Society Merchandise Guide

Introducing society merchandise presents a powerful opportunity to elevate the society's presence within the university, making students more aware of its existence while also serving as a fundraising tool to support engaging events for members. Beyond financial benefits, the merch fosters a strong sense of belonging, much like how football fans connect with their club, allowing members to proudly associate with the society.

When branded and promoted effectively, it creates an exclusive appeal, strengthening the society's reputation and increasing its brand value. It also opens doors for strategic partnerships, particularly with businesses that align with the society's values, such as Black-owned enterprises.

Additionally, merchandise can be used as part of an awards and gifting system, reinforcing the society's identity while incentivising active participation. Furthermore, it offers valuable hands-on experience in design, marketing, and fashion, which could be curated as exclusive opportunities for members to develop their skills. To further engagement, merchandise could be incorporated into competitions, coupon-based rewards, or even lottery-style initiatives, making it a dynamic and impactful addition to the society's activities.

"Ultimately, through careful planning, consideration, and execution, societies can see a shift beyond just events and services but, more importantly, open up avenues for increased revenue through merchandise, ticket & raffle sales, and increased memberships."

Setting Up Merchandise: A Step-by-Step Guide

1. Brainstorm and research merchandise options with the committee, exploring their pros and cons. Consider:

   • Ease of production

   • Delivery time

   • Weather and seasons

   • Customization

   • Size & weight (for accessibility)

   • Cost to produce vs cost to sell

   • Supplier availability and location

   • Sales strategy and platform

2. Consult with wider society members through strategic marketing to create demand. Use group chats and social media with polls and voting to identify the most promising products.

3. With a product selected, make it happen:

   • Contact designers if needed

   • Find suppliers

   • Utilize society members' skills for design to save costs

4. Promote, market, and sell your product!

Key Considerations

• Select merchandise ambassadors (committee members and well-known students) to enhance visibility

• Timing is crucial—best sales period is September to January

• Align annual events with merchandise promotions

• Begin planning in early summer or the previous year

• Avoid rushing; involve the society throughout the process

• Leverage social media to build anticipation

Helpful Software

• T-Shirt Studio: for merch design

• Excel: for financial planning and estimation

• Canva: generating marketing materials

• University Student Union Website: listing merchandise

• Adobe Photoshop: designing merchandise

• WhatsApp and Instagram: spreading promotional materials

"You want to make the process as easy and comfortable as possible for yourself and your team, so use what you know and have. Keep in mind that time is limited, so you do not have the luxury of learning and performing trials. Society merch is a fast-paced delivery/turnaround product, meaning that it will likely be seasonal, giving you one shot to succeed in most cases. Go with what you know and seek advice from experienced contacts where you fall short. Leveraging skills and information will be key to saving time, so be adaptable while not venturing too far from your goals and objectives." 

- Rob

Sourcing and Support

Although we cannot suggest a particular supplier, consider order/print-on-demand suppliers to minimise stock-holding risks. Design merchandise around this constraint to ensure financial viability without committing significant funds. For additional guidance, consult other society members, brand owners, or the university union.

Marketing Strategy

It's all about creating demand before selling. Work from the end user to the product to understand your target audience and environment. Students are less likely to spend money where they don't see value, so your challenge is creating an affordable product that attracts members to see, understand, relate to, and connect with its value.

Your merchandise choice and design will form your marketing strategy:

• Do you want a versatile product that users can wear/use beyond society events?

• Or do you want something niche that stands out?

Once you have a solid plan:

• Use social media engagement, teasers, and posts

• Create value through compelling narratives

• Consider accessibility vs. exclusivity in pricing

• Use influential individuals to create aspirational appeal

• Implement giveaways, discounts, and early access

• Take people through the process from start to sales

Learning from Experience

"In our instance, the results were not great; in fact, everything I have detailed is what I would do differently and not exactly what I did. Sure, there are aspects of key considerations in our merchandise delivery and sales, but at the end of the day, a huge portion of my advice is from the lessons learnt. Our team did not give it enough time, planning consideration, promotion, and marketing. We had a good product but forgot the key function of sales—the client and the environment it was to operate in. Therefore, we were rushed and desperate to produce something without full consideration of how to sell it. So if I were to do it again, that is how I would do it!"

Recommendations for Societies

Merchandise is beneficial but should not come at the expense of the society's budget. Consider order/print-on-demand suppliers to avoid upfront capital risk. With careful planning and execution, every society can have merchandise.

What items to offer and pricing depend on your research and audience engagement. Consider mainstream items, but don't ignore potential products outside the norm. The key question is: who is your client, and how do you sell to them? "An individual will buy anything you put in front of them if you convince them enough / create a high need for their acquisition."

The Bigger Picture

"The ACS gains more awareness. The more people see it, the more it leaves an impression on them. As such it creates a place of belonging where you walk into a place and you see merch you are wearing is being worn by a couple of other people, thus bringing a sense of oneness and connection. Just like how any Chelsea fan, by just seeing another person wearing the jersey, can start a conversation about the team and bond over that." - Fervent

"Well, societies are all about the people, and with people you have many aspects / opportunities for bringing them together, and, one of these is culture. From food to drinks, music and dances, hobbies and interests, and other key factors, one thing that will always stand out will be clothing, accessories and other items to which members identify their belonging with. That is what merchandises can offer. A symbol and statement to identify the society's culture and purpose. Opening up elements far beyond events and service delivery, you can offer merchandise. So, to conclude, I leave you with the following… think beyond the norm and strive to give members something to desire and take pride in, one that they will cherish and remember this phase of their lives with."

The ACS gains more awareness. The more people see it, the more it leaves an impression on them. As such it creates a place of belonging where you walk into a place and you see merch you are wearing is being worn by a couple of other people, thus bringing a sense of oneness and connection. From food to drinks, music and dances, hobbies and interests, and other key factors, one thing that will always stand out will be clothing, accessories and other items to which members identify their belonging with. A symbol and statement to identify the society's culture and purpose.