Top 10 brand merchandise ideas to spark your creativity

Getting a store, app, product, or service up and running is no small feat. After pouring your heart and soul (not to mention a humongous amount of time, effort, and money) into creating this brand, you need to make sure it sees the light of day. Enter brand merchandising.

Now, if you’ve ever seen Envato T-shirts, Coca-Cola hats, or Guns n Roses pins, then you’ve experienced brand merchandising at some point. However, if you don’t know what it is, brand merchandising is basically placing your brand (e.g. your logo or slogan) on products that your target audience can use, but that aren’t necessarily related to what you sell or offer (like T-shirts, bags, pencils, etc.). This helps your brand get out there and improves brand awareness, since not only will the owner/recipient see it, but everyone around them will also be made aware of your brand.

If done right, brand merchandising can be a low-cost way to get publicity — the key words being, “if done right.” If you think merchandising is the right step for your brand, here are some tips to help you make the most of this opportunity to get your name out there with smart brand merchandise ideas that resonate with your audience.

OK, it’s time to run through our ten tips for your next merchandising campaign. Some of these brand merchandise ideas are sure to spark some ideas.

Nobody will want to advertise your brand if they don’t agree with your message. That’s why you first need to ensure your brand has a good foundation: quality, efficiency, values, and more. This way, your customers will wear your items proudly.

Speaking of which, it doesn’t hurt to have a clean, creative, and gorgeous design that people will want to wear (it could be a trendy design). Create your own logo with this online logo maker!

Envato has tips on how to build a brand from scratch.

To take full advantage of your brand merchandising, you need to have a set strategy. Knowing who you’re targeting, what you want, how you’ll get it, and how much you’re willing to invest in it will keep you from spending time and money on things that simply aren’t worth it. Plus, it will increase your chance of succeeding, so start setting a well-researched strategy. Having a clear plan (and a marketing strategy) also helps you better assess which brand merchandise ideas are the best fit for your goals.

When choosing the right products for your brand merchandise to manufacture, you need to think about your consumers: their age, who they are, what they like, etc. This is because you need to make sure you give them something that they will perceive as valuable and that they will actually want to use.

Some of the most effective brand merchandise ideas include items like reusable water bottles, laptop sleeves, eco-friendly tote bags, or even digital items like branded wallpapers. Choose items that align with your audience’s lifestyle. You can check out product mockup templates to see how they’d turn out.

Other than that, try to stay away from trendy items (unless your brand is all about trends), since these can go out of style fast.

Learn how to do product branding right on Envato.

If this is your first attempt at doing brand merchandising, your best bet is to start out small. Releasing a limited number of products will help you test the waters before jumping into the deep end with a large order. This approach also allows you to experiment with different brand merchandise ideas without taking on too much risk.

It will be hard to get your audience to use your brand merchandise if the T-shirt is unraveling or if the tote bag has a pixelated image. Not only that, but shoddy products will speak badly of your brand. This is why you should always choose quality. Opt for nicely made items and print a clean, proper design on them.

If you want a better idea of how your brand merchandise ideas will look on products before starting production, you can use Envato to create realistic mockups!

Read how to choose the right color palette for your brand on Envato.

The first thing that might come to mind when thinking about brand merchandising is to make T-shirts with your logo on them. However, you shouldn’t limit yourself to just that: make pillows, mugs, tumblers, notebooks, hoodies, hats, and other items people may want to use. Some unique brand merchandise ideas include branded wireless chargers, enamel pins, socks with custom patterns, or even candles and board games, depending on your brand personality. Get creative to stand out!

Selling your brand merchandise may make sense at times, and you can even make money from it. Still, don’t view your merch as a way to make a profit. The main idea behind brand merchandising (unless you established something different in your strategy) is to raise brand awareness, so set your expectations there. Use your best brand merchandise ideas as tools for marketing first, and monetization second.

Being too intense with your brand merchandising can be extremely off-putting for your audience and may have the opposite effect than what you’re trying to achieve. Also, don’t add a whole bunch of contact details to your designs. Something clean and well-designed can be much more effective.

To create a brand, you need to have an audience to target, and to know everything about it. Still, even though you want to reach your target audience with your merchandise, you don’t want to limit yourself. After all, you never know who could be made aware of your brand because of the person wearing or using your merchandise.

That’s why you should create products that more people will want to use, not just your target. Brainstorm a variety of brand merchandise ideas that could appeal across demographics while still staying true to your brand values.

Do you know how your merchandise will get to your target audience? Will you sell it or gift it to them? Will you give it away with a purchase? Will you have it available on your website? Or will someone be handing out your merchandise outside your store?

Whichever option you choose, make sure you create a solid plan to distribute your items. After all, they won’t do you much good if they’re all in boxes kept in your basement. You could also explore unique distribution channels for your brand merchandise ideas, like influencer giveaways, pop-up events, or co-branded partnerships.

So, all in all, brand merchandising can be a good move, depending on what stage your product or service is at. If you want to guarantee that you will reach the goals you’ve set out for it, follow the tips above to get closer to them and raise your brand awareness effectively.

Brand merchandise ideas are more than just promotional items — they’re opportunities to spark engagement, foster loyalty, and build lasting impressions. Whether you’re creating swag for your startup or launching a merch line for your music brand, the right items, delivered with the right intent, can significantly extend your brand’s visibility.

Brand merchandising is a powerful opportunity to amplify your brand’s presence, create customer loyalty, and connect with your audience. You can transform everyday items into effective brand ambassadors by carefully crafting a thoughtful strategy, selecting quality and meaningful products, and focusing on creativity over profit. Remember, the ultimate goal is not just to distribute merchandise, but to create a positive and lasting impression of your brand in the minds of your audience and beyond. Approach it with intention, test your brand merchandise ideas, and watch as your brand makes its mark.

Be sure to test out what your merchandise will look like in realistic scenarios with Placeit and Envato‘s mockups. Read our article about logo and branding trends to learn about the latest trends. We also have a small business branding guide to help you out.