While a lot of promotional products saw a downturn in interest over the pandemic (primarily things for events like stress balls) one area of the industry that grew was promotional apparel. For a lot of small Australian businesses (think local restaurants, corner shops, and online market stalls) adding their logo to items such as t-shirts, hoodies, and sloppy joes helped keep them afloat during the quieter months of the pandemic. Even now, clothing featuring custom branding isn't going anywhere, but why does it work so well? We thought we'd break this down in today's blog!

Diversifying Income

When you're a restaurant and your only way to make profit is through selling food, a pandemic that restricts access to your venue can mean going from a normal income to almost nothing. That's why a lot of small businesses that rely on in-person visits (restaurants, tattoo parlors, beauticians) have decided to pivot over the past two years and include custom printed clothing as part of their range. If they have eye-catching designs on promotional t-shirts then supportive clients can opt for those over a meal or beauty session during tough times.

The more people see your customers repping your brand in the wild (on social media or in-person) the more likely they are to get in on the buzz and seek our a shirt or jumper too. Best of all, this need for apparel doesn't disappear over time, clothing may be seasonal but every year individuals are going to seek out new clothing to add to their wardrobe. By investing in custom apparel you have an additional income stream at your disposal no matter what happens in the world.

People Want to Support Local Businesses

Everyone thinks that their favourite local pub, Indian restaurant, or hair salon is the best in Australia. Having branded apparel allows you to capitalise on this desire to represent the local region by providing quality goods/services and employment in the community. A lot of small businesses assume that because they're a general store or independent pet shop that logo printed clothing isn't for them, that it's for "big brands" rather than mum and dad operations. In truth, customers that support small businesses for goods and services are also quite likely to want to support merchandising from their "local" as well. Don't sell yourself short, your brand is good and if you put it on affordable products like clothing you can get a lot of advertising bang for your buck!

Infusing a Sense of Community

Whether you're keen to put your fish & chip shop mascot on a promotional cap or on a branded hoodie, by engaging with an Australian supplier for your merchandise you can really give a sense of community to your consumer base. While it's easy to grab the cheapest shirts possible from some overseas supplier, you add credibility to your brand and community connections by engaging Australian apparel suppliers to decorate & deliver your custom clothing. You can proudly say you're a local business working with another local business to deliver unique clothing to your region and that is powerful stuff.

Cubic Promote is just one of the Australian owned and operated promotional product suppliers you can hit up for more information about starting on a promotional apparel journey for your business. Our experienced team  is here to help you find what you want at a price you can afford, so be sure to give us a call today if today's blog has inspired you to take the marketing merchandise plunge!