What should you do to increase revenue? We asked 1,000 U.S. shoppers how they prefer to buy, what makes them spend more, and how long they’re willing to wait for their orders to deliver. Here are the results. (See below for our survey methodology.)
One in three Americans (30%) said they’d prefer to shop online for branded merchandise, and another third (28%) said they’d buy both online and in person. These behaviors extend across age ranges, including generations that didn’t grow up in a digital-first economy. For people ages 60+, 22% say they’d prefer to buy online and 31% shop both online and in person.
Their top motivations to shop online are choice and convenience.
Survey Question: What would be your top reasons for purchasing branded apparel or merchandise online?
People buy more when they feel like they’re getting extra value. Apparel decorators and promotional product distributors can also increase average order values by offering more product and design options in their stores.
Survey Question: If you were browsing custom apparel or merchandise online, what would most motivate you to purchase more than one item?
People value quality and brand familiarity, and that means they’ll spend more so they can trust that they’re getting the best products. It’s worth noting that almost half of participants selected quality and durability as one of the main drivers for expenditures. This goes hand-in-hand with the recent trend within the promotional products industry for more sustainable and eco-friendly products. Rather than cheap and quickly disposed of products, consumers prefer items that aren’t destined for a landfill.
Survey Question: What would make you purchase a more expensive product from one brand over a less expensive product from another brand?
Even in today’s Amazon-obsessed culture, more people are willing to wait for their online orders than you might assume.
Survey Question: If you bought custom apparel online (e.g., shirt for a fundraiser, for your company, or merch from a local venue), how long would you be willing to wait to receive your order?
Survey Methodology
Chipply contracted TEAM LEWIS, a leading global marketing agency, to conduct this survey. TEAM LEWIS surveyed 1,000 individuals in the U.S. All respondents were 18 or older, and the sample was census-balanced by age and gender. TEAM LEWIS collected data through an online survey. The survey respondents were independently sourced from Paradigm Sample.