Okayplayer 10 th Anniversary. With The Roots firmly established as Jimmy Fallon’s house band, Okayplayer takes a moment to celebrate 10 great years. Their summer 2009 line features a tee commemorating each of the last 10 years. Stores, get on board now - it’s all in the wholesale section.

This year Ropeadope is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary and what better way to celebrate than with some sweet tees! The new line celebrating Ropeadope’s milestone is coming soon! Be sure to check out all the tees and help us celebrate our 10th anniversary.

We’ve been getting rave reviews from The Johnson Foundation at the School Of Medicine on the Darwin tees we just printed. If you are at Penn and would like a quote on apparel for your department, call Lindy at 800.786.0162 x 207. Little known fact - our founder is a Penn alum - but he never finished.

Everyone is talking about how merch sales are growing, but few companies tell you how to do it right. Once your shirts are printed you are on your own, while they look for another band to sell shirts to. Banzai walks you through the process from A to Z. This blog is part of that process. First off, it’s not easy to build a successful clothing brand. But, If you take it step by step, you can build a stronger relationship with your fans through clothing. Fashion is like music - it hits people at their core - their identity is wrapped up in what they wear just as much as the music they love. What to wear is a key decision for many - if it’s right, they love it and they give you exposure just walking down the street. If it’s right, the clothing accurately expresses your commitment to the music without looking like a cheap souvenir. Today’s homework - browse some of the links at the right and add up where your merch stands in relationship to these successful brands.

Recession Tip - Buy Value.
Everywhere we look there is rough economic news. We’re tightening our belts over here at Banzai, but really the phones have been ringing off the hook! Why? We think it is because we have always offered value - not the best price or the flashiest sales pitch. Our clients and new prospects understand that this is not the time to take a chance with a vendor who might not deliver. Thanks to you guys for being so smart - we’ll continue to deliver.

For a year the economists have been predicted doom and gloom, and they seem to be right so far. Yesterday I finally found that economists are predicting the downturn will end later this year, meaning the time is now to plan the way forward. Here are a few suggestions for our web store clients:
1) Inventory - Check your stock and sell off dead inventory for cheap, real cheap. Spin it as a special recession sale to ease the pain, but make the cuts deep and wide - turn the inventory into cash to prepare for next year.
2) Shipping - We’re revising our shipping rates, offering first class mail where possible to keep the cost of shipping down. We’ve seen multiple posts recently where people mention that they will buy locally in these tough times.
3) Communication and Marketing - Take some time to talk to your fans - email blast, mention on your web site, twitter, myspace, facebook, etc.. Keep your web store in front of them. The minute they have an opportunity to spend they will be back.
4) Perks - Give away some music - a single, a podcast, a video - to anyone who buys or even visits your store. Start a contest, give away free tickets to a show, anything that keeps them engaged.
5) Manage your inventory carefully - Utilize Presales, do limited edition runs, repurpose existing artwork on different color tees, but sell out your stock every time.
To schedule a conference with us to review and plan, please call Lindy today.

We’re launching our monthly newsletter with tips and tricks to boost your merchandise sales. To sign up, send us an email.