How and why you should sell merchandise at Festivals

Festivals are a prime opportunity for marketing, especially during summer when there seems to be a festival (big or small!) every other day. Festivals are a fantastic place to reach and engage with an audience, and having so many people in one space, all with similar interests is an opportunity that brands and businesses need to make the most out of. 

Why should you focus your marketing efforts on festivals?

Because all the hard work has been done for you! If you’re at a festivals, you’re likely either a band or performer (so you might have merchandise to sell) or you’re a sponsor or an exhibitor with products to sell. Either way, a festival is a great opportunity to capture the attention of a focussed group of people. 

People at festivals are actively looking for merchandise too, so there’s no better opportunity to sell it!

Selling merchandise as a band or performer

If you’re a band, a singer or performer and you’re due to perform at a festival soon, you may have been considering merchandise. Getting merchandise printed feels like a big step as a performer, because you have to make an initial investment before selling the items for profit. 

But don’t worry, selling merchandise at festivals is much less of a risk then selling merchandise via a website or social media – because you have an audience ready and waiting. When you have an audience who have seen you perform, and maybe even bought tickets just to see you, then they’re very likely to make a purchase of any merchandise you choose to sell. Not only to support you as a performer or band, but also to remember the gig / performance and take away a memento from the festival. 

Choosing the right kind of design

You’ll want to focus your merchandise on your brand, so it’s clear to your fans exactly who you are. Fans will be proud to wear your merchandise, so make it obvious that it’s you they’re supporting! 

Here are some ideas for designs: 

• Logo – if you have a logo of band initials, they look great taking centre stage in the design.
• Photo – If you have a great photo of the band, or yourself, this can work great. 
• Band illustration – If you have any artwork from fans or artists centred around yourself or the band, you could have this as the main design. 
• Lyrics – If you’re well known for specific lyrics, why not have the lyrics as your design. 
• Individual photos – If you’re a band of 2+ people, maybe have a different design for each member of the band, that way people can support their favourite member. 

Choosing the right kind of design is key to ensuring people want to buy your merchandise so make sure you put time and effort into the design to make it professional and wearable.

Choosing the right product for your merchandise

There are loads of different products you can sell as merchandise at festivals, and you’ll  be surprised how many make great choices. Bear in mind, you want your merchandise to be easy to store and transport (festivals can be difficult to get to sometimes) and you’ll also want to ensure whichever product you choose can be sold at an appealing price to your fans and customers. 

Here are some options we think work great for merchandise at festivals: 

• T-shirts – the classic item of merchandise, you can’t go wrong with a t-shirt! 
• Tote bags – these are really popular at the moment, and they’re also really affordable and easy to print onto!
• Hats – Different styles of hats suit different performers, but hats are always a popular choice regardless of the style! 
• Hoodies – a step up from t shirts, but just as popular. People love a branded hoody! 

Choosing where to print

You’ll want to ensure you choose a printing partner who you can trust to deliver high quality items to you, therefore ensuring your customers and fans are happy with their merchandise. 

Here at Garment Printing we specialise in merchandise for festivals and we deliver the highest quality printed merchandise, and embroidered merchandise to many performers and bands across the UK. If you order from us, you’ll know that your merchandise is high quality and long lasting – meaning your fans and customers stay happy. 

We offer lots of different clothing styles, all with personalisable options – ideal for merchandise. 

If you have any questions we’d love to hear from you. Our printing experts will be happy to help you design and order your merchandise!