The Backpack: Issue #17

Hey, friends! Welcome to our newly revised (monthly) newsletter, “The Backpack” bringing monthly news that features trends in merch, top articles, podcast episodes, and global news impacting merch life. Miss an article or an episode? We’ll highlight the best of, right here, each month!

How 3 Distributors Harness Portals for Success

What’s the #1 Client Retention Tool? Ease-of-use. If you make it easy for your clients to do business with you, they stick around. This includes every touchpoint along the customer journey: initial order, reorders, shop experience, quotes, invoicing - everything. Customers want it simple, and B2B buyers are demanding that ease-of-use at their fingertips. Which is why we created portals: clients can effortlessly view all their current and past orders, track shipments, access invoices, and even place reorders—all with just a few clicks. Want to know how distributors are using them? Open that portal, here!

Sourcing Pink Merch? We Got You

How long was the gestation period to create Barbie-Merch? About 18 months long, according to the WSJ. The whole world’s a hot pink palooza right now and your client’s likely hittin’ you up for some pink merch, but they don’t have 18 months! And one of the most irritating aspects of finding the perfect product for your client is being bogged down by product search. Are you floppin’ around like Mermaid Barbie in a sea of endless products on product search? Or searching for product with a hundred supplier tabs open on your browser? Or worse, sifting through catalogs and PDFs like you’re Barbie Rewind 80’s edition? No more. Just click this handy little, curated Barbie-themed merch collection created by own very own community manager Sarah Remple. You can even turn that collection into a shop for your customers in a few clicks! Note: commonsku collections are ‘specially curated for commonsku clients, which, if you’re not one, you can fix that quick-like here.

The New 80/20 Rule for Winning

In the promotional products industry, there are thousands of small distributors -- and small distributors are growing. According to PPAI, in 2022, small distributors grew faster than their large business counterparts, and small distributors now comprise nearly 50% of the industry’s $25+ billion in revenue. If you are a team of one, two, or three, this one’s for you. And even if you’re not, you still might learn something from the secret to creating more time: thievery.

The Merch-ification of Book Publishing

Oooooo book people are MAD about not gettin’ their merch. Check this near-4,000 word article on merch and the book publishing industry. I mean, we know merch is hot, but this sizzlin’ take by Esquire is lit with quotable quotes for your next client preso. Do this: Share this big story as a ‘lil case study with clients when you talk about their next influencer kit, onboarding kits (any kinda merch kit, really), here’s the quotables you can steal:

• “When I stopped by a bookstore, sometimes I’d get a comment from a bookseller about the merch frenzy.”

• "The more digital we all are, little things that are tangible and unique have a lot of currency."

• “Book merch has more social currency than ever.”

• “Promotional items act as the ultimate seal of approval.”

And our fave? “I have never been more jealous of anyone ever."
We loooovve a story filled with merch envy.

Give a Cluck: How Merch Helps Save Farms

Probably one of the coolest merch initiatives we’ve seen by a low-key brand. Did you know that the Organic Valley butter, sour cream, and eggs you buy at the store are made by over 1600 small, organic family farms? With over 900 employees, Organic Valley has one of the coolest merch initiatives because it’s merch that boosts their purpose. “By choosing Organic Valley, whether it’s our farm-saving gear or ethically sourced food, you’re helping keep over 1600 small family farms on the land. These farms are doing some incredible things for our planet.” Merch that supports their mission includes their Give a Cluck t-shirt or their Over the Moon (about small family farms) Leaping Cow hat, or their Save Small Family Farms cap (we loooove protest merch), or check this Organic Before it Was Cool t-shirt. Merch pro tip: You’re selling merch to your clients, but does it align with their mission and values? If not, there’s a great merch opp for you to discover!

[Hip Hop] Merch Rolling Loud

It’s summer music fest season but also the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, and “Rolling Loud” is the world’s largest hip-hop festival, spanning the US, Asia, and Europe. Hip-hop drives tomorrow’s fashion trends, that’s why you’re still kickin’ in those Addidas sambas and can’t quite tuck away those Timberlands, and maybe also why bucket hats are hot (again). Want to know what the world’s largest hip-hop fest is selling the most? Some great ideas here. Merch pro-tip: Peep those designs. And the OG tune we’re spinning to celebrate 50 years? Um, that one’s a bit tricky.

Ice Cream [MERCH] throwdown!

Confesh: Ice cream is our hot girl dinner. Besides, temps are raging everywhere and it was National Ice Cream Day on Tues, which means more excuses to gorge aaaalllll summer long! So, of the world’s best boutique ice cream makers, who’s got da best ice cream? Phhhht. Who’s got da best ice cream MERCH is what backpackers wanna know. The showdown (and a good merch lesson here): Toscanini’s vs. VanLeeuwen vs. McConnell’s vs Jeni’s.

Toscanini’s (deemed “world’s best ice cream” by NYT), has merch but TBH, pretty vanilla 🫠. Salt & Straw’s merch is slightly off, like that insufferable French Vanilla (who eats that anyways?). VanLeeuwen’s got a decent merch game, cheerful colors, classic but poppin’ (true story: once took an Uber ride in Brooklyn straight from skucamp just to scoop a VanLeeuwen, cost me $40 bucks). McConnell’s old-school merch vibe is pretty sweet, they have a respectable mug wheelbarrow big enough to handle this backpacker's craving and a custom bowl for pros. But honestly, it’s Jeni-Jeni for the win. GIMME that Gooey Butter Cake! Jeni’s merch is rad, especially that “ice cream for breakfast” t-shirt. And hey, y’all, there’s a Jeni’s 5 min down the road from skucamp Austin, now it won’t cost you $40 bucks to get your fix. Merch lesson: Be sure the merch you sell your customer reflects the visual energy, the vibe, and flavor of their brand.

Bucket Hats vs Baseball Caps: Which Trend Wins Summer?

Another throwdown for ya, because yep, metallic shiny shoes might be the hit on the street, but who’s winning the fashion battle of the summer lids? It’s bucket hats vs baseball caps and the battle is intense. First there’s cricket champ Ben Stokes (who soon became known as “bucket hat Ben,” because of his love for buckets) and just when you think buckets have topped 😂 caps, Pharrell Williams comes at us with a snug-fitting baseball cap during his Paris, Louis Vuitton fashion debut. Which, BTW, Pharrell’s cap is an advert for his skincare line, a nice use of merch from fashion’s most It designer. So … who’s winning, buckets or caps? Honestly, really, who cares?! Sell them both!

Don’t look now.

First, there was affirmation merch, then trial merch, now, “social reply merch” (which, we’ll just shorten to @merch). If you’re following Jonah Hill’s text drama (I mean, who isn't?), Jonah’s in a superbad mess of trouble … over his social reply merch. And then, Keke Palmer gets mom-shamed by her own boyfriend in public and how does she reply? Merch. (Srsly tho, Time Magazine recognized Keke as one ‌of the most influential people in the world and we want to reco Keke for her rad merch shop. “Making-a-statement merch” has never been hotter!

“Panera, Chipotle And Taco Bell Are Selling Out Of Merch.”

That’s the headline from Forbes about the fast-food merch trend and this is quotable: “Quick-serve food chains are finding protein in their fast merchandising ventures. For starters, the 'inside joke' cleverness of these goods can appeal to consumers who don’t even eat the food. And it generates social media buzz that’s essentially free advertising.” Some good tips in here if you’ve got a fast-food chain as a customer or even better yet, if you don’t! (Show ‘em how fast food does merch right!)

My Kinda Town, Chicago Is

Blue eyes or not, if you are heading to ASI Chicago, you won’t want to miss all the commonsku energy: On Tuesday, July 25th, 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM, we’re hosting commonsku University, where you can spend a few hours learning about the power features on commonsku, plus how to drive sales through shops and more. We’re also hosting a skummunity happy hour happening on Tuesday, July 25th, and, for cruising around the show floor, we even have a handy list of all the connected suppliers who are exhibiting at the ASI Show with their booth numbers. The RSVP, school deets, and booth list can all be found here. Got your back, backpackers!

🤔 What’s sonic branding? Here’s your need to know.

🤖 **AI’s Deep Impact:** You probably don’t remember our friend Paul Roetzer cause when he joined us on the skucast two years ago to discuss this new thing called artificial intelligence, no one was listening. 😂 Welp, folks are listening now. Paul joined us for an update, listen here!

👀 The most iconic merch piece of all time gets a remix. How successful is the New Yorker tote? Giveaway numbers are probably close to 1mil by now. From the archives: “The story behind that New Yorker tote bag.”

💼 PPAI 100: For the first time, PPAI, unveiled its ranking of the top 100 leading distributors and suppliers in the industry. We invited Dale Denham, PPAI’s CEO, to join us to talk about what’s behind the ranking process, check it here!

📈 Hubspot’s 2023 state of marketing report is out. TLDR: blogs are still the best ROI, short-form video is hot, value-based content drives attraction, prioritize emotions over logic, TikTok (of course), and the future? YouTube, micro and macro video, and more. Full report, here.

👕 Meet the t-shirt taking over NYC. “The ‘I Heart NY’ shirt has had its moment,” she added. “The meatball is peaking now.” Merch pro-tip: Irony — so subtle— but roll with it when it happens.

💸 Your Q4 sales opportunity heads-up, company gatherings: “After two years of virtual or pared-back events, many employers are ready to pull out the stops and party.”

🏆 Women’s world cup opened this week and fashion collective and creative community Art of Football just released their Women’s world cup merch collection, merch pro tip: Note these sick styles, sticker bomb tee, Gyaldem Did It Scarf, and I Heart the Boss track pants.