Merch Drops: How Limited Runs Create Demand

A merch drop is a design available for a limited time. It gives customers a reason to buy now instead of "sometime", gives you something new to talk about, and lets regulars collect. With print on demand, a drop costs nothing to run and leaves no leftovers: you list the design, promote it, and take it down when the window closes.

Why drops work

• Urgency. "Until Sunday" gets people to act. "Always available" lets them put it off forever. Research backs the idea: a 2011 Journal of Advertising study found scarcity messages shift people's intention to buy. (It found "only 100 made" worked better than "this week only", but The Merch Counter can't cap how many are sold, so a drop here is an end date that you keep.)
• Novelty. A new design gives you a reason to post, email and talk about merch again.
• Collectability. Regulars who bought last year's anniversary shirt want this year's.
• No risk. With print on demand there's no stock to clear when the drop ends.

Drop ideas for local businesses

• Anniversary. "Est. 2014 — 10 years." One month only.
• Seasonal. A fall, winter or summer version of your logo.
• Event tie-ins. A shirt for the street fair or the local 5K (your own design — no event logos without permission; an event's name and logo can be a trademark).
• Collaborations. A design by a local artist, or a co-branded piece with the business next door.
• Product launches. A brewery's new beer, a café's new roast, a bakery's new seasonal bake.
• Holidays. Small Business Saturday, Valentine's Day, local holidays.
• Milestones. "Our 10,000th customer", "Our new location."

How to run a drop

1. Pick a window. A week to a month. Shorter feels more urgent; longer gives more people time.
2. Create the design and add it to your shop.
3. Announce the end date clearly, everywhere: "Available until Sunday, December 13."
4. Tease it a few days before.
5. Launch it with a post, a Story and a sign at the counter.
6. Remind people halfway through and the day before it ends.
7. Close it. Take the product down yourself on the date you said; nothing ends it automatically. If you keep extending, customers stop believing the end date.

Pricing a drop

Limited designs can carry a small premium: a few dollars above your usual price. Collectors and regulars expect it.

After the drop

• Thank buyers publicly.
• Note what sold (and in which sizes and colors) in your dashboard.
• Consider bringing back a hugely popular design next year, as an "encore".

Related: Holiday Merch Ideas · How to Launch Your Merch