11 Ways to Boost Your Promotional Apparel Sales

The holiday haze has lifted, and mailboxes are now filling with credit card statements, which means you’ll have to make a few extra sales to close the gap in 2018. If you haven’t done so already, perhaps now is the time to consider dressing up a little business in the $5.51 billion promotional apparel sector. To help you get started, we’ve put together a collection of tips, courtesy of our sister publication, Promo Marketing. From sizing demands to material trends, here’s what the experts had to say.

Left to right: 80/20 Fleece Zip Hoody, 80/20 Fleece Pullover Hoody from Next Level Apparel. | Credit: Next Level Apparel

ON ATHLETIC AND PERFORMANCE APPAREL

1. WEATHER THE STORM
Performance technology shines when the weather gets rough. Kevin Bloomquist, vice president of sales for A4 Apparel, Vernon, Calif., shared his go-to options for different weather conditions. “When it is cold, I would start with a thin polyester interlock layering piece that wicks moisture,” he said. “Multiple layers trap air and add insulation. If you can keep your body from getting damp, you can stay warm when it’s cold. For the cool, windy days, when you need to add another layer that will block the wind, a woven polyester shell will do the trick. When it’s hot, you also want a piece that wicks moisture away from your body, [as] this process will help reduce your body temperature.

It’s important to have a polyester fabric that is treated or woven to wick moisture. If not, that fabric will repel moisture and have the opposite effect. Plus, it’s very uncomfortable during and after your workout.” It’s not hard to figure out, but the secret is layering. As the weather gets colder, adding layers of outerwear with different fabric technologies helps cover as much area as possible.
– From January 2017’s “A Running Start”

2. LEAVE IT TO THE PROFESSIONALS
Due to the global popularity of the game, golf promises to enjoy great standing among its fans for generations to come. The media’s treatment of particular players as ever-engaging stars drives home the point that attention to their attire will put distributors in a position to have end-users wearing their products as they drive toward the cup.

Donning duds that show their business also has room for pleasure, men’s tour champions Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson are fashionable successors to the likes of PGA standouts Payne Stewart and Chi Chi Rodriguez, the former known for his knickers and the latter for Panama hats.

“It’s like a runway on the greens,” Jamie Allen, marketing director for HTT Apparel, Murrieta, Calif., quipped. “Everyone wants to see the next outfit or style that the leaders in golf are wearing on the courses.”
– From March 2017’s “Making Links on the Links”

3. STAND OUT WITH FABRICS
It is also vital that promotional apparel styles meet the standards of retail styles. This means high-quality materials used to make apparel pieces that stand up to current styles and trends. Norman Bishop, president of Bishop Custom Clothing, Vancouver, British Columbia, echoed this sentiment, pointing to the importance of updating fabrics in order to ensure that athleisure remains both in-demand and innovative.

“We have created new variations on lightweight stretch jackets and quarter-zips using a proprietary fabric that is extremely lightweight but brushed on one side to provide some thermal qualities, and 14 percent Spandex to provide unbelievable stretch and comfort,” he explained. “We call the fabric ‘yummy,’ and it wears extremely well and has a fantastic anti-pill face.”

Bishop’s “yummy” fabric seeks to answer multiple end-user demands at once: Lightweight yet warm, stretchable, comfortable and durable, this fabric embodies the innovative, versatile nature of athleisure apparel.
– From December 2017’s “Peace Out, 2017”

Women’s Cotton Ringer Tee from Next Level Apparel. | Credit: Next Level Apparel

ON T-SHIRTS

1. REMEMBER, NOT ALL BODY TYPES ARE CREATED EQUAL
These days, end-users love the versatility of T-shirts, which has resulted in more demand for transitional silhouettes. “Women’s T-shirt silhouettes are tending to become longer in length to accommodate our adoption of yoga pants as everyday wear,” said Vicki Ostrom, trend editor for SanMar, Issaquah, Wash. “The longer length covers more of our body, making the look work appropriate and extending the use for our daily activities.”

Ostrom also mentioned that waistlines currently are experiencing an evolution. “Instead of waistlines curving in slightly on a tee, the side seam may go straight down from the underarm through the hem—allowing for tees to be layered with no constriction of movement,” she explained. “This is considered a ‘body-kind’ fit instead of ‘body-con’ fit.”
– From February 2017’s “The T-shirt Transformation”

2. DRESS FOR THE OCCASION
Because the T-shirt is now the transition-wear staple, end-users want looks that can handle their day-to-day activities; the T-shirt has to be able to keep up with the user, whether it’s in the office or in a yoga studio. “Tees are much more important in our wardrobe now that we are dressing in this more transitional way,” said Ostrom. “We want our outfits to go ‘to and from’ or look like they are ‘coming and going’ meaning to the gym or from the gym—when, in fact, we are really going from work directly to other life errands and maybe to the gym.”

To keep up with end-user demand, Marcus Davis, manager of product development for Hanesbrands Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C., suggested a few technical fabrications. “Performance and activewear continue to converge into lifestyle apparel, driving down the basic core T-shirt market,” he said. “Instead, tees that wick or have odor control provide solutions to everyday activities. You have the look of fashion, but with performance features.”
– From February 2017’s “The T-shirt Transformation”

3. MAKE IT A PACKAGE DEAL
As for means to stand out within the promotional products industry, Cynthia Baker, public relations and promotions manager for Heritage Sportswear, Hebron, Ohio, offered tips to tip the scale in distributors’ favor.

“Sell an entire program, not just a style,” she stated. “For example, if you’re working with a client on a marathon, sell the run tee. Then, offer the visor, the rally towel and a sports bag. Pay attention to the packaging.”

Heritage Sportswear scored a hit, Baker said, when pairing a performance tee and a sports bottle at a major industry show, rolling the former into the latter for one of its “most popular samplings.” Numerous trade events find her crew sampling many tees, leading her to suggest that distributors show their samples decorated, as well as blank.

“We think it’s important to show the piece decorated,” Baker said. “The customer can see what it looks like decorated, and it’s a great way to spark their decorating imagination. Pick a piece with companions. You triple your options when you pick a style that offers an adult, ladies’ and youth piece.”
– From May 2017’s “All the Better for Wear”

ON OUTERWEAR

1. EVOLVE WITH FABRICS
Doug Jackson, president of Storm Creek, Hastings, Minn., noted that there are always new developments in fabrics—new techniques, technology and styles.

“Fabrics continue to become more unique each year with new knitting and weaving techniques,” he said. “So, our fabrics are getting softer, quieter and better to the touch and feel. We’re working on a lot of packability in our product, as well. We can make fully insulated jackets now that pack into something the size of a Harry Potter book and become your pillow on an airplane. With the nicer coatings and fabrics, we can pack an item and still have it look good when pulling out of the packable pocket.”
– From July 2017’s “Falling for Fleece”

2. GET AN EARLY START
In the heat of July, we can’t even imagine donning a fleece jacket. We can barely even pull off a long-sleeve T-shirt without breaking into a full sweat. But, just like you should have a fire extinguisher in your house before you have a fire, end-users will want a jacket before it gets too cold out.

“I think the obvious answer is [to start selling] in the prior season, in summer and early fall,” said John Perez, marketing associate for Tri-Mountain, Irwindale, Calif. “For Tri-Mountain, when we release our year-end sale, that’s when customers will see the discounts on fall apparel. However, I believe any time is the prime time to pitch fall apparel. Keep it fresh in customers’ minds. Keep them thinking and up-to-date on what’s ahead. So when they see another piece from a competitor, they will recall what you showed them and have a comparison in mind.”
– From July 2017’s “Falling for Fleece”

3. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT
When it comes to rugged and safety gear, it’s important to listen to end-users’ needs. John Perez, marketing associate for Tri-Mountain, Irwindale, Calif., suggested a few tried-and-true specs you need to keep in mind. “Comfort, warmth and durability,” he said. “What else would you want in a work jacket? We encourage distributors to order samples and take them out to customers. Have them try it on, check out the stitching, let them see how our apparel is built and how it’ll hold up in the field.”

Craig Smith, vice president of sales for Rugged Outfitters, Park Ridge, N.J., pointed out a few more characteristics to consider for your rugged and outdoor promotions. “[Look for] garments that hold up, value in what you purchase, water-resistant fabrics and washed fabrics that move with ease,” he said.
– From August 2017’s “Safety First”

4. GO BIG OR GO HOME
“It’s simple,” Terry Chen, general manager of Landway International, South San Francisco, Calif., said of what sets outerwear and jackets apart from other apparel items. “They are worn outdoors, and you want that logo front and center outside when people are engaging and socializing with one another. Also, people tend to notice jackets more than inner-layer garments. You often hear people say, ‘Hey, nice jacket, where did you get it?’ But not as much [do you hear], ‘Hey, nice Henley shirt.’ I think, in general, jackets (garments that you wear as the outermost layer) tend to be more representative of a person’s identity and interest. So, folks think about it more in their selection of jackets.

“… Source jackets that consumers actually want to wear,” Chen continued. “Otherwise, if the recipient just keeps it in the closet, then it loses its purpose. Don’t just show clients products from an obvious supplier, the same supplier that probably all of your competitors in town are showing. Always offer good, better and best options, regardless of budget.”
– From September 2017’s “Give Winter the Cold Shoulder”

5. MODERNIZE THE CLASSIC
Bishop filled us in on the importance of updating vintage styles to fit the modern end-user. Pointing to the popularity of the classic-style varsity jacket, Bishop said, “We have seen a resurgence in that style and we are using newer, more modern wool blends or completely different fabrications like stretch technical knits to achieve an updated variety. We have also substantially slimmed down the body of those classic bombers to match the current retail trends.”
– From December 2017’s “Peace Out, 2017”