Endurance events tend to hold a special place for people. Whether it was a bucket-list item like running a marathon, or having a fun day with friends and family at a 5k, holding on to those memories is important for a lot of participants. It’s probably why people are so drawn to the little mementos – t-shirts, mugs, medals, etc. – that often are a part of these events.
Along with being a keepsake for participants, merchandise can also help boost revenue for events, or act as a promotional tool to encourage people to sign up. Over the years we’ve gotten plenty of questions about merch. Though we’re not necessarily experts, we’ve seen enough to offer a few merchandise tips to make things run a little smoother at your event.
A basic timeline
Design, ordering, shipping, and distributing merchandise takes time. While there aren’t any hard and fast rules on when you need to do each of these things, we can offer some basic guidelines of when to do what.
Designing (12+ weeks before race day)
Creating good looking merchandise takes time. If you have someone working in house, or already have a design on hand, then you can ignore this part of the process. If you’re using someone outside of your organization we suggest starting the process at least a few weeks before registration opens so you can have things ready for when you launch your race website. Realistically, the design phase could take as long as you want. That said, 2-3 weeks should be plenty of time if you’re working with a professional designer.
Ordering (4 weeks before race day)
Most items take around 2 weeks or so to be delivered after ordering. However, almost all merchandise companies can expedite orders if need be (for an additional charge). You should have designs ready for when you launch your website, but you could wait to order merchandise as close as four weeks out. This gives you a good amount of wiggle room just in case something goes sideways in the process.
Another benefit of waiting to order, is if you use RunSignup you get weekly payments for any money made through either registration or merchandise sales. This is super useful for smaller races as early sales can often fund merchandise orders. With RunSigunup you can also choose to either have a standalone store on your event page, offer merchandise during the registration process, or do both.
Distributing (0-3 days before race day)
Most merch gets distributed on race day. You could do it with packet pickup, or after the event. It seems more common to do it beforehand so people can wear different merch during the run, but that’s up to you.
We also want to note, it’s totally fine to distribute merchandise after the event. For most people, it’s really a fun keepsake and way to remember the day. We’ve heard of some races closing registration early to accommodate merchandise sales. We strongly recommend against that. Nearly 25% of all registrations happen within a week of race day. So, closing early could severely impact participation.
A few more tips
Along with having a good timeline for your merchandise, there are a few other areas we tend to get questions about like how to find a vendor, or tools people can use to create designs. Below are a few additional suggestions to help.
Finding a vendor
The fastest way to find a vendor for custom merchandise is a Google search. There are a host of large, national, companies that provide custom merchandise service (places like Vistaprint and CustomInk). It’s also very likely that you’ll have some local options, too. Using a local vendor can be really nice as they can sometimes do things quicker and are generally a bit more attentive.
It’s also good to talk to your race director, or even your timer (if you have one for your event). Often these folks have relationships with different vendors and could even possibly get you a discount if you order through them. It’s not a certainty, but it’s certainly worth asking. At the very least, they can probably give suggestions on who to go through (or avoid).
Useful design tools
Designing merchandise may feel intimidating if you don’t have a background in it, but it doesn’t have to be. There are plenty of great design tools like Canva, which is very user-friendly and can be very useful for creating designs.
If you really don’t feel comfortable creating a design on your own, websites like Fiverr and Upwork are great resources to find and hire freelance designers. They range quite a lot in cost, but there are generally options for most budgets.
Standing out from the crowd
Over the years we’ve seen a lot of events, and by extension merchandise. It’s fairly common for people to go with the tried and true options. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But we’ve also seen a few folks get a little more experimental and it can be a way to stand out and stick in people’s minds a little longer.
Some examples of a few left-of-center merch items we’ve see are:
- Local honey
- Handmade soap
- Knit hats
- Beer steins
In each of these cases the merchandise corresponded directly to the event. Consider thinking a bit outside the box for what you offer. For example, if you’re doing a beach run maybe you offer branded sunglasses, or sunscreen. It doesn’t have to be too eccentric to have an impact.
Looking ahead
Planning and executing a successful merchandise strategy can enhance the overall experience for your event participants and generate additional revenue. By considering factors like lead times, vendor selection, design tools, and unique product offerings, you can create a memorable and impactful merchandise line.
Remember, the goal is to provide items that not only commemorate the event but also reflect the spirit and values of your community.