5 tips for your merch sales

Reading time: 5 min

Creating and selling merchandise for your band can make all the difference and allow you to finance your various projects (tours, album releases...) Even if you're a local band, a good merch table can sometimes put your finances back on track! To help you do your best, below you'll find 5 tips to optimize your merch sales during your concerts.

Illustration: © T-shirts from the band Ghost Anthem

1) Offer products for all budgets and all types of people: from the small pay-what-you-want sticker to the collector's hoodie

It's good form to think of both those who will want to buy your merch at all costs and those who only want a small souvenir of their concert like a tote bag, or why not an album in a single sleeve that you can sell for less than ten euros! So it's always a good idea to have affordable merch on your stand.

People are often willing to spend between fifty cents and two dollars for a sticker or a badge. So we come to stickers which are a great way to brand your band and share your logo with a larger audience. People who see your design may not remember it right away but will remember it subconsciously: when it's in front of their eyes again, they'll know they've seen you somewhere before. This inexpensive merchandise will also be attractive to people who just want to take a quick look, something they wouldn't have dared to do if there were only more expensive goodies on your merch stand. Moreover, the presence of these inexpensive items can also be used to accompany other sales, like "hey, buy this t-shirt and this vinyl and you'll get a sticker and a badge as a gift".

For less than a euro in product cost, you can easily encourage people to buy an entire pack. It's also interesting to consider putting some products at a 'pay what you want' price: you'd be surprised by people's natural generosity. Moreover, this will allow you to make bigger margins on stickers, for example, which people are willing to buy just for the gesture. Conversely, the hardcore fan who wants to support your band will be delighted to see that you've prepared a collector's edition of your first album on colored vinyl or a hoodie available in only twenty-five copies with a unique logo...

Try not to set prices too high, in line with your style, reputation, and type of audience so that everyone can benefit. Similarly, keep in mind this obvious rule: don't fill your tour van with boxes of beanies in summer and conversely don't fill it with tank tops in winter. Sell merch according to the seasons! Adapt to foreign countries and local purchasing power

2) You can have your products worn by the friend manning the stand or wear your own merch on stage during the concert, to create desire and give a preview of what it looks like.

As with stickers, statistics show that every time someone wears a t-shirt stamped with your logo in public, 300 people will see it directly or indirectly. Even if they don't consciously realize it, your logo will be imprinted in their minds and when they come across your image again, it will seem familiar to them. They'll feel like they've heard of you before.

Make your merch memorable. First, create a strong symbol that you'll keep for the entire life of your band, this will add a certain value to your merch. Place this symbol wherever you can on the t-shirts you'll wear on stage, on your bass drum head, on your backdrop. It's important to have a "brand image" and a logo that people will identify you with. So it's important to talk about "branding". This is the most important decision to make regarding your merch. Your logo, design, the phrase you'll print on your customized clothes and goodies is what will be transmitted to the world when people wear or use them in public.

If no one in your band has much artistic flair, you can always buy visuals from a graphic designer, the price spent will be worth it. Your files will be made for screen printing and you won't have any problems when it comes to manufacturing them!

Seeing the products worn on stage or by your merch guy allows them to be presented in situation, not just folded on the table or hanging on a hanger. Thus, in the case of t-shirts or caps for example, your audience will be able to see how cool they'll look with your products! When you're not playing on stage, be present at the merch table for your audience who will be buying stuff from you. Sign the CDs or anything they want autographed. It helps to sell if fans can have a personal touch from you on their purchases.

Don't just be the person who heads straight to the bar while their fans spend money on them! While you're on stage, don't hesitate to tell your audience that you have great CDs and goodies on the merch table and that you'd be delighted to meet them there, even if it's just to say hello.

"Being the person who manages the merch stand on a tour is not the easiest job. They're the first ones in the venue, the last ones out, they have to stay sober, manage money, inventory, and be in contact with fans/customers. One of the biggest pieces of advice I could give to a band that's just starting out is to make sure you have a trustworthy and sober person to manage the merch!"

Caz Madge, Client Manager at Merch For Life

3) Offer several designs (logo, album cover...) on your merch stand and especially quality

Having more than one design available is advantageous for several reasons, the first being that your fans can buy the same item multiple times as long as there are different artworks or colors on it: there's something for everyone!

"As the music industry is now pulverized and you'll never make money by just selling albums, you have to become a glorified clothing company to move forward in life. Therefore, make sure your merch doesn't consist of an old design slapped on a poorly cut t-shirt: putting effort into the quality of your merch will really be beneficial for your band and you. Also, take into account that the number of colors you use for your logo quickly makes your merch super-expensive; we made the mistake once and our margin on t-shirts was just a few cents."

Stitch D, leader of The Defiled 

4) Remember to bring a card terminal (and if it's really too complicated, create a PayPal address)

You can increase your sales by 100% just because you accept credit cards. Most people will quickly spend the cash they have in their pocket and then only pay by card. Moreover, after a few trips to the bar, it often happens that the audience no longer has a penny in their pocket once the concert is over, which can be frustrating for them as well as for you if they enjoyed the show and would like to buy a little souvenir! In the past, having a credit card service available with you on the road was utopian, but now you have a bunch of available options, inexpensive and very convenient such as: Sum-Up, iZettle, Smile & Pay. All you need is a smartphone or tablet with an internet connection and Bluetooth. It's also ultra-convenient for managing your inventory.

These three companies operating in several countries have managed to penetrate the French market and somewhat occupy the field. It's very easy to subscribe to one of these three offers, which don't require being attached to a bank. All the proposed terminals comply with the EMV standard and accept chip cards. They are available for purchase at prices starting from 29€ and with relatively low commission rates. The commission rate is fixed (1.75% for SumUp and iZettle) or sliding (1.44% and 2.4% for Smile & Pay). In the latter case, the rate varies depending on the total amount of transactions.

On tour, it's always practical and it avoids using your cash in non-EU countries. Finally, remember to make it clearly visible that you accept card and PayPal at your merch stand, to prevent people who no longer have cash in their pockets from not even approaching it!

5) Make your merch stand attractive

Make a nice stand presentation: tablecloth, small elements, clearly displayed prices.... Make your merch table attractive and create a table plan that you'll reproduce at each concert! Make your band's atmosphere and your stand stand out among others.

"Right now in the music world, as my guitarist so aptly put it, most musicians are traveling t-shirt salesmen who play music for advertising. In this case, merchandising is really important as well as good design for it. First, you need to take a step back and examine your audience. What do your fans wear? What do they buy the most? What does their look mean? I think the best way to do things for merch is to make it look more like a clothing brand than band merchandise. This way, you reach a lot more people but you don't rip anyone off."

Nick Reed, bassist for Beartooth 

Items to have on your merch table: 

• A small lamp to highlight the merch items you have for sale in the dark
• A headlamp to search for merch in your boxes and give change without struggling!
• A list for people to fill in if they want to provide their email address and sign up for the newsletter
• Markers, pens, and paper (for autographs, for example) 
• Display stands to showcase CDs, vinyl... 
• Hangers to display your t-shirts 
• Duct tape/gaffer tape! 
• A cash box with at least 60 euros in change and small bills 
• A checklist of your stock where you note what you sell
• A small poster with the prices of the items you're selling to put on the table
• A cool tablecloth, possibly with your logo on it
• If you don't have a backdrop or banner stand, a banner that allows identifying your merch table and your band

The more organized your merch table is, the more likely people will come to see it and buy what's on it. Think about showcasing your merch well, too many bands will just line everything up haphazardly, which doesn't encourage buying at all. And why not put a mini-backdrop in the background?

For example, arrange the products by size on the table and behind you: hoodies on hangers at height, so they can be seen from afar; below, tote bags and caps to look at more closely. On the table, vinyl records on a display stand at the back, then CDs framing the badges and stickers. We might be tempted to put them at the front of the table, but that also makes potential theft easier...

Don't forget that you can accessorize your table as you like to recreate your universe and make it more attractive. Finally, leave the stocks of clothes and caps in boxes under the table, hidden by the tablecloth: you only need one visible item of each to avoid cluttering the space and attract the buyer's attention most effectively.

Conclusion

With all the changes we see coming in the music world, whether you're a band that does multiple tours or you tour locally, merchandising plays a crucial role in financing your projects. I've presented you with a large number of options but my advice is to start small by gradually building your merch offering. This will be beneficial for several reasons: firstly, you won't get into financial trouble by buying a million things, secondly, fans will have a gradual offer of merch to buy, this will give them a reason to keep coming to visit your merch stand or online store to see the new items they don't have yet!

If you notice that a t-shirt model is selling really well, think about reissuing it when it's sold out. If you follow this advice, it will also allow you to see what sells well and what doesn't sell at all, so you can see what you should buy in the future. You can change the design of your t-shirts and add limited editions for specific events, for example... With good preparation, this can add a significant income for you and your band!

Thus ends our article. Don't hesitate to ask us for advice on the subject! Thanks to Pauline for her photos from her blog bisoustenebres.wordpress.com. Share this article on social media if it has been useful to you or if you think your musician friends might need it too.