What Makes Great Branded Merchandise?

To get the word out about your business, you’ve decided that it’s time to make some branded merchandise for promotional purposes and even for sale. Congratulations! Understanding the value of well-executed branded merchandise like custom apparel and accessories is an important step for business development.

Branded merchandise may not be a huge source of revenue for you, but there’s a lot of value in the promotional potential of these items. Before you get started, here are a few of the key qualities of great branded merchandise

Partner With A Reliable Provider

If you’re looking for screen printing in Toronto for making custom apparel with your company logo on it, look no further than R&P Prints. A trusted online source for customized clothing and accessories with guaranteed quality is the kind of partner you want for making custom wear.

What Should You Make?

When it comes to putting your brand on apparel, accessories, and the like, you want to be selective with the items that you produce. A good rule to follow is that usability is king: pick items that have high value when it comes to their functionality. For merchandise for distribution at a conference or trade show, lifestyle products with some element of functionality are popular: totes, cinch bags, t shirts, hats, etc.

Your merchandise should be something that the owner wants to wear or something that they find enjoyable to use. Putting your brand on an item that is bulky and useless means that you’re likely to find those items in the trash, and that’s not a good look. That being said, if your brand is a little creative or kooky, having a novelty item in your roster of merchandise could be a good for publicity. Just be sure to plan your return on investment wisely so you don’t end up wasting resources.

Test The Waters

Great branded merchandise reflects the company’s values and knows its audience well. Before you go ahead and order 5 years’ worth of sweatsuits with your company logo on them, you should test the waters a little bit and see which items catch the attention of your audience, which items don’t quite get any traction, and how your merchandise moves according to season.

It’s simple supply and demand. You may have to start out with some trial and error, and maybe even give out some samples before you can move to selling your merchandise. The potential value of a well-placed promotional item, however, is much greater than its material value.

Quality And Creativity

Know your demographic and be creative with how you can delight them and meet their needs. Just like functionality matters, quality matters for your merchandise. It’s your brand that’s on the item, if it doesn’t hold up well after a wash that reflects on your company’s image.