3 E-Commerce Lessons to Grow Your Brand’s Merch Strategy
Merch. Some brands love to hear that word, and others, well, may not know where to start. When HCo began supporting Illinois’ FIRST Black & Queer-owned Dispensary, SWAY, we quickly learned that a successful e-commerce site was rooted in intentionality and in listening to your community.
Here are three of the biggest lessons we’ve learned:
1) Look beyond your loyalists and account for new customers.
You can’t just slap your logo onto a tee and expect to make a million sales. Your most loyal customers will support your brand, but it will take much more effort and time to convince someone new who randomly stumbled on your website or social media to buy a t-shirt with your logo.
The strategy? Brainstorm what your current customers want to see (ask employees and friends who fit the bill), and give some thought to what might loop in those newbies we mentioned earlier. Yes, you will need to have a (few) brainstorming sessions.
Pro-tip: Get those creative juices flowing to either make a tee with a hilarious line on it or a stunning and really cool sticker that just so happens to have your Instagram handle at the bottom of the design. This is the merch that can really help reel in new customers.
2) Collaborate with local artists.
This takes time and money, but the outcome? Community and relationship building and sales. There’s a lot of backend work that can go into this, so we aren’t saying you need to work with a new artist every week or even every month.
The strategy? Try one collab out and see how it goes. You might even have an employee or customer who is a really talented artist to give this a go with. Ask around and see who you run into!
Best practice: Discuss terms, define deliverables, and decide up front whether the artist prefers a flat fee or a royalty-based payment structure. A contract here is really handy.
3) Meet your consumers where they are.
The first step is to consider where each bucket of your consumer base would hear about your e-commerce site. Is it your Instagram account? Your newsletter? The employee they talk to in-store? Or the ad they get if you’re not an in-person retailer?
The strategy? Optimize your ecosystem.
Integrate the e-commerce site and products into your social strategy
Update your social media bios with a direct shopping link
Create a “Highlight” section on Instagram where you can keep all posts that are related to your e-commerce site
Add a section to your newsletters about new merch and products available to shop on the site
Make sure your staff is fully up to date on what you offer and where folks can get it.
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Focus on what your community values. If you are a lifestyle brand, focus on apparel; if you are an advocacy organization, focus on high-impact stickers or pins.
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It really depends. The difference is that a flat fee offers simplicity, and royalties can help build a long-term partnership. You have to consider your budget and the artist’s preference before deciding. And it may change from partnership to partnership.
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Use a multi-channel approach. Make sure your e-commerce site is listed in all your social media bios, that you’re featuring products in your newsletters and on social media, and that you use QR codes and flyers in your physical locations, if applicable.
E-commerce is always changing, and we are constantly learning with each new trend and feature. It can be a lot to keep up with, but starting intentionally is what matters.
Not sure you want to embark on this journey alone? Shoot us an email: connect@hauswirth.co