Why Is Branded Merchandise Important?

Branded merchandise isn’t exclusively for big and already well-known brands. It’s a great way for businesses and organisations of all shapes and sizes to share their brand with customers and fans, as well as being a great tool to promote brand awareness.

What does branded merchandise mean?

What exactly is branded merchandise? It starts by using a company logo or branded identity and then incorporating this on to products that can be used by customers. While some companies have branded uniforms, merchandise items are to be sold or for promotional purposes. Some common branded merchandise products include caps, t-shirts, drink bottles, hoodies, pens and keychains.

Supporters of your brand can then purchase your merchandise products and spread the word about your company. So now we know what it means, why is branded merchandise important?

Why is branded merchandise important?

Why exactly is it important for businesses to invest in branded merchandise? There are a lot of reasons why it can be beneficial for businesses of all shapes and sizes. From brand awareness to promoting an event, it is a great marketing tool to complement your other marketing efforts. Let’s take a closer look –

Brand awareness

One of the key reasons businesses invest in branded merchandise is that it is a powerful tool for brand awareness. Putting your logo or branding on merchandise helps to make you and your brand recognisable. There’s a good reason why brands like Harley Davidson and John Deere have created branded clothing ranges, and it’s not just to create a new revenue stream for their brand. By creating branded clothing, their fans and supporters become walking advertisements for them. This is invaluable for brand awareness, as word of mouth is a powerful way of creating trust and recognition for your brand.

If your brand has a retail space, displaying your branded merchandise is a great way to promote it to visiting customers. Creating retail displays is important for any merchandising, as visitors respond positively to items that are effectively and appealingly presented. We cover some top tips about displays further down below.

Builds relationships with customers

Building quality and lasting relationships with customers is priceless for any business. Not only does branded merchandise provide happy customers with a way to connect with your company on a personal level, but it also spreads this message to others. Happy customers will naturally want to support you and also wear your branded merchandise with pride.

Helps you stand out from competitors

Not all businesses will have branded merchandise, but the ones that do will have a good chance of standing out from their competition. Having a recognisable brand and items that people wear and display will put you front of mind. While having merchandise won’t remove your competition entirely, seeing your logo and brand on satisfied customers will reinforce your brand and your authenticity to other potential customers.

Tips for displaying branded merchandise

There is a reason why visual merchandising is a specialised job. The art of displaying items and products can be difficult to master, but even simple merchandising steps can help to better exhibit and sell your items.

The best displays start with having the right display systems. Whether that’s slatwall shelving, gondola displays, or display cases, finding the right system to suit your products and your brand identity is the most important and first step.

Once you have the perfect display solution, think about these four tips for displaying your branded merchandise.

• Place important items at eye level – People will immediately be drawn to items that are within eye level. As these will be the first items they see, they will start to build their impression of your brand from here, so make sure you put effort into eye-level displays.
• Avoid clutter – Cluttered displays are not only aesthetically unappealing but they will not help to sell your products. If there is too much going on, people won’t be drawn to any one item and will likely not look at any of the items. Clutter in your displays can also devalue your brand and merchandise, as it looks unprofessional. 
• Consider your environment – When creating displays, think about what kind of space you have and the environment in which your shop or location is in. Is it a high-traffic area like a shopping centre? Or an out of the way location with less volume of people? There are things to consider about different environments, such as how many people you expect in your store and the time people will spend looking at your displays and in your shop windows.
• Think of your target audience – Who are your customers? What are their interests and needs? Your displays need to be targeted enough to entice the right people, but not too specific to alienate potential customers.

We hope this article has helped answer your questions about displaying branded merchandise and explained “why is branded merchandise important?”. If you have any questions about displays or shop fitouts, including making the most of your merchandise, get in touch with our friendly team here or visit our showroom in Eagle Farm, Brisbane.

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