Chapter 20 Exercises: Physical Products and Merchandise

Exercise 20.1 — The Merch Concept Audit

Objective: Develop a merchandise concept grounded in genuine brand identity rather than revenue intent.

Instructions:

Part A: Answer the following questions in writing (2–3 sentences each): 1. What does your audience come to you for — the specific thing you provide that they couldn't get anywhere else? 2. If your audience were a club or community, what would be their shared identity? What would they wear to signal membership? 3. What visual elements represent your brand? (Colors, typography, icons, aesthetic, phrases or sayings) 4. What object would your audience use daily that could carry your brand appropriately?

Part B: Based on your answers, propose three specific merchandise products. For each, explain: - What the product is (specific item: not just "a shirt" but "a heavyweight relaxed-fit crewneck") - What design it would carry and why that design belongs on this product - What price point would feel right to your audience and why - What message buying this product sends to others about the buyer's identity

Part C: Rank your three concepts by likelihood of genuine demand. Explain your ranking.

Deliverable: A written merchandise brief of 500–800 words that you could use to brief a designer or present to a manufacturer.

Exercise 20.2 — Full POD Economics Model

Objective: Build a realistic financial model for a print-on-demand merchandise store.

Instructions:

Using a spreadsheet (Google Sheets, Excel, or similar), build a model with the following inputs and outputs:

Inputs: - Product type (choose two: one apparel, one non-apparel) - Base cost from Printful's actual catalog (visit printful.com/catalog and find real current prices) - Your retail price for each product - Estimated monthly unit sales in three scenarios: Conservative (10 units), Moderate (30 units), Optimistic (75 units) - Payment processing fee: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction - Shopify fee: $39/month (allocate proportionally: $39 / estimated monthly orders) - Optional: assume 5% return/refund rate

Outputs your model should calculate: - Gross revenue per month (each scenario) - Cost of goods sold per month - Payment processing cost per month - Platform fee allocation per month - Net revenue per month (each scenario) - Hourly rate equivalent: estimate 10 hours/month managing the store; what's your effective hourly rate in each scenario?

Analysis questions (write 150–200 words): 1. At what monthly unit volume does POD merchandise become meaningful income? 2. How does the margin change if you increase retail prices by 15%? What risk does that create? 3. Compare your effective hourly rate to alternative uses of your time. When does POD merch make sense as a time investment?

Deliverable: A functional spreadsheet with all calculations and a written analysis section.

Exercise 20.3 — Design a Limited Drop Campaign

Objective: Plan a complete limited drop campaign from concept to post-drop analysis.

Instructions:

Select one merchandise concept from Exercise 20.1 or develop a new one. Create a complete campaign plan including:

Section 1: Product Brief - Exact product description (category, material, design, colorways, sizes) - Manufacturing approach: POD, pre-order with manufacturer, or owned inventory? - Unit cost estimate and retail price - Units to produce (if applicable) - Total capital required upfront

Section 2: Timeline Create a week-by-week launch timeline working backwards from your launch date. Identify every task: - Design finalization - Photography/mockups - Pre-announcement content (what will you post, when, how vague?) - Email/DM notification list building - Launch day plan (what posts, what time, what platforms) - Post-launch customer communication plan - Shipping/fulfillment timeline

Section 3: Content Calendar Map out 8 specific pieces of content you would create for this drop campaign. For each piece, specify: - Platform - Format (video, photo, story, etc.) - Topic/angle - Call to action - Timing relative to launch

Section 4: Demand Test Design a specific demand test you would run before committing to production. What will you measure? What threshold would tell you to proceed vs. pause?

Section 5: Post-Drop Analysis Template Create a template you would use to analyze the drop after it closes. What metrics matter? What qualitative feedback will you collect?

Deliverable: A 1,000–1,500 word campaign plan document that you could actually execute.

Exercise 20.4 — Commerce Platform Comparison

Objective: Evaluate three creator commerce platforms and make a recommendation for a specific creator scenario.

Instructions:

Choose one of the following creator scenarios (or use your own): - Scenario A: A 45,000-follower TikTok creator in the home organization niche who has never sold anything and wants to launch a simple product line of custom storage labels and organizational tools - Scenario B: A 180,000-subscriber YouTube creator who makes cooking content and wants to sell both digital recipe books and physical kitchen tools alongside each other - Scenario C: A 28,000-follower Instagram creator in the fitness niche who has a strong audience and wants to launch sustainable activewear with her own brand

For your chosen scenario, evaluate three platforms: 1. Shopify 2. Spring (formerly Teespring) 3. TikTok Shop (if relevant to scenario) OR Gumroad (if digital products are part of the mix)

For each platform, evaluate: - Monthly cost and transaction fees - Setup complexity (rate 1–5) - Integration with their existing platforms - Customer experience quality - Inventory and fulfillment options - Analytics and data ownership - Key limitations

Write a 400–600 word recommendation explaining which platform you'd choose for this creator, why, and what the two main trade-offs of your recommendation are.

Deliverable: A comparison matrix and written recommendation.

Exercise 20.5 — The Sustainability Values Audit

Objective: Examine the relationship between creator values claims and merchandise sourcing decisions.

Instructions:

Part A: Research Choose a real creator who sells merchandise and who has made public statements about values relevant to their products (sustainability, social justice, community support, etc.). Research: - What do they claim to value in their content? - What merchandise do they sell? - Can you find information about how their merchandise is produced? (Check their website's FAQ, look for "made in" information, check if they mention manufacturers or certifications) - Do their merchandise choices appear consistent with their stated values?

Write a 300–400 word analysis of the alignment (or misalignment) you observe.

Part B: Apply to Your Own Concept Review the merchandise concept you developed in Exercise 20.1. Answer: - What values does your content communicate, either explicitly or implicitly? - Does your proposed merchandise reflect those values in terms of how it's made and sold? - If there's a gap between your values and your current merchandise concept, what would it take to close it? - What would you need to communicate to your audience about your product choices to be consistent with your content?

Write a 200–300 word reflection.

Deliverable: Part A analysis and Part B reflection as a single document.

Exercise 20.6 — Sourcing Research Project

Objective: Understand the real-world process of finding a manufacturer for a physical product.

Instructions:

This exercise requires actual research and outreach.

Step 1: Define a product. Pick one physical product you would consider creating: apparel, accessories, home goods, beauty/wellness, food, tech accessory — your choice.

Step 2: Research at least three manufacturers who could produce it. Use: - Maker's Row (makersrow.com) for US-based manufacturers - Alibaba (alibaba.com) for overseas options - A Google search for "[product type] manufacturer sustainable/ethical" OR "[product type] manufacturer minimum order"

For each manufacturer, record: - Company name and location - Product categories they produce - Estimated MOQ (from website or inquiry) - Estimated price per unit (from website or inquiry) - Certifications or quality claims - Your subjective impression of working with this company (based on their website, communication style, reviews)

Step 3: Email or message one manufacturer requesting: - Their product catalog - MOQ for the specific product you're interested in - Sample policy (can you order a single sample?) - Production lead time - Payment terms

Copy the actual email you sent and the response you receive (or note "no response within [X] days" if they don't reply).

Step 4: Write a 400–500 word reflection on what you learned. What surprised you about the manufacturing process? What feels more achievable than you expected? What feels more difficult?

Deliverable: Manufacturer comparison table, your outreach email and any response, and written reflection.

Exercise 20.7 — The Creator Merch Post-Mortem

Objective: Analyze a real creator merchandise launch by examining publicly available evidence.

Instructions:

Research a creator who has launched merchandise that is publicly documented. Good sources: YouTube "merch reveal" videos with comments, TikTok Shop creator pages with visible sales data, blog posts where creators discuss their merch results, Reddit threads in r/SmallYoutubers or similar communities.

Analyze: 1. What signals suggested this creator was ready for merch at the time they launched? 2. What product(s) did they launch? What was the price point? 3. What was the launch strategy (drop, ongoing store, YouTube shelf, etc.)? 4. What evidence exists about the outcome? (Sell-out, visible inventory, comments, follow-up videos) 5. What would you do differently if you were advising them before launch?

Write a 500–700 word case analysis structured as: Context → Launch Strategy → Outcome Assessment → Recommendations.

Note: Be specific about what you can observe versus what you're inferring. If you're not sure if a product sold out, say so.

Deliverable: A written case analysis with cited evidence (links to source content).