Integrating high-selling merch items into your business can significantly boost sales, especially during peak shopping seasons. The US market alone is anticipated to surpass $221 billion in online sales of everything from customised PJs for your Aunt to luxury outdoor spas for yourself. People are rushing to their mobile devices to finish up their holiday gift-giving, and you want to be a part of this market demand if you want to grow your revenue. The challenge is not everyone’s online business is set up to quickly expand for Black Friday, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, and New Year’s. You want a way to add more sales pathways to your repertoire without having to contact a supplier, test a bunch of products, design on a visual schematic, and then go into production.
That is why our team at OPMC has put together a quick guide of some essential merch items you can tack onto your ecommerce brand without having to reinvent the wheel. While we will always insert a shameless plug for our incredible WooCommerce plugins that make your entire operation easier, we also want to ensure we give the best info so you succeed.
This holiday season, why not consider items like:
#1 – Branded Holiday Mug
Is there anything more “Christmasy” than sipping hot cocoa around the tree while your kiddos happily destroy whatever gift wrapping you spent so much time preparing? At least 75% of all Australians enjoy a hot steaming cup of coffee in the morning, and they are going to need a way to store, pour, and drink that delicious brew. Branded holiday mug is a high-selling merch item that can boost your ecommerce sales. Slap your brand onto customised mugs and promote them for the holidays.
Even better, make it an annual event where you have a single design for the season that gets changed each year for added exclusivity.
#2 – Christmas Ornaments
Branding some wooden or ball Christmas ornaments allows you to attach your online business with the joy and nostalgia of the holiday season. You can turn these into crafts by making them blank with only your brand name on them in a kit with watercolours.
Or you can customise the shape and style of the ornament based on the other products you sell (a boot for a shoe store, a cookie for a bakery, etc.).
#3 – Throw Blankets
Throw blankets have emerged as high-selling merch items for ecommerce stores, especially when personalized. Keep things simple by dropshipping throw blankets from companies like Printful. They’ll handle all the shipping and returns while you can use your brand’s style guide and colour scheme to create something sure to add a little warmth to your customers this season.
If you can upgrade to organic materials, you’ll also unlock a new market segment that may not have heard of your company before.
#4 – Gift Cards
Around 73.4% of all adults (18+) will purchase at least one gift card this holiday season. When you can get a solid boost to your operating income through custom-branded gift cards, you infuse your online business with cash it wouldn’t have otherwise.
That gives you a way to front-load your productivity so you can order more inventory to prepare for what will come throughout the year. This is especially beneficial if you are a seasonal brand, so you can sell all year round.
#5 – Donations on Behalf of Recipient
This holiday merch idea is a little outside the box. With this idea, you combine one or more of your products with the ability to donate to a nonprofit organisation you already support. For example, if a brand is selling custom cat clothing where 20% of the price goes to the local humane society, you can add a box to that product’s description to increase the donation amount.
Instead of paying $20 total, the customer pays $45, and that extra $25 is put into an email form so the gift recipient gets a great product and the benefit of a greater donation on their behalf to an organisation they already support.
#6 – Branded Stuffed Animals
Want to see your holiday ecommerce sales spike? Add fun stuffed animals that fit your brand’s theme. When adults shop your products as normal, you can promote new stuffed animals unique to your online business identity that can be given to their nieces, nephews, sons, and daughters.
Think this doesn’t work? Take a look at Coca-Cola’s polar bears campaign and how well that is associated with the holidays. That is a campaign going strong where those branded plushies sell for upwards of $30 a pop.
#7 – Gift Boxes/Bundles
This holiday ecommerce merch add-on will depend on what products you sell. The general idea is to create a “bundle” of some of your items that naturally complement one another and then offer that at a discounted price to customers during the holiday.
An example would be a white-label organic cosmetic brand that creates a bundle of face creams, moisturisers, and body wash with a slight discount.
#8 – Funny Sweatshirt
Want to have a bit more fun with your holiday promotions? Create an ugly holiday sweater contest! Go to any dropshipping/customised apparel shop and select a basic sweatshirt with your brand logo cleverly integrated into “ugly sweater” designs.
The ugly sweater concept is wildly popular and gives you complete freedom to create a design that is off the wall while still enjoying your brand identity.
No Matter What – Don’t Forget Your Branding
The good news is all these ideas to add more merch and revenue to your online business don’t require a ton of work. By focusing on these high-selling merch items, your ecommerce business is set to capture significant market interest. You can hire out any of the design needs through freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, or 99Designs. Then, it is just a matter of integrating the new product onto your website.
The goal here is to boost your revenue without sacrificing your brand’s identity. You want to get involved in the holiday season and help your customers with fun and engaging items that do not lessen the perceived value of the rest of your offerings. Get feedback from your team, loyal customers, and leadership to see what will work best for you, and then promote, promote, promote!
Work all the new items into your email newsletters, social media campaigns, and website copy so you can reap the benefits of added holiday sales.
While you’re at it, be sure to pick up our latest holiday offerings by checking out all the great WooCommerce plugins for your ecommerce business. We provide everything from 24/7 live chat support using our Customer Support for WooCommerce plugin to ensuring your online business is safe through our WooCommerce Anti-Fraud plugin. Get the peace of mind you need to make this holiday season a winner and shop OPMC!
FAQs
What sells most on Christmas?
Christmas means all ecommerce brands will experience a boost in sales. However, most POD products experience an increase in last-minute gift ideas like sweaters, mugs, phone cases, cards, and tote bags.
How do I prepare my online store for holiday sales with high-selling merch items?
Be sure to have a plan of attack and speak with your team. You want to do some proactive security checks, ensure your shipping systems are working perfectly, and integrate any promotions you can to snag all the sales possible.
How can I increase sales on holidays?
You’ve got to get the word out on your promotions through email, social media, your website, and newsletters. Cross-sell your items and make suggestions, as well as use our ideas for added merch, and you should experience an increase in sales.
