Stock vs. Custom Merchandise

While we do consider ourselves the Queens of Custom (insert crown emojis here), there’s a lot more to the stock vs. custom promotional merchandise debate than simply saying, “custom is better”.

We define ‘stock’ merchandise as a product off the shelf that can be branded. These are generic items that are offered at most of the other promotional companies. That same stock-standard, slap-a-logo-on-it kinda stuff. These pieces are usually of alright quality, and the branding options are fairly limited.

Custom promotional merchandise, on the other hand, can be something brought to life from your Pinterest board… something wild like Lurex socks with an embroidered logo in PMS 231! Custom gives you exactly what you want, personalised to not just reflect your branding but to say something about your business and communicate your core values. A physical memento of how you want to be seen.

Why does custom work so well?

Custom merchandise embodies your brand. It’s merch that’s been made exactly to your specifications, designed by the experts (*us*), and intended to feel like a seamless extension of your marketing. Savvy consumers won’t hesitate to stash a boring logo’d keep-cup at the back of their cupboard, but those pom-pom socks with subtle branding incorporated on the sole will become a wardrobe staple.

The fact is that custom merch gets used. It’s something different. It’s not just like the rest. People want to carry around a tote that’s unique and stylish––with your logo. When we worked with Mecca to create their very own tote bag for their Beauty Loop rewards program, they had customers asking in-store where they could buy one. 

"We loved the Merch that Merchgirls made for our Meccaland event… the merch was really well received by our customers and created a buzz… the allocation sold out each session, luckily I managed to obtain a leftover one from a shot!"

– Sarah O’Brien, Mecca Event Project Manager

Each merch drop we’ve designed for the Mother’s Day Classic Foundation has sold out immediately––because you can’t get these products anywhere else! For Telstra Purple, we created some incredibly custom merch as well as their online portal where staff could purchase items with allocated credits. We still get people now (who didn’t qualify for the merch hoodie) asking if they can buy it with their own money! We also regularly get feedback from other Telstra departments saying how much they love the hoodie and want it for themselves. Chris from Telstra Purple had this to say:

“...it looks and feels great and has proven to be in demand across the Telstra Corporation and is also well received at promotional events. Thank you Merchgirls team!”

Custom merch doesn’t just get used, it gets talked about, it becomes sought after, and at the end of the day, this hype only means more ROI and brand impressions for you. 

Are there any pros to stock merch?

We like to say that a solid merch range can include both stock and custom products.
Let’s talk about stock (or local) merchandise. Sometimes you need 50 units of a product in three weeks for an event. You don’t have much time or much budget. In this case, working with stock/local products is the only way to go. Stock merch has faster lead times and lower MOQs (minimum order quantities). If you’re a small business, stock merchandise could be a good option for you. For this reason, Merchgirls does work with a handful of local suppliers for these options. We have sourced a range of products that we offer in our Menu and are able to brand quickly. 

When considering having our own ‘stock merch’ that we could have on hand to service our clients quickly, we created our own line of canvas bags––our best-selling Billie Totes. These bags come in nine colours and are warehoused in Melbourne. We print these totes using an organic, water-based ink and can deliver within a 3-week turnaround.

Another local product we offer (note: local – not stock) is our Aussie-made stationery items. These are fully custom-made to your specifications and can also be produced within a 3-week turnaround. 

Is local or offshore merchandise better?

Local or offshore is another consideration to make when it comes to your merch. Generally speaking, local distributors are associated with stock merch. We’re talking about stock colours, standard logo placement, limited stock levels and limited customisation for your branding. However, local distributors do offer the merch benefits of low MOQs, quick turnaround times and the ability to select from a few set products.

On the other hand, offshore distribution offers Pantone colour matching to your brand guidelines, all-over print placement, your products made to order and a lot more control over the final product. The reality of this, however, is that the MOQs are higher and the lead times are longer. As our customers mostly come to us for our ability to create bespoke products, custom production accounts for approximately 80% of our line, and we’ve created solid benchmarks to hit when it comes to quality. 

However, we utilise both local and offshore merchandise, the reason being that no client is the same––nor are their merch requirements! We keep a foot in both camps to ensure we can do anything merch-wise. Even if you want to go local to squeeze into a shorter timeline, going through us means you don’t have to sacrifice on the best design outcome.

What else does Merchgirls customise?

Logistics

For some clients who need a place for their teams to shop the merch, we create an entire online portal customised to the branding. It’s essentially your own e-commerce store that we set up. We also offer 3PL services to clients who need them, so we can store, pack and ship the merch out as it’s bought on your portal, or as you require it. We have several different freight packages to accommodate every client––some need the full shebang while others only require storage. We customise the entire logistics process of your merch to your needs. 

Design Brief

Despite Menu 4.0 containing 250+ unique merch products, we know that sometimes you’ve got an idea in your head that requires something special. We can create custom designs from your brief––it doesn’t have to be something on our menu. We’re also incredibly dynamic in the design proposal process, showing you how the customised item is going to look, which a lot of companies won’t do. We hold your hand through the whole design process, to ensure you’re 100% happy before you make your decision. When working with our client, Satterley Property Group, we were able to blow them away with our custom approach to their branding.

“I was blown away with the concepts and products that Merchgirls were able to put together. It was great to see the ways in which Merchgirls can bring a brand to life through merchandise. I can't wait to work on some more merchandise together."

– Emma, Satterley Property Group

So, which is better?

The fact is that no one will give a single merch about your stock-colour coffee mug when your competitor is offering an Inga Felt Clutch or Twiggy Taco custom-designed within their brand guidelines. If you’re serious about investing in merch as a marketing tool within your existing marketing plan––you need to go custom. And if you want your entire merch journey to be as custom and unique as your brand is––you need to go Merchgirls.

Wanna give custom a red hot go? Let’s chat. 

Please note: to access Menu 4.0, you must be a registered business with a correlating email address. Minimum order quantities apply. 

Ready to get started on a custom merch experience, tailored to your specific merch needs? Book a meeting and we’ll get to work.