In the beauty and wellness industry, soft goods can be seen as a superfluous investment—something extra, nice to have, but not a necessary part of your recipe for success. However, taking the modern consumer into account, promotional soft goods provide a unique and exciting way to further position your brand as part of your customer’s lifestyle, and a great way to keep them coming back, making more purchases, and staying loyal longer.

What are promotional soft goods? First things first, promotional soft goods is basically a fancy way of saying brand swag. Whether it’s for sale, or crafted as a giveaway or gift-with-purchase, these are limited edition items that go beyond your typical product offering. So, if you sell body care products, your promotional soft goods could be a hat or shirt with your branding, or something even more industry-specific, like a branded loofah or towel.

How can I use soft goods strategically? To get the most out of your investment in soft goods, it’s important to consider your product and your customer. For example, if you’re targeting a younger clientele with an everyday product, you may find that they are more enticed to show off your unique branding in the form of stickers, water bottles, or other lifestyle enhancing products. However, if you’re targeting older generations with more technical products, it could be more beneficial to consider products that will further enhance their experience with their purchase. For example, a complimentary branded mask brush to apply their mask—or a chic pill organizer for their daily supplements.

A great example of successful soft goods in practice is Glossier (of course!). After seeing the success of their mirrors, adorned with “You Look Good,” on social media, Glossier adapted to their customers’ appetite to represent their brand as part of a cool-girl lifestyle. In response, they crafted an entire line of branded merchandise called Glossier Goods that often sells out within days—or even hours. In this collection, you can find a beauty bag (an obvious creation to supplement their core product offering), but also sweatshirts, baseball caps with the beloved You Look Good mirror slogan, socks, totes, and more. Soft goods are more than swag—they’re a way to keep your customer deeply connected to your brand.

So, how does this maximize my ROI?Promotional soft goods can increase your overall ROI in a couple of ways.

• Firstly, they can increase your customer’s purchasing potential. If you know they are ordering a refill product every 2-3 months, but you’re having trouble getting more spend out of them, promotional goods that embody your brand give them an opportunity to spend more, especially around gifting time.
• Promotional soft goods are also a great way to offer incentive to your customers without discounting your core product. For example, you can offer a free beauty bag with the purchase of three cosmetics, or a rewards program that encourages loyalty and offers your customer a way to cash in their earnings for brand swag.
• Finally, promotional soft goods are a great part of a holistic marketing strategy. Buzzy brands often build their following through gear that sparks curiosity and gets the conversation going. If you see someone in a “You Look Good” hat, you know it came from Glossier—and it creates an IRL connection that is often more meaningful than what you can achieve digitally.

To get your promotional soft goods plan started, contact our team. We’re here to help you think through strategic ways to make your merch work harder for your business—and have a little fun in the process.