How to Build a Merch Strategy: Choosing the Right Apparel for Your Brand
What message does your $6 tshirt send to your volunteers?
Good merch isn't about choosing the nicest shirt. It's about spending the right amount of money on the right product for the job you're asking it to do.
Before you pick the shirt, pick the job.
Merch serves many functions, but I reduce them down to these three categories: to unite, to identify, to amplify.
Merch That Unites | Building Community and Belonging
Merch designed to unite should make someone immediately feel like they're part of something. Sometimes that's a shirt worn for a single weekend. Other times it's the hoodie someone keeps for ten years. The important thing is that the item reinforces belonging.
Merch That Identifies | Staff Uniforms and Team Apparel
For merch created to identify, the color of the garment can be as important as the garment itself. Think event staff, restaurant or service-based business employees, church serve teams or even baptism tshirts. If someone drives into a church parking lot and sees random people walking around pointing, they’re going to be confused. Put that same person in a neon yellow vest that has the church logo on the back with “PARKING TEAM” printed underneath it and all the sudden you know exactly what they’re there for.
Merch That Amplifies | Branding, Fundraising, and Awareness
Sometimes the best way to say it is to wear it. Merch that amplifies usually focuses on the artwork or messaging printed on the apparel. Band merch, branded items with the intent to spread awareness of a product, or fundraising campaigns (think St. Judes t-shirts) are all examples of merch made to amplify. The more you’re willing to invest in quality here, often times the more your message, brand or cause gets amplified as someone tends to pull their favorite shirt out to wear based on the quality of the physical shirt. A Comfort Colors 1717 ($15-18)* is always going to get more wear time than the much cheaper Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton tee ($5-8).
*Pricing examples throughout this article are general estimates for printed apparel and will vary based on quantity, artwork, print locations, decoration method and current garment costs.
Once you know the job your merch needs to do, choosing the actual product becomes a whole lot easier.
Merch, handmade to last.
How to Choose Custom T-Shirts for Your Audience
Who will be wearing this?
Your Answer | Young people
Lean into something trendy, and no, trendy doesn’t have to mean costly. We can help you choose something trendy on any budget. Sometimes trends can be achieved by the artwork on the shirt, the printing method (think puff print, puff embroidery, special effects), and always by the blank you choose. As far as trends on a budget go, I’d suggest looking at the American Apparel 1301 tee, it’s a heavier weight boxy fit, similar to a Shakawear but without the price tag (usually $10-12 each). But hey, if you have the budget for it, spring for the Los Angeles Apparel or Shakawear heavyweight tee
Your Answer | All ages
Lets think through options that everyone will enjoy wearing. One of our “everyone” tshirts is the Live & Tell Apparel (LAT) 6901 which comes in 106 colors, most of which come in sizes Newborn to 6XL. We jokingly call it the “Family Reunion” tshirt because we can source the same brand and color for everyone at a family reunion so that they match perfectly. The LAT 6901 is a ringspun cotton tee with a true to size fit. It fit snug in the middle of the price range too, usually around $12-15.
Your Answer | Millennial Moms
No one cares about quality like a millennial mom. They’re going to appreciate your thoughtfulness the most (I’m talking you, boomer male who thinks “a tshirt is just a tshirt”). You’ll get lots of praise for not fumbling the bag on this one. Bella + Canvas has released a new Women’s 6 ounce boxy tee, the BC6110 . It’s not technically a “crop” but we call it the “church crop” or “modest crop”. This one has been incredibly popular with ladies of all body types too, if you’re buying for a mixed group of women (in both age and shapes) this is a great place to start. The BC6110 is around $16 each printed.
Your Answer | Food Service Employee
Uniform merch can be a challenge, especially in food service. It’s likely that the apparel will be stained, bleached, and worn pretty hard. I have two schools of thought for this because a print shop runs a lot like a restaurant and we have employees dealing with mixing wet inks, harsh chemicals and being tough on the merch they wear. One school of thought is to order bulk basic tshirts, something inexpensive that is branded with your logo and can be replaced easily if someone is to ruin a work shirt, something like the Gildan 5000 Heavyweight. My other school of thought is to order a mix of items with the same logo, this will give you the discount of buying a larger quantity of shirts, but you can order different garment types for different employees. Your managers, hosts, and catering delivery driver can be in something a little more expensive, a polo (Port Authority K540 is a solid option at around $23) while your employee in the drive thru line or dish pit can be in a standard tshirt.
How Shirt Quality and Wear Frequency Affect Your Budget
How often will someone wear this?
Your Answer | 1 Time
Theres a time a place to buy the absolute cheapest shirt you can get, and that’s when the shirt really only needs to be worn for one event. If you need 100 volunteers to be identified at an event that only takes place once a year, this would be where I’d suggest a Gildan 5000, Port & Co. PC54 or even an M&O 4800. These are solid basic options, several neon colors that stand out and a one color screen print can give you all you need for less than $7.
Your Answer | Several Times to Several Years
Theres a lot of difference between wearing a shirt one time vs weekly for a year. If you’re planning for your merch to be worn consistently for weeks / years to come then you should definitely look at investing in a nicer blank. Our most popular shirt is the Comfort Colors 1717 which is a great place to start, which is usually around $15-18 depending on print details and quantity. Theres some other premium options, our team has been all about the Lane7 Apparel Urban Heavyweight tee ($18ish), ASColour 5001 Staple Tee ($18ish), and the Cotton Collective Box Tee ($20ish).
Merch doesn’t have to be overwhelming.
There are thousands of blank apparel options out there.
That's good news, but it can also make buying merch unnecessarily complicated.
Don't start by scrolling through 400 t-shirts.
1. Start with the job.
2. Are you trying to unite people, identify people, or amplify something?
3. Then ask who is going to wear it and how often they'll wear it?
Answering those questions first makes choosing the right blank a whole lot easier and if you’re still not sure, we’re happy to help!
Comfort Colors, a classic favorite.
Skyline Starter Picks
Our Recommended Custom Apparel by Use Case
Youth Group Merch
Cotton Collective Box Tee | $20
American Apparel 13ML0 Boxy Tee | $16
Lane Seven Apparel Urban Heavyweight Tee | $18
Kids Ministry Merch
Live & Tell Apparel 6901 Ringspun Cotton Tee | $14
Comfort Colors 1717 (Adult) & 9018 (Youth) | $16
Colortone Tie-Dye Tee CD1000Y (Adult & Youth) | $14
Women’s Ministry Merch
Bella Canvas 6110 Boxy Tee | $16
Comfort Colors 3023CL Garment Dye Crop Tee | $17
Lane Seven LS88003 Relaxed Crop Full Zip Fleece | $32
Event Tee (Budget Friendly)
Gildan Heavyweight Cotton Tee | $6 and up
Port & Co Easy Tee 4.8oz | $5 and up
Port & Co Easy Fleece Hoodie PC68H | $14 and up
Fundraiser Merch
Comfort Colors 1717 | $16
Gildan 18000 Crewneck Sweatshirt | $16
Bella Canvas Sponge Fleece Hoodie | $24
Restaurant / Service Industry Merch
Gildan Softstyle 64000 Cotton Tee | $8 and up
Port Authority K540 Polo | $23
Gildan Hammer Hammer Tee | $12
Need help building your merchandise strategy?
Our team in Bentonville, Arkansas, helps businesses, churches, schools, and organizations select, decorate, and deliver custom merchandise that fits their goals and budget.