Why sell branded products at your gym
Have you ever considered selling a branded product in your gym or online? They could be water bottles, hoodies, equipment or towels. Whatever. The point is your health club’s name would be on that item, wherever it travels. All the while, reflecting your gym’s unique identity and generating a bit more cash for your company.
What is the difference between a product and a brand?
Products are what you sell but a brand is who you are. Brands are created through advertising, intent, and creativity. Your carefully crafted flagship image is your brand. The key is to narrow that idea into a series of attractive and relevant images, designs, and maybe, slogans.
Buying local brings us joy
Stocking your shelves with hand-picked gear representing your fitness studio’s beliefs and values attracts buyers in today’s hyper-local consumer imagination. Although much of what we purchase is truly made thousands of miles away, the idea that we are supporting a regional, nearby company makes us both feel better and, in some ways, improve economies.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote, “The pandemic saw an uptick of consumers’ discovering — and purchasing — smaller brands via social commerce, particularly Instagram.”
If your health club invests in social media promotions, either through digital advertising or plunking down posts on a daily basis, taking it one step further and adding merchandise can further enhance the social environment you’re already building.
Uniquely branded products create community
TikTok and YouTube mini-celebs have figured this out. My teenage daughter bought a hoodie from a TicTok gamer whose name escapes me because I have no idea who he is. However, when she wears that bright green hoodie with two dots and a half smile, young adults everywhere — at malls, in coffee shops, at parks — stop and speak with her; inevitably the two experience an immediate camaraderie and that gamer just reinforced his brand.
Our world is a global community. Representing your value system or creativity through merchandise opens wallets in unexpected corners.
Now for the details – D’oh!
If imprinting your gym’s spirit onto a water bottle is something you’d like to do, here’s a few tips.
- Invest in a good graphic designer or team. Although you may have a logo, a highly trained graphic designer (not a niece on Adobe Illustrator) can turn that image or idea percolating in your head, into a bold, sharp reality reflecting both your value system and your gym’s overall experience.
- Price it correctly. We’re not here to lose money. Consider all the costs involved with setting up shop, from variables such as materials and shipping, to fixed costs and establishing a reasonable profit margin. Click here for a good article by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on accurately pricing products.
- Expect to invest in backend technology. Retail adds a storefront to your gym, which complicates recordkeeping and requires better backend software. Consult with an accountant, a website designer, and your gym management software company to ensure synchronicity between sales and inventory.
Your gym’s brand is who you are – be consistent.
A brand is a “customer’s overall perception of your business,” explains Fresh Sparks. It’s in your advertising, your customer relationships, your facility. A brand goes deeper than a logo, it radiates across the spectrum of your customer interactions, facility ambiance, company culture. By thinking these components through — and doing a little soul searching — you can set up an additional revenue stream that supplements memberships and creates an independent, residual profit sector within your health club business.
Gym Insight
At Gym Insight, our gym membership software provides a clear, transparent picture into your company’s financials, and offers a platform from which to run your business effectively. Our software is built in-house, by fitness club owners. There are no cumbersome third-party plug-ins or complicated protocols, and it’s available for a single, low monthly subscription price — no hidden fees, no links to your payment processor. Call us today for a free demonstration on how we can lower your software management costs and free up time and capital.