Branded merchandise and its affiliated retail sales can be a boost for a variety of businesses. Not only does branded merchandise add to a business’s bottom line, it also extends the customer experience, creates conversation starters, and performs like additional advertising platforms. 

While merchandise contributes to the revenue of the business, it is not often the majority of the overall sales. According to Highland Brewing’s Vice President of Brand Development Nikki Mitchell, retail sales represent about 15% of the taproom’s revenue, exclusive of distribution. Though the revenue impact is relatively small, the extension of guest experience offered by branded merchandise can be powerful.

Abby Burt, Owner and CEO of Applied Adventure, the company operating The Gorge Zipline in Saluda, agrees, adding that retail merchandise helps facilitate conversations and word-of-mouth advertising.

“At The Gorge, we have a really beautiful, brand-appropriate retail space that we believe enhances the guest experience,” Burt said. “On average, it gives us an additional 10% to 20% of income. It’s not just that T-shirts are going out the door, but it provides effective ways for people to share the experience they had with others. When we ask people how they heard about us, a friend or family member telling them still ranks in the top three methods of how customers find us.”

Socially, seeing branded merchandise worn or used by friends and family members makes individuals more likely to consider the visible business when making a choice about where to visit or which products to purchase, similar to the power of social media influencers. Putting value into products people are most likely to purchase, appealing to a broad audience, and staying on-brand with product styles encourage more purchases and mean that more people will actually wear branded merchandise.

Branded merchandise can also speak to the destination that tourists are visiting. People visiting Asheville for the first time are often drawn to Highland’s merchandise highlighting ‘Asheville’s Original Craft Brewery.’ 

“Our compass logo that says ‘Asheville, North Carolina’ are elements of visitors’ first experience that really speak to the city and memories they created here, both at Highland and in the area,” Mitchell said. “It’s important to have those tourist-focus items making sure Asheville is highlighted.”

More than just targeting visitors, locals are often regular retail customers for businesses like breweries and experiential operators. The Gorge employees are not required to wear branded shirts, yet they often purchase those items and wear them away from work. Having fun, edgy, or overall “cool” items incentivizes purchases as well.

“Our top selling shirt is simple and very tongue-in-cheek,” Burt said. “It just says ‘Have fun, dammit’, and it flies off the shelf. I think being kind of clever and true-to-brand can create merchandise that is something anybody wants to wear.”

Deciding on particular items to include in a business’s retail selection is often the collaborative work of marketing teams, and should reflect items that are trending, popular gift ideas, or that support the guest’s experience. For Highland, that includes branded discs used on their disc golf course, and for The Gorge, that includes sunglasses or weatherproof, clip-on wallets. 

Considering the potential needs of visitors, even if the items do not have a brand or logo on them, can still enhance the guest’s experience.

Understanding the business’s audience is also important in selecting retail products. Shopping local is popular among Western North Carolina residents, and many local businesses work to support that culture. Both Burt and Mitchell agree that by sourcing as many items from local and like-minded partners as possible, support for local businesses further ripples through the community, and customers may be more likely to make a purchase for high-quality, locally-sourced products.

“More and more people are looking at tags to learn what things are made of and where they come from,” Mitchell said. “People like to pick them up, touch them, and feel them, so sourcing quality products and using a local screen printer and embroiderer who does quality work has definitely impacted our business."

For any business also working to build its brand, adding retail options to compliment the main products or services can support the brand awareness and add to the business’s revenue. 

“Goods reflecting the quality of the experience someone just had allow people to purchase an item that extends that experience,” Burt said. “People love talking about experiences they loved. When they take home a T-shirt or coffee cup or even a sticker, it prompts conversations from friends and family. If you’re not investing in retail for your customers, you’re missing out on a ton of free marketing.”