T-shirts are incredibly popular, and their potential for marketing and sales in a martial arts school should not be underestimated. Here's how you can maximize your t-shirt sales:
Expand Your Line and Design Choices
Most schools offer only one or two t-shirt designs. Once students have bought both, they have no reason to buy more unless you expand your line. Develop a range of t-shirts that revolve around your logo. Your logo should remain consistent across all designs. While you can introduce special editions, such as a black belt graduation t-shirt featuring new black belts' names, ensure the logo stays the same to maintain brand recognition.
Implement Summer Rules
Allow students to wear gi pants, belts, and logo t-shirts instead of full uniforms during the summer months. Promote this through newsletters, notices, and class announcements to boost t-shirt sales.
Promote Team Spirit
Encourage demo team members, competition team members, and other special program participants to wear specific t-shirts. Suggest that parents also wear these t-shirts to show support and team spirit.
Hold Seasonal Sales
Clear out old designs at the end of each season with a sale to make room for new designs. Introducing new designs at least once a year keeps things fresh and encourages continuous purchases.
Create Eye-Catching Displays
Set up t-shirt displays in your school’s window during the summer months to attract passersby. This can even lead to new enrollments from people who initially came in to buy a t-shirt.
Use T-Shirts as Promotional Tools
Offer free t-shirts as incentives for purchasing more expensive items, like videos or heavy bags. This not only promotes t-shirt sales but also encourages sales of higher-priced items.
Implement Staff Team Colors
Have your staff wear different t-shirt designs on different days to showcase the full range of products. This creates a professional, unified look and promotes the various designs to students and parents.
Introduce a T-Shirt of the Month Club
Consider a t-shirt of the month club where students get a new t-shirt each month for an extra fee. If monthly is too frequent, try a quarterly design change and promote it as the shirt of the quarter.
Exclusive Black Belt Club Line
Introduce a separate line of t-shirts for Black Belt Club members. This can enhance the exclusivity and desirability of the Black Belt Club, especially if you have a specific logo for the club.
Treat T-Shirts as a Marketing Expense
Remember, t-shirts are a marketing tool. Each t-shirt sold turns the wearer into a walking billboard for your school. The financial benefits of selling more t-shirts are compounded by the marketing benefits when new students enroll because they saw your school’s logo on a friend's shirt.
