Pizza Today - February 2024 - 32

We also do a variety of testing out
branding slogans on shirts to see if
our customers gravitate toward it.
So instead of just a shirt that says
GAPCo or Greenville Avenue Pizza
Company, we may have a shirt that
says, " Pizza Slayer " or " Slay Pizza " .
Those are two of our trademarked
slogans. One time, we made a shirt
that said, " Eat. Sleep. Slay Pizza " . We
crossed out the word sleep and put
" drink red bull " . It was more for the
staff but kept it fun and customers
laughing.
What if you do create variety and
try to make merch creative? Well, yes.
You will have more styles for customers
to buy, but keeping inventory
will be a challenge, as it was for us.
Ultimately, our team members are
the biggest purchasers of the shirts
because they love getting the newest
look, so it can be a lot of work
to keep track of inventory. Nothing
is worse than a guest seeing a shirt
they want, and we don't have the size
they need. You can't sell what you
don't have... well you can now! The
answer is creating a merch store on
your website. This way, you can direct
guests to your website and have them
get the size they want. The extra
bonus is that you don't have your staff
tearing through boxes during a dinner
rush trying to find a specific size for
a guest. Now, you can keep revenue
coming in on your merch without the
inventory.
So, how do you make this happen?
There are several different companies
you can partner with to handle your
print-on-demand service. Not only
are you able to get them to be able
to print shirts, but you can go wild
with many different items, as I listed
earlier. You can link those items to a
shop or Merch page on your website,
and Boom! You now have your own
merch store. Doing this has allowed
us to free the burden off the staff and
stores by keeping inventory, it has
allowed us to print on a variety of
items that we find fun, and it has
given our guests a streamlined way to
purchase merch.
32 / PIZZATODAY.COM / FEBRUARY 2024
Do's & Don'ts
Let's recap some do's and don'ts
from what you read above. Don't just
have your inventory in the store. Do
provide an alternative way for your
customers to order your merch from
your website. Don't feel like all you
have to do is print your name on a
shirt. Get creative and do slogans,
unique designs and fun colors. In the
end, if it fails with your guests, your
staff will likely buy them. Don't get
wild and offer your logo on things
that don't make sense but do consider
going outside the box and taking
advantage of the print-on-demand
services that allow you to print your
logo on some cool things.
Final Tips
One of the biggest struggles with
creating merch is having the time
to invest in new looks and styles
you want to see in your store and on
your guests. The good news is that a
lot of companies out there that sell
merch will create the look for you.
If you don't have the creative gene,
it's not a problem. Merch companies
are staffed with creative people to
give you multiple designs on all the
things you want to print on. Merch
companies also have their finger more
on the pulse of what they think is
trending. This can lead to some real
creative things you would have never
thought of. Find a company that
fits the personality you are trying to
convey through your merch and have
them do all the work. If you want to
step up from there, you can consult
with a branding company to really
elevate your merch style. This can be a
very expensive route that can lead to
some very appealing merch. I heard
once, " You wear what you are, and
you are what you wear, " so give your
team and guests a reason to buy what
you are.
SAMMY MANDELL co-owns Greenville
Avenue Pizza Company in Dallas, Texas.
He is also a frequent speaker at Pizza
Expo.
http://GalbaniPro.com/Premio http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM
Pizza Today - February 2024

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