Adding Value with Apparel

Apparel, hard goods, and print products might all seem separate, but they’ve never been more related than right now. For starters, they’re all under the larger print ecosystem of items that can be personalized and decorated.

But, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, apparel has been a complementary piece along with items like drinkware and paper products in kits. These kits have been big for companies trying to reach their employees who are working remotely or to appeal to potential new hires. The kitting trend isn’t going away any time soon, regardless of business opening back up.

“To me, COVID has introduced this kitting direct delivery component that if I were sitting in a decorator’s seat, I would be highly focused on that,” said Mike Crane, account manager for HALO Branded Solutions, during the Future State Theater (Booth C11330) session titled, “Why Are Promotional Products Important to Apparel Decorators?” “That is a part of everything that we’re doing now. A lot of times, the decorator is the last point before it’s going to go to the client. I would see that as the future.”

If you’re a distributor who specializes in hard goods, and you’re thinking of adding apparel into the mix, John Morris, executive director of Club Colors, said that finding an apparel decorator is a lot like a job interview. You’re looking for someone who shares similar values and principles as you because that person will be an extension of your brand. The way he sees it — it’s not a value fit, it’s a value-add.

“I don’t want 100 people like me,” he said. “I need 99 who are better than me.”

The saying about apparel creating a walking billboard is true. If you can tie that in with other products, you create a multisensory, all-encompassing brand experience.