Sell more merch on your music website with Printful

Thinking about new ways to make more money as a musician? Selling merch through your website is one way to do just that. 

In the past, selling merch online was a major commitment. Now, with print-on-demand options that help you create and dropship your merch, there is less work required on your part, making it easier to sell merch directly to your fans.

Over the last year, with most sales moving online, merch sales increased as a way to connect with fans. Merch items were the top source of revenue for musicians at Bandzoogle as a result.

Selling merch directly through your website with Printful is an excellent way to make more money. There is no inventory to store, and no upfront costs. You don’t pay a commission on any of your sales, and since Printful handles the creation and fulfillment, you’re left with more time to create music.

It’s a win-win situation for you, and for your fans who want to support you.

Before you start selling print-on-demand merch, you’ll want to set your website up for success. To do this, you’ll create your online merch store, decide what kind of products to sell, promote your merch to your fans, and make adjustments as you go. 

Here’s how to get the most out of selling band merch through your website with Printful.

Set up your online store for success

Ready to take the first step in selling your band merch online? If you haven’t already built a music website, it’s the perfect place to add an online store. Dedicate a page on your website solely to selling your merch.

Once you’ve added a page for your merch, add your storefront there. You’ll want to make your Store page clear and uncluttered to provide your visitors a clean shopping experience. To help with this, add text describing your merch, including any questions people might have about shipping, or how to reach you.

With print-on-demand, you can add many items for sale, without worrying about storing them at home to ship out when you make a sale. Printful offers a wide variety of products, so you can add lots of options to your store. 

With that, you’ll want to be sure that your store is easy to navigate. You can group similar items, and use a grid layout so that your website visitors can take in all of your merch right when they arrive.

To customize your store, be sure to add a personal note in the message area of your checkout settings. You could encourage your fans to share their photos in your merch, or just offer a heartfelt message to thank them.

With a store built directly on your own music website, all of the profits from your sales will go directly to you, commission-free. So be sure your store is looking crisp, and clean, to get started with your sales.

Decide what kind of merch to sell

Using Printful, you can mix print-on-demand items along with your music. So if you want to create a line of merch that relates to your newest music, grab your album art and get started. 

If you don’t have music coming out soon, you can use other imagery you already have. You could even emulate your website’s logo with a matching font in the Printful design interface. You don’t have to use the same logo or imagery on every item that you create, but if you’re getting started, it creates a nice cohesive look to your products. 

Once you’ve decided on your design, head over to Printful to check out the products you might want to sell. You can do some research on selling band merch online to give you some ideas, or just look through the options and see what calls out to you.

T-shirts are classic, and very popular merch items. If you live in a colder climate, hoodies and beanie hats might be great items to try. To branch out into other clothing options, try tank tops, leggings, or raglan-style shirts. Be sure to offer some non-apparel items as well, such as phone cases, stickers, and mugs.

Once you’ve created your merch, head back to your store to integrate your Printful products into your website store. Once you’ve added all of the items to your store, you’re ready to start selling your band merch!

Promote your merch to your fans

Your store is ready for visitors. Your merch is ready to be sold. Next, you’ll need to make sure that all of your fans know you’ve got these new items for sale. 

Creating a new online store with merch tailored to your music is a great reason to queue up social media posts, and send a dedicated email newsletter to your fans. Include imagery from your store, with details about the merch. If you’ve decided to add merch to your online store to go along with the release of new music, use your products as a way to draw more attention to your singles or album.

Follow up once you’ve started to make sales, thanking your fans and showing off the merch you’ve created. You can also add a twist to your promotion efforts by adding in limited edition items, donating part of your sales to a good cause, or doing a giveaway.

Fans that buy your merch are likely invested in you, and your career. These are the ones you’ll want to nurture a relationship with, making sure they’re on your email list and well aware of any new shows, music, or merch items.

Take stock of what’s selling, and make adjustments 

Selling merch online is a viable revenue stream for musicians. With print-on-demand, there is less work involved once you’re up and running to maintain that income, but you should still check in regularly. 

Printful adds a suggested price for your items in the creation process, but you ultimately decide the markup. Take stock of how things are selling and try adjusting some prices accordingly. You can also review any feedback you’ve gotten from your fans, to update the description of your items in store, or address any questions about the merch.

If you’ve set up a line of products to mirror an album release, you can shift those to a new store further down the page once the music has been out for a few years. You could also make a note of what is selling well, and create more similar options. 

Swapping out different kinds of merch is always a newsworthy update, giving your fans another chance to support you directly while getting something tangible in return.

Selling custom merch on demand using Printful is an easy way to venture into online sales through your website. With no upfront costs and no inventory to store, why not test the waters and see if your fans would be up to support you by purchasing your merch directly from you? 

Add some interesting and unique items to your store, then make sure your fans know how to access them, and you’ll be all set to start making money from your merch online.

Build a professional website in just a few clicks where you can sell custom print-on-demand merch directly to your fans, commission-free! Try Bandzoogle now.