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What to do after you make your first merch sale

You’ve just made your first merch sale. Now what? Keep the momentum going by following our best-seller tips!

Your merch isn’t going to sell itself – you’ve got to get the word out. Launching your Spreadshop is just the first step. It’s important to promote your shop and engage your community. Still looking for yours? Find your community by using unique marketing strategies and strengthening your niche.

The first sale should signal a wave of good things to come; not be the beginning and end for your shop. Read on to learn how you can grow your sales!

Marketing Master

Marketing your merch is easy when you know what your niche is. This can help you better define your audience and understand their interests. You know how to market to them this way. It will also increase the likelihood for sales when you’re addressing your target audience; you don’t have to engage everyone on the internet.

Find out which platform works best for your audience. Are they more active on TikTok or Instagram? You want to go to them rather than waiting for them to come to you. Decide how you want your content to look once you land on some solid platform options. Consider shooting your merch in-person. This will help your products feel more personal and relatable to your followers. Stock images don’t always translate the vibrancy and quality of your merch.

If you’re still having trouble finding your audience, try targeted ads! Put a little money behind a post. This can help boost likes, shop clicks and profile visits. It’s a more efficient marketing tactic. Socials are where its at and you’ve got to stay active.

Social Butterfly

Posting consistently and keeping your followers up-to-date with your Spreadshop is good, but you also need to engage with your community. Respond to comments and pose questions to your audience to let them know you value their support. People want to feel included.

Consider running polls on your Instagram stories asking your followers which merch design they prefer. If you know what they’re interested in, that will make it easier to narrow down your product selection. It will also guarantee more sales.

Hosting a giveaway is also a fun and effective way to show appreciation for your customers. Everyone loves the opportunity to win FREE stuff! Your followers will appreciate this special attention and remember it when you launch new merch down the line.

Time For a Promotion

Every month, Spreadshop has promotional offers (free shipping/discounts) you can advertise to your followers. It’s not just when you launch your shop! Those offers are great incentives to get people to purchase your merch. And having a strategy is important.

Advertise these offers ahead of time on your social media. Things like Instagram Stories are a great place to drop these reminders. Even mention these promotional offers at the end of your captions, too.

Drive attention to certain products depending on the season. Make merch that’s themed to different holidays like St. Patrick’s Day and Easter. Find ways to keep with what’s current and on trend. Continue to tweak your strategy based on the feedback you’re getting and more sales will follow.

Launch and Engage

Staying inside your bubble can be comforting, but it’s just not as exciting. Don’t be afraid to talk about your merch with fellow shop owners. That’s where our Spreadshop Community comes in.

The community is a great place to trade ideas and get inspiration for your shop. You’ll find people in the community that have had a Spreadshop for years. They have knowledge and insight that you’re lacking. Don’t be afraid to ask them questions or reach out for advice!

Post your designs there and ask for feedback. Not every design is going to be a winner, and they can help give you some tips. Still having trouble selling your merch? There’s a dedicated space in the community where you can ask anything. Fellow members and administrators are there to respond to your questions.

Making that first sale is a motivator for you to stay in the merch game. We hope these tips can help drive more sales in your shop and grow your brand’s online presence.

Need merch? Launch your own Spreadshop today!

New in: Umbrella (EU Only)

Your designs will be “singin’ in the rain” when you feature them on this new collapsible umbrella. What will they be singing, you ask? That should be obvious: “Now that it’s raining more than ever / Know that we’ll still have each other / You can stand under my umbrella ella ella eh eh eh!”

Product Info (ID 55)

Brand: Fare
Manufactured in China
Collapsible Umbrella
100% polyester (covering)
Metal and plastic (handle)
Length, folded: 24cm
Colors: Black

Print and price Info

Print area front and back (width x height): 22.1 cm x 16.8 cm
Print types: DTF and Flex print -> pixel and vector files

Which of your designs would look good in the rain? Any questions about our newest product for your Shop assortment? Drop them in the comments!

New in: Contrast Snapback Cap (EU only)

Our new Snapback Cap has joined our assortment alongside the classic baseball cap to bring a retro feeling to your EU Shop.

The Contrast Snapback Cap is available in bold black/neon orange, neutral black/grey and cool black/turquoise.

Which of your designs will you put on it and why?

Product information (ID 803)

Brand: Beechfield
Manufactured in China
Size: Adjustable
Material: 100% Cotton
Straight contrasting brim
Colors: black/neon orange; black/grey; black/teal

Print and price information

Print area right/left (width x height): 6.5 cm x 2.5 cm
Print Area front (width x height): 12.7 cm x 5 cm
Print types: Flex/Flock and DTF (pixel and vector graphics possible link to help page)
Pricing varies

Why is it actually called a Snapback Cap?

Snapback caps are size-adjustable at the back of the head thanks to their trademark snap. What distinguishes the snapback from its predecessor – the baseball cap – is the straight brim.

Snapback caps were first used in baseball, but in the 2000s they became a popular accessory in hip-hop culture.

All clear? If not, come to the Spreadshop forum and chat with us and your fellow Shop Owners all over the world!

Church Merch: How to Wear Your Faith

Wear your faith when you make merch for your church. Merch can benefit your congregation in more ways than you might think.

Use merch as a means for fundraising. With Spreadshop, you can take back a portion of the profits beyond our base price. This works in the favor of shop owners – especially when you’re raising money for a good cause.

Church merch can also bring a community together. Wear custom t-shirts to church retreats, trips and events. You’ll create memories – and take great photos – that you’ll always cherish. It’s easy to wear your faith when you use Spreadshop for your merch needs!

Easy Shop Setup

Launch your shop in minutes, hey, even seconds! To open a Spreadshop all you need is your name, email and shop name (which you can change anytime). Uploading designs might seem overwhelming at first, but you likely already have content that will look great on your merch.

Use your church name or logo. It’s likely you already have one that you use in marketing materials and for promotion. You can upload your designs as jpg and png files. Looking for design inspo? Canva offers FREE and paid tiers where you can make print-ready graphics. They have so many design elements and templates to choose from. You won’t leave the platform empty-handed!

Spreadshop has hundreds of products you can use for your church merch. The inventory you offer is up to you, just like the theme. Customization is going to be key to your success. Tell your story, your way.

Fundraise With Merch

Bake sales and raffles are go-to fundraiser options, but selling merch offers a different fundraising experience. People want to feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. And Spreadshop can help you do that with your church merch.

Non-profit Children Mending Hearts used merch to raise money when they couldn’t see each other in-person and have their normal fundraising events. Having a merch shop gave them the opportunity to connect with people virtually, plus, it was FREE and easy.

“The biggest attraction we had to Spreadshop was [that] it was print-on-demand,” said a spokesperson. “Since we’re a small non-profit, we don’t have the resources or space to produce and store a full run of T-shirts.”

You don’t need to have a big operation to raise funds for your church. A church of any size can set up a shop and start making money with the support of their community.

Faith in Merch

Every week, churches open shops with us. We’ve seen a range of designs and messages that speak to faith. Check out what churches are doing with their merch!

Mount Calvary Community Church has a dynamic logo that stands out on all their merch products. They call themselves “the biggest little church in Omaha” and no doubt they’ve got the best church merch in Omaha. Living Stones Church based in Nevada have found a way to modernize their merch. They’ve added simple yet defined graphics to their merch beyond a traditional logo. This helps target multiple demographics.

St. Matthew’s Church decided to commemorate their 40th anniversary with merch. If they’re putting on an event, this merch gives them the opportunity to tell a story and honor the years they’ve been active in their community. Merch is more than just t-shirts and hoodies; it helps send a message.

Reach Your Community

Church merch strengthens the bond you have with your community. It’s a physical reminder of what you have in common: your faith. You can promote your merch to members of your congregation in a way that works for you.

Make dedicated flyers and post them on billboards at different places in your community. Hand them out at the end of mass. Remind people at church events. If your church has a social media presence, even better.

Create content that features your merch in a relatable way and be direct with your messaging. If you want to drum up even more interest, consider doing a giveaway. This will create new conversations and interest.

Spread your faith when you use Spreadshop for your church merch needs. Launch merch today!

New for your Shop: Ceramic Beer Mug (EU Only)

This sturdy ceramic beer mug (ID 717) brings a bit of Oktoberfest spirit to wherever you are, anytime of year. Is your Shop ready for a cold beer?

Product Info (EU only)

Brand: Schulze GmbH
Manufactured in China
Material: Ceramic
Capacity: 500ml
Dishwasher resistant (however, handwashing will help the print last even longer)
Colors: White

Print and Price information

Print Area Right/Left (width x height): 7.4 cm x 5.5 cm
Print Area Front (width x height): 7 cm x 5.5 cm
Print Types: Thermal sublimation

Have any questions about our newest addition? Fire away in the comments!