Growing Your Brand with Custom Apparel

A recent study conducted in the fashion industry suggests a shift in consumer preferences from mass production towards mass personalization. What this means is that gone are days of people wearing the same things, as individuals now prefer unique options tailored to their preferences and taste. This represents an opportunity for the promotional products industry as custom branded apparel has the potential to create memorable individualized experiences for anyone who receives the product. Businesses should take advantage of this change in trend as it will allow them to connect with their customers, and will provide an avenue for increasing brand awareness. Take a look below at why now is the perfect time to give out branded apparel as part of your next marketing campaign.

The increase in demand for personalized products is closely related to the rise of social media. A report conducted by Deloitte found that “empowered by social networks, people are increasingly dictating what they want, when and where they buy it” (Deloitte, 2015). In the digital era consumers have more choice and increased access to information, which gives them the power to become content creators and curators themselves. Custom branded products are highly shareable on social media as people are always eager to show off their creativity. Customers can share content featuring products they receive from businesses, or share their own creations with hashtags and handles to join the conversation online. Social media has magnified the effect of branded gear, making apparel good advertising!

In order to meet the current demand for personalized products, companies are introducing new apparel options and printing methods. Direct-to-Garment printers allow promotional products distributors to print full colour, photo-realistic artwork that would be difficult and expensive to produce with screen printing. Prints are completed much quicker compared with screen-printing which is key for beating your competition to the punch. Businesses can take advantage of viral moments happening in pop culture, and quickly turn them into custom merchandise as we now have more resources than ever to bring your creation to life.

Another great reason to invest in branded apparel right now is their long-term brand impact. Data suggests that highly personalized products are kept for longer as people value a single unique product more than a large number of generic ones. In terms of an investment, businesses want to choose products that will be used for many seasons as opposed to items that will be discarded after a few uses. Taking the time to create a unique, meaningful product can pay off in the long run as recipients will use them for a longer time, allowing your brand to receive more exposure.

The changes in consumer preferences, developing technology and advertising potential are just some of the reasons why you should incorporate branded apparel to your marketing campaign. As outlined here, your brand can really benefit from gifting products that are tailored to the recipient’s preferences. Take the time to know your customers and give them new, trending apparel options which they will proudly wear and keep for a long time.