Roses are Red, Profits are Green – Making T-Shirts for Valentine’s Day Can Be A Decorators Dream
Valentine’s Day Weekend is approaching quickly. Guys, this is your advanced reminder to get something for that someone special.
So when you think about classic gifts for Valentine’s Day you always come up with roses. According to a stat I’ve read recently, 189 million stems of roses are sold in the US on each Valentine’s Day. Couple that with the average number of roses in a bouquet and you end up somewhere between 27-40 million orders. Pretty significant.
So if you are an apparel decorator why can’t you customize on some of these dollars being spent? The answer…you’re not trying.
Let’s fix that and make some money….
First, let’s think about roses…
When I think about roses, I think – convenient to order, somewhat personalized and a meaning that shows I care.
Let’s walk through the ordering process…
- Call the florist or log in online.
- Select the number of roses that you want.
- Select the color.
- Select the style, stem length etc.
- Give the florist the info for the card/note to be included.
- Give the address and name to deliver them.
- Give the credit card number for the $30-60 bill.
- BOOM – Roses show up and the wife/mom/daughter/special someone is happy.
The best thing about ordering roses for Valentine’s Day is the convenience. I can do it from my computer, call it in from my desk at work or from my cell phone. It’s really simplistic. I order. The florist delivers. My wife is happy.
So how can you capitalize on buyers like me and turn some of those roses into t-shirt sales?
The answer is make it convenient, simplistic and special.
Let’s walk through selling decorated apparel for Valentine’s Day.
- Make the product available online or through a phone order
- Offer 3-4 template options that a buyer can customize for their sweetheart
- Let the buyer select a t-shirt, sweatshirt or even intimate apparel option
- Offer a card to be included in the delivery and let the buyer give you the message to write.
- Take an address and name to deliver the shirt.
- Collect the credit card number
- BOOM – You customize the shirt of choice and deliver to the customer.
Can it really be that simple? If you have a vinyl cutter and a heat press YES it can. You can customize a shirt on demand within minutes, you just need the delivery channel, advertising and memorable packaging.
Some tips to make it work and make it profitable….
- Advertise the special delivery program in the newspaper, on Facebook or even with an email. Consider a message that roses will eventually fade away but a special message on a shirt will declare your love for years to come.
- Remember make the template options simple and easy to customize
- Only offer a certain selection of colors for both the garments and the design to make the inventory position manageable.
- Make the packaging unique, gift box with a shiny ribbon or even roll the shirt and wrap it up in tissue paper like a rose. Remember you have to make it memorable to generate some good word of mouth advertising, so put a lot of thought into packaging and delivery.
Go ahead and try it, this idea may bring some local business at Valentine’s Day and even more orders throughout the year.
If you have trouble getting this going and advertising direct, consider a co-op with a florist, a mall kiosk or some other place where you can reach the buying demographic quickly and share profits.
Here are some template ideas to get you started…
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As always thanks for reading and please become a FAN on FACEBOOK to stay fully connected.
Stay Fully Connected – Become a Fan on Facebook
To all of my loyal readers,
I’ve recently launched a Facebook Page for my new company CADCUTDirect.com
If you want to stay fully connected with me and get advice on various aspects of apparel customization then become a fan.
Over the coming months we’ll be posting tons of photos, links to videos, exclusive interviews, giveaways, training and more. But before you can plug into all of this you have to be a fan.
Click here to check it out: Stahls’ CAD-CUT Direct on Facebook
Thanks for reading and coming very soon – “How to Market Your Apparel Decoration Business on Facebook”
PS: This will NOT replace my blog. It will rather supplement it with shorter more frequent messages.
Josh
The Death of Screen Printing for Team Uniforms
To commemorate 2010, I’ll be putting out top 10 lists throughout the year…
Our first Top 10 is…
The Top Ten Reasons Why: New Digital Print Cut Heat Press Technology and YOUR Customer will bring about the Death of Screen Printing for Team Uniforms
I urge you to share your comments at the end of this post.
Let’s look at the reasons why….
1. INVENTORY – When screen printing numbers you need to have a separate 20″ x 6′ (yes 6 foot) screen for every font that you want to offer in every size number. So 4″, 6″, 8″, 10″ & 12″ numb
ers x 10 fonts = 50 screens. Oh – if you want to do 2 color numbers in these fonts multiply 50 x 2 for 100 screens. With print/cut technology, no screens. You click and type your font choice and numbering size into a software.
2. COLOR – Screen Printing requires inks. These inks must be purchased in the proper color or mixed with another color to achieve the desired result. This gets complicat
ed, takes space, takes knowledge and takes dollars to stock ink. With digital print/cut technology you select the color from your infinite color palette in your graphics program and the magic happens. The printer mixes the CMYK inks to produce your color.
3. NAMES – Screen Printing names can be very difficult and lead to an even larger inventory of screens. With digital print cut technology you just type the name over your number in your graphics program. The machine prints and cuts the design in perfect registration.
4. TRAPPING – Most screen printers will use a process called trapping to produce a two color number. Trapping can get complicated when you consider using a non migrating ink as a base color for certain light/dark combinations. You also must flash cure in between colors. With digital print cut technology – design a second color, a third c
olor or even a fourth within the graphics program. Then the printer produces all colors on a single layer for easy application with a heat press.
5. SPECIAL EFFECTS – Screen Printing special effects into numbers can get complicated. It’s near impossible to produce numbers that include color gradients or unique effects within the nu
mber. With digital print cut technology you can overlay any effect into the number or name and simply print it. This is becoming popular with certain team sports – camo numbers, distressed numbers, club branding and more, all possible.
6. LEARNING CURVE - Screen Printing suppliers put on entire universities and week-long classes teaching new printers the basics with screen printing. Digital print cut technology for apparel can be taught in its entirety in just a couple days and in some cases hours.
7. FABRICS – Screen Printing mesh is a pain and a lot of uniforms are comprised of mesh. Screen Printing pushes wet ink through the mesh holes and leaves it on your platen or in some cases cardboard insert. When you remove the jersey you run the risk of contacting wet ink. Digital print and cut technology uses a film – no wet ink to smear and damage a jersey. Also – when you consider the wide range of fabric blends showing up in the team market it’s much easier to pick between just a few print cut materials with specific adhesives rather than trying to learn what type of ink to use and what additives are necessary.
8. DURABILITY - Screen Printing once held advantages. With solvent printers and lab certified films that gap has officially been closed.
9. SAFETY - A large part of the buying market for team lettering and number is under the age of 12. New legislation will dictate that you must have a product that meets certain certifications if you want to sell to this group – see CPSIA. Print cut technology features films (at a low price) that meets this certification and more.
10. YOUR CUSTOMER - Screen Printing has always been the choice product due to its mass exposure at a retail level. With the rise of online retailing and mass customization, the public perception of heat applied graphics and digital printing has improved drastically. Now your customer is ready to be presented with a solution that meets all of their demands when it comes to look, feel, durability, safety and price…..
….and ultimately this why we will see the death of screen printing for team uniforms – your customer will lead the charge towards easier, cleaner, safer, simpler technology that fits their needs.
NOTE FROM JOSH
For a ready to apply sample of print/cut material for your team uniform of choice, drop me an email at josh@cadcutdirect.com Please specify whether you have a heat press, vinyl cutter or solvent printer when emailing your request.
As always thanks for reading and follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/joshellsworth to get all the content I publish including videos, blog posts, articles and more.
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