We’ve got school spirit – how about you? Having official school merchandise, such as T-shirts, uniforms and decorations, is a great way to build school spirit and foster community. In turn, this can help students develop a sense of belonging and build self-esteem.
While the payoff for offering these school spirit items is huge, the process of ordering them can be a pain. Think endless order forms, emails from parents and overhead costs for storing inventory and maintaining a physical store at your school.
The solution? Online stores.
Say hello to a world of endless options, seamless shopping and the power to showcase your unique school spirit. It’s a straightforward and cost-effective way to make offering school merchandise easy – and even fun! Here’s why your school needs an online store for school merchandise and how to make it happen.
Convenience
With an online store for school merchandise, you team up with a vendor to select personalized items, sizes and colors. That might include items with your school colors, mascot, slogan, or items for a particular sports team or academic club. Then, once you’ve chosen your items, you become completely hands-off as a qualified vendor takes over.
Students, parents and faculty can place their orders directly on the website and those orders will be fulfilled by the vendor, sometimes shipped right to their door. It allows for efficient order tracking, inventory management and seamless fulfillment.
That means no more tedious order forms, email chains or last-minute requests to deal with on the administrative side. As a school, you can essentially set up the store and forget about it. The online store is accessible 24/7, allowing individuals to make purchases at their convenience, regardless of their busy schedules.
More Options
Because each item in an online store is made to order, you can select items in different sizes and colors without the risk of wasting money with leftover inventory. In addition, you can choose a start time and end time for your store, creating excitement when certain items are available only for a limited time or are exclusive for a semester or sports season.
Schools can also extend their merchandise offerings beyond the immediate community, catering to alumni, relatives and supporters who may be located far from the physical campus.
Stress-Free Fundraising
Finally, online stores are a great option for fundraising at your school. Because these stores are so easy to set up and manage, they’re much less hands-on than a share night or car wash event but are just as effective at raising money. Schools can dedicate a section of their online store to fundraising campaigns, allowing supporters to make direct donations or purchase designated merchandise with proceeds going toward specific causes.
Students and parents can easily share the custom link to the fundraising store on social media, through email or text or even through word of mouth.
Favorite Items
Need some product inspiration to get you started? A few popular items for school stores include:
T-Shirts
Athletic Apparel
Bags
Hats
Water Bottles
Towels
Show Your School Spirit with an Online Store
From streamlining the ordering process to reaching a wider audience and promoting school spirit, the perks of using an online store for school merchandise are undeniable. By leveraging this technology, schools can enhance their merchandise offerings, connect with their community and make a lasting impression.
Full Press Apparel makes it easy for your organization or team to access a variety of customized and branded apparel through our online stores. Click here to set up yours today!
