3 signs You Have Outgrown your Custom Merchandise Company

Have you ever had a little voice in your head whispering to you that you might have outgrown your current custom merchandise provider? Were you so busy doing other things that you pushed it to the back of your mind, promising yourself you would give it more serious thought just as soon as things slowed down?

Did you justify it by telling yourself that things were going “fine”, while thinking the following:

• That the vendor you were working with was doing a “decent” job of delivering on what was promised?
• Were you still unable to completely dismiss the fact that maybe your custom merch program was a bit stale?
• Did it feel like there were advances you should have been able to make in your custom merch program, but you were not quite sure what they were?

Are your suspicions valid? Here are 3 key signs that you have outgrown your custom merchandise company.

3 Signs Your Custom Merchandise Company Isn't the Right Fit

1. Your Custom Merchandise Company Does Personally Know You

You still don’t feel like your custom merchandise company knows who you are, what you do, and what your goals are, but you have been using them for through multiple custom merch order cycles. 

For starters, do you even have an effective custom merch program? There are many custom merchandise companies who really don’t know that much about custom merch itself. These are some signs to watch out for: 

• Some are software programmers looking for the next big wave they can jump on, and then off of, once their business reaches the desired size. They put together snappy websites for selling custom merch and “cool-looking” do-it-yourself design tools for you to use, but the actual process of creating the custom merch itself is not part of their DNA.
• They put together a cookie cutter approach that may not include much more than on-demand screen printed items or swag items. They “allow” you to present your custom merch on their website.

2. Your Custom Merchandise Company Does Not Give You Regular Market Insights and Fresh Ideas on Custom Merchandise Solutions

There is a good possibility that your custom merch provider is not in a position to provide updates on custom merchandise solutions and how those trends can be leveraged to market your brand and attract new customers. 

This lack of insight might just be the tip of the iceberg; their entire business model may be an impediment. If your custom merchandise company only works in one particular niche, they aren't aware of what is going on and creating the best custom merchandise solutions for your business.

3. Your Custom Merchandise Company Is Not Able to Deliver New, Fun, or Unique Custom Merch

Your provider may do screen printing, but only in a limited capacity. If they do provide other types of custom merch it may be outsourced. Organizations structured like this are limited by the types of custom merch they can provide; the ability to be custom and differentiate your merch is not possible.

Have We Hit A Nerve? How to find the right Custom Merchandise Company

If the ideas in this post ring true, it is highly likely that you have outgrown your current custom merchandise company. There is nothing wrong with that; you are not the first to reach this pivot point.

There are providers available who can join with you as you move your custom merch program to the next level.

Find a Merchandise Company that is a Partner Instead of a Vendor 

To re-energize your custom merch program, find a partner, not a vendor.

• Find an organization capable of collaborating with you on what you want today, and where you can go in the future.
• Find a partner with custom custom merchandise solutions embedded in their DNA: find a partner that is more interested in their craft than they are in saving pennies anywhere they can as they prepare for a disposition of their custom merchandise company to the highest bidder.
  

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Find a Custom Merch Partner That Works Across Multiple Industries

Find a partner that is large and diverse enough to work with custom merch programs across multiple industries. Only then will your merchandise partner have sufficient capacity to be well informed about cross-industry trends and the implications they can have for your merchandise program.

Find a Custom Merchandise Company Who Does It All

• A merch partner that can produce any type of custom custom merchandise you can think of.
• A custom merchandise partner that can offload any function you want as you up-level your custom merch program.
• A partner that can free you up to focus on the areas that you want. This type of partner will have a full art department and offerings including warehousing, fulfillment, and even creative financial arrangements that fit how you would like to run your custom merch program.

Conclusion

Your custom merch program can be everything you dreamed it would be when established . You owe it to yourself to work with someone who can help bring your passion and vision to life?  

We would love to chat! If you are interested in learning more about what can be done to take your custom merch program to the next level, give us a call at (801) 355-0331 or shoot us an email at info@hugebrands.com, or click this form to schedule a 15 minute chat with Huge Brands. 

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