The Backpack: Issue #33

All our best, monthly news in one branded pack.

Friday, March 15

• Trends: What is Re-Commerce?

• Top Merch News: Make Your Team a Profit-Making Machine

• Vibe Check: The Golden Age of Movie Merch

• Can't miss content: The $2.99 Tote Causing Chaos

Beauty Merch is in a Boom

There’s a bit of a merch war happening between beauty brands. Every brand from Glossier to Rhode to Merit is trying to one-up each other on who can create the coolest merch. Rhode’s lip case sold out in 15 minutes. Ami Colé’s bucket hat is “merch for people who hate merch.” WWD breaks it down in their article “Why Merch Madness is Taking Over Beauty.” And here’s the pull-quote for your next client presentation, Glossier's chief creative officer Marie Suter said “’Merch isn’t this cherry-on-top marketing tool for us anymore; it has become an important part of our business. People expect it from us,’ adding that a fledgling arm of the brand’s design team is solely dedicated to ideating new ideas within the category.” Effective? When Hailey Bieber’s Rhode released its phone case, engagement grew 1000+ % and TikTok views grew 112%. Merit Beauty’s (gorgeous) merch Signature Bag has sold over 500,000 units. We know of at least three distributors who specialize in working with beauty brands. So, how about it backpaker, are beauty brands on your prospect radar?

'The Notebook: The Musical' tissues. Photo: COURTESY OF CREATIVE GOODS MERCHANDISE

Broadway’s Hottest Merch is a Tissue Box

The musical version of Nicholas Sparks’ novel The Notebook is the biggest tear-jerker to hit the great white way in recent memory. The merch genius behind it is Pete Milano, CEO of Creative Goods, and according to Entertainment Weekly, here’s how he came up with this idea for Broadway’s hottest merch: "I sat through those two early iterations of the show and the running joke I would say in the office was, 'Everybody needs a tissue in this show. It's so emotional,' he tells EW. 'I'm not a big crier, so when I'm sitting in a room with 50 people crying at a reading, I wished I would've had a tissue. That stayed true again in [the pre-Broadway tryout] in Chicago, and I just felt like it had to be done.'”

Courtesy of Carhartt

Is Re-Commerce a Trend Promo Should Embrace?

Carhartt is one of many recent brands (such as Patagonia, Cotopaxi, Allbirds, and Levis) who are embracing a huge trend: recommerce. What’s recommerce? It’s simply the selling of used or refurbished items. But now, through a company like Trove, retailers are doing so specifically through their websites. Recommerce isn’t new (think: Ebay) but what is new is how retail brands are facilitating these transactions through their own sites. Carhartt recently announced you could send your used workwear through a new mail-in program (previously, this service was only available in-stores). How’s the trade-in program going? In one year, Carhartt has extended the life of more than 43,000 garments. Many retail fashion brands are creating such a program (like APC’s denim butler program) but Carhartt’s program is a first for workwear. So, go grab grandpa’s greased-stained Detroit jacket (or your barely bruised desk-jockey one, that’ll do too), and trade it for some new gear! Question for you: Is this a trend promo should embrace? Do you see workwear or corporate apparel recommerce as something distributors should facilitate for their (uniform) shops customers?

Make Your Team a Profit Making Machine

Lia Garvin, author and speaker, is known as the team whisperer: She’s the bestselling author of Unstuck and author of a new book released just this week titled The Unstoppable Team: A simple formula for managing your team, reducing overwhelm, and increasing revenue. And Lia is one of our talented keynote speakers at skucamp in Nashville, Sept. 15-18th! As a preview of her talk, we sat down with Lia to chat on the skucast about one of the most important topics facing distribs today: How to make your team a profit-making machine!

Yeah, But Is Your WorkWear Purpose-Built?

Ohhhh, this is a skucast must-listen: up-and-coming brand Purpose-Built Trade Co has an incredibly unique value prop. As a one-stop shop outfitter for tradespeople and businesses, they are the champs of workwear, and with their new direct-to-business division, Purpose-Built Pro, they are doing a ton right. For starters, most of the models on their killer website are actual customers. And they raise a ton for the community through non-profit initiatives. If you want to know how to niche right, how to give back in a thoughtful way, and how to go to market with authenticity, listen to our chat with Director Ryan McAlister!

Only a Few Seats Left for skucamp! (Yes, really!)

Join best-selling author Lia Garvin as she helps you learn how to build a high-impact, “Unstoppable Team” and Stephen Shedletzky, author of the book Speak-Up Culture, who teaches you how to amplify your team’s best ideas, be bold with disagreements and feedback, and encourage innovation that creates outsized momentum! And mostly, join for peer-led learning from the best in the biz, register now and grab those last seats!

Are Merch Clubs the New It Thing?

One of the editors of the backpack might or might not be a Rainbow Kitten Surprise fan (don’t judge) and so this merch club was a delight to stumble upon. Bands and brands both are vying for digital attention and exclusive merch drops for fans through text is one way to outmaneuver the TikTok/IG algo. After all, if it’s attention you want, why not go right to the source: text? How about you bacpacker, are you using opt-in text drops for your key clients to let them know when you’ve dropped some cool merch on your shop?

Photo: Cris Parker

The Golden Age of Movie Merch

Once again, the New York Times is proclaiming “the golden age of merch” this time via that wild story about the Dune: Part Two popcorn bucket. (If you already know about this story then you’re a twisted freak, but this is a no-judgment zone, so, you know, love what you love). The NYT story is also a glorious wrap of some historical cool movie merch and ends with this: “It’s easy to be cynical … But some fans will invariably hold onto these wonderfully bizarre totems of their affection for a genuinely unique cinematic experience. Even [Dune Director Denis] Villeneuve acknowledged that the bucket 'brought a lot of laughter and joy.' Twenty years from now, when someone says, ‘Remember those awkward ‘Dune’ popcorn buckets?’ we movie freaks will reply, ‘Yes, we sure do!’”

Courtesy of Renault

A Merch Masterclass From a Vintage French Car Co.

Renault is one of the world’s oldest automobile companies (established in 1899) and known for its classics and also making big news with its e-tech electric cars, but what’s really cool for us backpackers (and a great place to grab some merch inspo) is their shop. We love their retro portable cassette player, their luggage, and football table, but our fave might be a throwback tribute called “record breaking blue” which celebrates a long line of shattered world records by the Renault Racing Co, and a very smart way to create a collection!

🛍️ Another merch item in the news causing chaos, this time, it’s a $2.99 tote bag.

👀 You ever wonder who creates that outlandish Oscar swag bag that none of us got? Wonder no more.

🐝 Jollibee is a Filipino food chain with over 1,500 outlets worldwide and a growing US presence, and we kinda love their simple but effective “joyful” merch shop.

🐈 Merch Cat is an interesting take on merch for musicians.

❌ Throwback when Miley Cyrus canceled herself… with merch.

😎 Yet another city getting in on the merch craze, welcome to the club Pasadena.

🤖 EPO: An easier way. Get your credentials set up with Stormtech and Gemline for that hassle-free merch life.

👜 A very cool education on circularity and how to “design in reverse” via Vogue and Coachtopia.