The Backpack: Issue #18

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!

The #1 Market Advantage for Mid-Sized Distribs

Small distributors (less than $2.5 million in annual sales) now comprise nearly 50% of the industry’s (reported) $25+ billion in revenue. And according to ASI’s Top 40 Distributors list of 2022, the Top 40 distributors range from $1 billion (at the top) to $37 million (at the bottom). But between $2.5 million and $37 million rests a very large swath of distributors who have an incredible advantage for growth. Years ago, there was a book titled It’s Not the BIG Who Eat the SMALL It’s the FAST Who Eat the SLOW. It announced a world to come, a world in which one thing would be the dominant factor shaping market leaders: speed.

Trends Watch: The Barbie Effect

Billie Eilish + Barbie merch. Hang on a sec: Even if you’re not into it, as a merch pro, you should check it out. It’s a great example of a brilliant cross-collab between two brands and the effect is magical. And yes, maybe everyone is getting in on the Barbie merch biz, but some say it’s a major boost to the economy (known as “the Barbie Bump”), and others proclaim that the economy runs on girl power [duh]. We break down some of the coolest pink collabs happening now in our latest Trends Watch: The Barbie Effect.

Fuel for Good!

“Making business a force for good,” that’s the purpose behind B Corp. And when our good friends Danny Rosin and Robert Fiveash, through their company Brand Fuel, became B Corp certified, it’s as if they opened a door for our industry in a way that wasn’t quite possible. But it wasn’t an easy journey. On the skucast, we published our chat with Danny and Brand Fuel’s Dir of Social Impact and Sustainability, Mel Hubner, about Brand Fuel’s 10-year ambition to become a B Corp company and creating more fuel ... for the road ahead.

DCX x commonsku: You just got $1,188 richer!

We're pumped to shout about our new partnership with Delegate CX to help you scale your team. Exclusively for commonsku customers, Delegate CX will be covering the cost of your new hire’s commonsku license for their first year on the platform (a $1,188 value!). But really, the value is much more than $1k, cause DCX talent comes to you highly trained about the business, and you can soar past all those HR hurdles cause DCX does it for you! Hiring has never been faster or cheaper – check the deets about it here or get the scoop during our upcoming webinar about it, here!

Heard about our skummunity groups? 

skummunity Groups are our new small group discussion groups for customers! Our next event is on August 17th at 2 PM ET with a focus on portals and it's perfect for those in a sales or production role looking to learn about portals tips and tricks to create client stickiness. Our skummunity groups fill fast, so save your seat now - see you soon!

Hold My Prebiotic Soda and Watch This

If you haven’t heard of Poppi, a pre-biotic drink that’s stormin’ the IG and TikTok microbiome, you should at least know about their merch. Poppi is our rad merchifier-of-the-month. Poppi takes gut flora + soda and turns it into a fun and bright branding experience with their “Shut Up I’m Drinking Soda” crewneck, Juicy AF sweatshorts, and happy swirly tote. One trend we’ve noticed is that brands with game get into merch early in their journey and make it a core part of the community experience. Merch pro-tip: Note the copy on Poppi’s products, like, “Who needs a Birkin when this Juicy AF tote exists!” Rad merch, Poppi! Backpack approved!

The Politics of Power Merch 

Oh, boy. It’s political season again, and it's gettin' ugly out there, but merch really should get the “best supporting actor” award! But first, here’s our official backpack disclaimer: We don’t take sides! But we do look for good merch lessons, and do we ever have a few for you today. President Joe Biden (literally) drops a mug on Twitter X, with the statement, “I like my coffee dark” and a few hours later, it spikes to nearly 8 million+ views. And now, to balance this story a bit, did you know that in order to qualify for the Presidential debates, you must net 40,000 donors in single campaign contributions? Learn how merch plays a role in the Republican campaign to make that happen. We guarantee you, this will not be the last time merch plays a pivotal role in the political wars. Stay tuned to the backpack, we’ll watch the [merch] political news .... so you don’t have to. 😂

Video catalogs a new merch trend?

Johnny Walker, the Scotch whiskey responsible for your regrettable 20’s, dropped a really rad collection in a merch video montage that might just be the future of merch advertising. Short form video is hot right now and maybe us merch pros need to consider it in our marketing arsenal. For this JW merch experience, Emma Ralphs, Brand Strategist at Butterfly Cannon, wrote an article, “From Tacky To Trendsetting: How To Create Covetable Brand Merch” and there are plenty of take-aways that are theftwortthy for your next client presentation, especially her zinger of a closer: “To create truly covetable merch, don’t be afraid to be playful, collaborate wisely, respect the influence and tread the line between exclusivity and inclusivity. With these in mind, you’re on the way to becoming part of today’s cultural zeitgeist.”

So … economy, we vibin' now?

Is it time to view the economy (gulp): optimistically? The NYT asks, “Is Good News Finally Good News Again?” and then there’s Noah Smith, economist-writer who calls our current state a macroeconomic miracle, “If this is a bad economy, please tell me what a good economy would look like”;  the Atlantic writes, “This year’s economy has now outpaced that of 1999, the previous best on record.” And finally, there’s 25-year-old Kyla Scanlon. If Kiplinger’s and Barron’s are finance mags for the numerically inclined, then Kyla’s observations are for, well, the rest of us. Scanlon produces great thought-pieces with hand-drawn illustrations (perfect for this backpacker: to understand the economy you have to draw me a picture). Case in point: Scanlon’s article: Is the Vibecession Over? And now, to keep you reading, we promise, that’s all the financial news in this newsletter. 🤓

Apple: The OG of Merch, the OG of Smart Sourcing

A lot of folks talkin’ bout the branded Apple sneakers from the ‘90s going for $50k, but for us diehard merch fans, it’s the entire quirky-cool 1986 merch catalog from Apple (in all its Seinfeld + Aime Leon Dore glory) that we love. The ‘86 merch collection is a  throwback that looks unsurprisingly like a modern day Kith collection. Merch pro-tip: Note the intro copy in that catalog circa ‘86: “Last year 22,000 people bought Apple shirts from The Apple Collection. At The Apple Collection, we find manufacturers who make their products the way we make our computers.” Apple’s the OG of conscientious merch sourcing. Who knew?

1Mil Subscribers and a Hot New Merch Shop

New York Magazine just topped 1 million subscribers, and now, the editors responsible for shakin’ you from your last dollar for sneakers and skincare (hi, Strategist) have launched their first merch collection. The New York Magazine merch is the opposite of its uptown rivals (NYT and New Yorker): It’s cheery, bright, and loud – but tasteful. Congrats to commonsku client Fourthwall for the rad collection! Merch lesson for pros: Check out that animated homepage and cool colorways that match the energy and vibe of the brand. 

How to Work with (Almost) Anyone

Michael Bungay Stanier is back! He’s one of the most popular speakers we’ve featured at any of our events, and he’s got a new book, How to Work with (Almost) Anyone. MBS’s new book is our backpack read-along this month, so, grab your copy stat! Brené Brown said “the wisdom is real” and for a lil’ surprise, we’ll be bringing that realness to you LIVE. Join us for a fun and informative webinar with Michael about how to be the best person to work with, and how to become someone who can work with anyone! 

🤖 Cover.io: The first AI generated swag experience?

🍩 My world runs on Dunkin’. I’m basically Ben Affleck solemnly carrying Dunkin’ to my girl Jennifer Lopez every day -- minus the $7 mil in advertising endorsements. Which is why I love this cool summer merch set from the makers of very hot coffee. Crop tops and a pickleball! Now… if they only had an donut shaped inflatable pool. Oh, heeeeyyyyy.

💼 Guess what new role has grown the most in the promo biz? Production. The air-traffic-controller of the merch skies! Check out our cast “Mastering the Distributor Production Role” with Mike Vandervoet, Paperclip Promotions.