Influencer marketing is big business and is expected to be worth $24 billion by the end of 2024. With hundreds or even thousands of creators on every social media platform, you may be wondering how you can make your personal brand stand out in this rapidly growing industry. In this article, we’re going to take a look at 8 influencers who wondered that exact thing and found the answer: influencer merch.
That’s right, influencers are now designing merch and opening online stores in addition to entertaining us on social media. As the influencer marketing industry continues to expand, this trend of selling merch has become a powerful way for creators to monetize their brand and deepen their connection with fans. Before we dive into our picks for the best influencer merch on offer right now, let’s talk about who exactly buys the merch that influencers create.
Who Buys Influencer Merch?
In today’s digital world, most engagement and sharing happens online. But this can create a lack of connection between influencers and their followers. While we’re sharing more than ever before, the digital nature of communication doesn’t really allow for physical manifestations of devotion. After all, how do you get a concert tee for an influencer who doesn’t tour?
Gen Z, Millennials, Xennials, and even some Gen Xers are looking for new ways to engage with the people they admire and follow online. Selling merch is a great way for influencers to give their followers the physical connection they want. And, many of the people who follow influencers hope to become social media influencers themselves. This means that buying and unboxing merch from their favorite social media personalities is likely to be highlighted on their own social media platforms.
To keep followers beyond the 7-second attention span, it’s important to create influencer merch that’s high-quality and attention-grabbing. Let’s talk about some of the influencer merch stores that are hitting the mark right now.
Best Influencer Merch Stores
Influencers on any social media platform can use merch to boost their income and add another income stream to complement the money they’re making from sponsored posts. Here’s the top influencer merch on offer right now to offer inspiration for your own branded merchandise dreams.
Zach King started his journey towards virtual fame at the age of seven after his parents handed him a video camera. Zach started creating videos for his family—and they were quite an eager audience. When he was a freshman in college, Zach created the video “Jedi Kittens” and went viral, getting more than a million views in under 24 hours. Zach took the opportunity to share his stories with a larger audience and continued creating content for his YouTube channel, which now boasts over 37 million subscribers. When Vine hit, Zach started sharing his magic videos on the platform, racking up more than 4 million followers and becoming known as the Digital Magician. His success continued to grow, with over 82 million followers on TikTok, making him one of the most followed creators on the platform. His influencer merch store includes the usual subjects like tees and tanks but also has a few nods to his Digital Magician nickname with a custom card deck and comic books. Our favorite product, though, has to be the Zach King Snapback Hat: Chris Burkard is an artist and photographer from California. His art focuses on landscape, surf, outdoor, lifestyle, and travel. Chris approaches photography as a photojournalist, using natural lighting techniques to create beautiful imagery. Chris’s online store includes prints, books, workshops, camera bags, and photo editing presets as well as merch featuring his art. We love literally everything that includes his alpaca drawings but we’re absolutely enamored with the alpaca pocket tee: Charli D’Amelio is TikTok’s biggest star. She started her TikTok channel in June 2019 and within months the 15-year-old had worked her way into everyone’s hearts with choreographed dances. Thanks to her success on TikTok, Charli ended up with a spot in Hype House, an appearance in a Super Bowl commercial, and a talent agency contract. Charli’s merch offering isn’t large, offering just a few designs, but we’re in love with the Charli Smile Logo Tee: Dixie D’Amelio is Charli’s older sister. She’s also known for her choreography and dance videos and is another member of Hype House. Dixie signed a talent agency contract in 2019. Dixie’s merch offering is pretty limited, too, but by far our favorite piece is the cloudy hoodie: Dude Perfect is known for compilations of sick trick shots and the famous athletes that show up in their videos. They’ve branched out into comedy content and are often joined by their giant panda mascot. Like Jake Paul’s store, Dude Perfect offers just a ton of different types of merch but in a much prettier website. We’re fans of this branded basketball: MrBeast is known for viral challenges like counting to 100,000 in one video or the “last to remove hand wins Lamborghini” challenge. He’s also done several donations and charity stunts where he hands out thousands of dollars to waitstaff and smaller Twitch games. His merch is incredibly eye-catching, with bright pinks, blues, and yellows. We’re particularly fond of this Hoodie: Evan Fong of VanossGaming is a prominent gaming influencer known for his entertaining gameplay and compilations of funny moments. His merch line includes a variety of items featuring the iconic VanossGaming logo, such as hoodies and tees. In addition to these, fans can now find unique products like the Plushie Slippers, which have become a popular addition to his collection. Emma Chamberlain, a trailblazing influencer and YouTuber, has made a significant impact not just through her relatable and candid content, but also with her entrepreneurial ventures. Her brand, Chamberlain Coffee, reflects her love for coffee and her distinct, laid-back aesthetic. The brand offers a variety of coffee blends, as well as branded merchandise like mugs, tote bags, and apparel, all designed to resonate with her audience’s lifestyle. Emma’s influence extends beyond YouTube, as she continues to innovate and connect with her fans through her personal brand and creative ventures.1. Zach King
2. Chris Burkard
3. Charli D’Amelio
4. Dixie D’Amelio
5. Dude Perfect
6. MrBeast (a.k.a. Jimmy Donaldson)
7. VanossGaming (a.k.a. Evan Fong)
8. Emma Chamberlain
Influencer Merch: A Great Way to Support Creators
For influencers with a strong and engaged following, selling merch is a great option for earning additional money to supplement those sponsored posts. Influencers across social media platforms can use merch to promote their brand, from YouTube influencers to TikTok influencers to Instagram influencers and beyond, high-quality, on-brand merch will help influencers build community and increase brand affinity and awareness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes influencer merch successful?
To keep followers engaged, it's important to create influencer merch that's high-quality and attention-grabbing. Successful influencer merch stores offer a wide selection of natural-sounding voices, extensive customization options, high-quality audio output, and the ability to generate voices in multiple languages.
What are some popular influencer merch products?
Some of the most popular influencer merch products include t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, socks, phone cases, pins, mugs, and backpacks. Influencers often design merch that aligns with their brand and resonates with their target audience.
How do influencers promote their merch stores?
Influencers promote their merch stores by featuring the products in their social media content, wearing the merch in videos and photos, and offering exclusive discounts and bundles to their followers. They also leverage their existing audience and brand partnerships to drive traffic to their online stores.
What are the benefits of selling merch for influencers?
Selling merch offers several benefits for influencers, including enhanced brand visibility, increased credibility, stronger market presence, and additional revenue streams. It allows them to solidify their brand identity, engage their community, and create tangible connections with their followers.
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