WOMEN* DESERVE COOL MERCH TOO!

Does your clothing brand serve women's needs properly?

Over half of the UK’s population consist of women - but still, the supply of women’s shirts are very limited. Yes, we do have more choices when visiting a high street retailer or big brands, but not when shopping on the custom printed apparel market.

Brands tend to go along the ‘safe’ route which means they create and sell unisex/ men’s styles only- in the hopes that women will be equally happy with these. The reason is that they assume that women- specific styles just won’t sell well, so they avoid investing into anything risky, as they don’t want to end up sitting on a large stock of unsold women’s shirts.

But brands should remember that women spend more on clothing than men- so they are just as much valuable customer segment with similar ( if not better) purchasing power as men, and they would potentially buy more merchandise if they would be available in different styles- but often these choices just don't exist.

Also, if brands do happen to create shirts in women’s styles, they often choose a different design/ logo for them than what they print onto men’s styles. This way women missing out on the best designs even if they like them- just because it’s not available in women’s styles.

Does a unisex style makes women equally happy than a style specifically tailored to them? Not really….Either we buy the men’s shirts on offer- or end up with no shirts at all- but it shouldn’t be this way.

Some brands who already offering styles for women opt to choose only babydoll shirts or tank tops for ladies, and that's it, they think it’s sorted.

But it doesn’t fits for everyone and for many girls, this style is a big no-no. And as we don’t always have the time or skills to alter traditional T-shirts into something nicer, we simply don’t bother and refuse to buy your merchandise.

"When it comes to just band tshirts I think the "womens/girls" versions suck, they are weirdly shaped."

Whenever I go to a gig I always check out the merch stall. Usually there are men's T shirts and fitted women's shirts or tank tops in the selection- which I certainly know that won't fit me well, as I don't have a perfect hourglass shape or flat tummy, so it wouldn't be flattering at all.

So instead, I always opt to buy a men's shirt bigger than my size and later I have to customize, such as cut the sleeves, or convert it a crop top, etc. .

I know a lot of my female friends are doing the same, cutting up shirts, sewing them back again- just because we are left with no choice.

But why do we have to risk messing up a shirt completely, why can't we have something nicer at the first place?

Remember, women comes in all shapes, sizes and style preferences, and not everyone feels wearing the same shirts comfortable!

I've asked fellow women to share their views on what approach should brands take to make them happy and to encourage them to buy their merchandise. Read here what they said:

As you can see, women demand for better merchandise, but there seems to be a big gap on the market. This is why people who are decision-makers in merchandise-related questions should need to rethink their approach to women's merch styles and start offering stylish, flattering and inclusive women's clothing to cover our needs.

By targeting women and providing quality merchandise which meets their needs brands could gain a strong new USP (unique selling point)- and make female customers happy.

But how to do it really?

#1: Ask women around

Ask around to discover what would make them happy. Make sure you do this inclusively and ask for opinions of ladies with different body type, age, style preferences, etc.- because one shirt doesn’t fits all. You can ask either face to face, and also utilize a questionnaire or an instagram poll to connect with your female customers to hear their preferences and opininons.

#2: Give them options to choose from

You can start offering the same design throughout various styles and colours. If you don’t want to keep a large stock, why not run a pre-order with multiple styles on offer to test out new styles? This allows your female customers to customize their merchandise a little bit according to their taste and style-preferences. And also gains you useful insights into what works well for women- which will help to plan for the next collection.

#3: Talk to your screenprinter

Luckily, we screen printers have the power to bring change to the women-oriented merchandise market. For us, a print is a print- regardless of what garment we print it onto.

This is why I don’t see a problem with allowing my customers to mix & match styles, sizes and colours within one order. this way you can offer more flexible options for your female customers to choose from.

Offering multiple styles gives higher level of flexibility - because the chances are higher that more women will find something that they like.

We also have access to millions of exciting blank garments which helps to embrace women's features and we are ready to help clothing brands to find the right one which female customers will love to wear.