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 get your finances back on track! To help you do your best, you'll find below 5 tips to optimise your merch sales at 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 to think about both those who will want to buy your merch at all costs and those who just 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 euros 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 immediately but will subconsciously remember it: 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, which 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 push people to buy a whole pack. It's also interesting to consider putting some products at a free price: you'd be surprised at 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 coloured vinyl or a hoodie available only in twenty-five copies with a unique logo...

Try not to set prices too high, in line with your style, your reputation and your type of audience so that everyone benefits. Likewise, keep this obvious rule in mind: 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 the friend manning the stand wear your products or wear your merch yourself on stage during the concert, to create desire and give a preview of what it looks like.

As with stickers, statistics prove 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 realise 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 added value to your merch. Place this symbol wherever you can on the t-shirts you'll wear on stage, on your bass drum skin, 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 customised clothing and goodies is what will be transmitted to the world when people wear or use it in public.

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

Seeing the products worn on stage or by your merch guy allows them to be presented in context, 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 thanks to 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 are spending money on them! While you're on stage, by the way, 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, stock and be in contact with fans/customers. One of the biggest pieces of advice I could give to a band 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 items

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 colours on it: there's something for everyone!

"As the music industry is now pulverised and you'll never make money 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 colours 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) Consider bringing 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 has no money left in their pockets once the concert is over, which can be frustrating for them as well as for you if they enjoyed it 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 lot of available options, inexpensive and very practical 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 stock.

These three companies operating in several countries have managed to penetrate the French market and are somewhat occupying the field. It is very easy to subscribe to one of these three offers, which do not require being linked to a bank. All the terminals offered 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 according to the total amount of transactions.

On tour, it's always practical and 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.

"At the moment in the music world, as my guitarist so aptly put it, the majority of musicians are itinerant t-shirt sellers who play music for publicity. In this case, merchandising is really important, as well as good design for it. Firstly, 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 many more people but you don't rip anyone off."

Nick Reed, bassist for Beartooth 

Elements to have on your merch table: 

• A small lamp to highlight the merch items you have for sale in the dark
• A head torch to search for merch in your boxes and give change without struggling!
• A list for people to fill in if they want to give their email address and sign up for the newsletter
• Markers, pens and paper (for autographs, for example) 
• Display stands to showcase CDs, vinyl records... 
• Hangers to display your t-shirts 
• 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 sign with the prices of the items you're selling to put on the table
• A cool tablecloth, perhaps with your logo on it.
• If you don't have a backdrop or banner, a sign that identifies your merch table and your band

The more organised your merch table is, the more likely people are to come and 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 purchases 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 up high, 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. One might be tempted to put them at the front of the table, but this also makes potential theft easier...

Don't forget that you can accessorise 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 of each item visible to avoid cluttering the space and attract the buyer's attention as effectively as possible.

Conclusion

With all the changes we're seeing 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 yourself into financial trouble by buying a million things, secondly, fans will have a gradual merch offering to buy, which will give them a reason to keep visiting your merch stand or online shop to see the new items they don't have yet!

If you notice that a t-shirt model is selling really well, think about re-issuing 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 could 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.