Online Merchandise Shops for Increased Revenue

With the holidays just around the corner many of us are thinking about the perfect gift for our loved ones. Doors to arts and culture organizations are reopening but many saw revenue fall during the pandemic. Now is the perfect time to take advantage of the shopping season and boost end of year revenue with an online merchandise store. You can use your Spektrix system to create and manage your online merchandise shop. 

It’s not too late to make the most of this festive season with a simple shop or to expand your existing one. Consider these easy ways to increase merchandise sales this season:

• Use a promo code to encourage previous ticket buyers to shop your site with a special discount on Small Business Saturday.
• Take advantage of a cross-sell opportunity by adding a relevant merchandise suggestion or supplementary event to your customers at the point of purchase.
• Highlight your online store in a pre-show email. By encouraging people to purchase merchandise in advance for pickup on the day of their visit, you’ll increase income, save time and reduce contact between your staff and visitors.
• At a busy pantomime or family show, it’s easy for parents to be distracted by toilet trips or put off by long queues. Offering gifts, snacks or goodie bags at the point of sale gives you guaranteed income and makes life easier for both families and front of house teams.

Still need inspiration? Check out these Spektrix powered merchandise shops:

33% increase in sales

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Audience Operations Manager, Adam Foreman, told us, “The introduction of the Spektrix Merchandise Web Component was a game changer for us.” Using scheduled reports, they are able to track daily sales with ease. “Even with our campus and physical Box Office being closed for a good chunk of the year due to Covid, we have seen a 33% increase in merchandise sales in academic year 20/21 compared to the previous year.”  

Build and Manage Remotely

Looking to add a new revenue stream during a time they weren’t presenting, Fox Tucson Theatre created and implemented an online store while working remotely. Christa, their in-house graphic designer and marketing guru, photographed the products at home using her smartphone. This saved time and money that would have been spent locating and scheduling a shoot with a vendor and gave her more control of the aesthetic. While ticket sales were slow, the Fox box office manager, Emily, set up the online store. All from home!

$25,000 in revenue

Think you have to go big or go home? Think again. Calgary Philharmonic launched an online store in November 2020 with two products: masks and socks. Since then, they have sold to over 450 customers and expanded their shop to include a number of signature items, like a high-end travel tumbler, baseball cap and a variety of T-shirts. Courtney Ilie, Associate Director, Sales couldn’t be more pleased, “To date we have sold nearly 1,200 individual items, raised over $25k in revenue, and created a new and sustainable revenue stream that increases our brand awareness and supports our local community.“

If you've had success increasing revenue or re-engaging patrons using your online store, we'd love to hear about it. 

Share your success story

Laurice Grae-Hauck is Marketing & Communications Manager at Spektrix