What's the real purpose of selling merchandise like mugs, pillows, and tote bags?

Merchandise serves three critical purposes beyond direct profit. First, it allows you to acquire customers—you won’t make huge money on a mug, but that customer is now in your ecosystem. Second, it increases your average order value when customers add smaller items to larger purchases. Third, and most importantly, merchandise is a non-stop advertisement in places where digital marketing can’t reach. A marketer can only get your attention when you’re on your phone or computer, but a coffee mug with your art is in someone’s kitchen every morning, a refrigerator magnet is seen multiple times daily, a tote bag goes everywhere. This constant exposure keeps you top-of-mind when that customer is ready to make a larger art purchase. Merchandise is a beachhead into your customer’s daily life, providing repeated impressions in perpetuity.

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Asked by synthesized from teaching · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-07-15