print-on-demand world. Really shake things up. When we said that Dennis would bring fresh ideas, we were NOT kidding around.

Knead Fresh Indgredients

“We need more than FRESH IDEAS. We knead FRESH INGREDIENTS.”
– Dennis Dörfl, Spreadshop Director.

What the world kneeds now.

We didn’t want to wait around for 6 months to do a quick and haphazard rebranding. To make this work we needed to SPRInG into action. To prove that the Spreadshop team is incredibly agile in the P.O.D. world, last week we put our best minds together to make this happen NOW. For example? That graphic above was made by our Influencer Marketing Manager in 5 minutes using Canva.

“It literally took me 5 minutes in Canva, guys.”
– Lauren Virgin, Influencer Marketing Manager

Today only special!

Pizza-On-Demand

 

 

To kick off this new direction we’ve launched the first ever PizzaShop. We’re serving up five different fresh slices to choose from. Whether you’re a meat or veggie lover, or prefer pineapple on your pie, there’s something for everyone at the PizzaShop.

Pizza Shop Flavors

 

 

PizzaShop supports small business

Every dime earned from PizzaShop will be donated back to the local pizza economy. This means you’re helping to feed our team at our next “Strategic Pizza Lunch”.

“That Amazon founder guy, Jeff Bezos? He used to have a TWO PIZZA rule to feed his team. At Spreadshop, we aim to double that. We don’t want our colleagues leaving a Strategic Pizza Lunch unfulfilled.”
– D.J. Coffman, North American Something Something.

April fools! …?

We’re not joking about that last part. We will seriously buy ALL of the pizza with it.

PizzaShop

April—May 2021 Promotions

April—May 2021 Promotions

Do you want to attract new customers and increase your sales? Then you’ve come to the right place. When you run a promotion, it’s always a good idea to make sure that the world knows it’s happening. Get started by creating mockups for Instagram stories and posts. You can do this via Placeit, simply sign up using this link and get an exclusive 20% discount on paid designs. Check out their free designs too while you’re at it!

Upcoming promos for North America, Oceania & Europe

  • April 14th-18th: 15% off everything
  • April 29th-May 3rd: 15% off everything
  • May 13th-May 16th: 20% off everything
  • May 25th-28th: 20% off everything

Remember, there’s a window of up to 60 days when you can choose to run a promotion. Set your dates for 30 days before or after the official promotion date. To adjust the start date of your promos, click on the promo calendar (Shop settings > Prices & promos > Promo campaigns).

Enjoy the sunshine, and as always let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.

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