MEMORIES AT A COST: NEW STUDY DIVES INTO AMERICANS’ RELATIONSHIP WITH MERCH

New data report from EverythingBranded suggests nearly half of Americans are after memories when purchasing merch, but aren’t willing to spend big to get it

EverythingBranded, a global merch hub offering high-quality, tangible marketing solutions outside of the digital world, today released its 2023 Merch Report, which explores the American consumer’s – as well as the American employee’s – relationship with branded merchandise (merch).

Consumers are after the merch memories

Conducted by third-party research firm, Censuswide, the report reveals memories are the primary motivator for American consumers to purchase merch – nearly half (45%) of consumers buy merch to remember a concert, event or place they’ve been.

These memory-hungry consumers would also go to great lengths to get their merch. Nearly a third of consumers (32%) say they’d purposefully plan to arrive at an event early just to make sure they get the item they want. Additionally, nearly 20 percent (16%) would buy seats at a concert or an event that are close to the merch booth for easy access, preorder it when they purchased their event ticket (23%) or sign up for an email list for early access (22%).

The desire for the memory, however, does not mean they’re ready to spend inordinate amounts of money. In fact, nearly one-third (30%) want to spend less than $50 on merch each time they attend an event – a stark discovery given the best-selling sweatshirt at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is $65. Even further, just over a quarter (27%) say they’d be comfortable spending up to $100 per event.

When it comes to what they want to buy, over half of consumers (56%) want apparel (i.e., shirts, hoodies, jackets, hats), followed by accessories like bags, socks, and gloves (39%) and home goods like mugs and water bottles (37%).

“Branded merch, as a whole, has always been a multi-million, if not billion, dollar industry. But, over the last few years, we’ve seen American consumers become more and more selective around the reasons they want to purchase merch, as well as how much they spend and the lengths they’re willing to go to get that precious t-shirt or memory. Paired with tightened pockets over the last few years, merch hubs and brands alike could find themselves in a sticky situation,” said Rob Mobsby, Director and Head of Digital at EverythingBranded. “These consumers know what they want, and we’d all be wise to pay close attention.”

Employees, however, are after the merch perks

The report also uncovered the relationship between American employees, their employers, and merch. As companies around the country return to offices full-time, executives are pulling out all the stops to sweeten the deal for employees – including kitschy work perks like happy hours, catered meals and, of course, branded merch.

The question is – do these perks matter to employees? Turns out, they do. According to the American consumers polled who regularly receive merchandise from their employers, over one-quarter (26%) actually expect it from their employers. Even further, nearly 1 in 5 (19%) of these consumers would go so far as accepting one job over another simply based on the merch the prospective company would give them. It also falls into their perceived professional social cache – with nearly 1 in 4 (24%) saying that company-branded merch represents a certain “status.”

Employers looking to meet these wants – or standards – should pay close attention to the items this specific group crave most, like apparel (60%), electronics (44%), accessories (44%) and home goods (40%).

Methodology:

The total sample size was 1,506 consumers in the U.S., 506 of which were US consumers who get merchandise from their company/place of employment. The survey was conducted between October 24 – October 30, 2023 by an independent market research consultancy, Censuswide. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.

About EverythingBranded:

A global merch hub, offering high-quality, tangible marketing solutions outside of the digital world, EverythingBranded provides brand-elevating products that make people smile. The world’s most recognizable brands, like Microsoft, Netflix, Google, Walmart, CocaCola and NASA, rely on EverythingBranded’s full suite of custom-branded merchandise solutions for bespoke design, supply chain fulfillment, short-term storage and more. Founded in 2010, EverythingBranded is one of the fastest-growing providers of branded products, employing more than 150 people worldwide including in Las Vegas.