CASE STUDY

River City Rhythm [Merchandising]

Project type: Merchandising, B2C, Product Development, Budgeting, Direct Marketing
2016 – 2019

Context:

After being recruited at the last minute (less than six weeks before the first show of the season) to take over the merchandising aspect of RCR’s projects portfolio, I used the first season to bring in basic logo-branded items just to get a feel for what would (or more importantly, would not) sell to the RCR fan-base. Since there was little time to plan out and do any kind of research, I used the 2016 season to talk to members and fans about what would interest them most for future merchandise offerings. As well as consulted with other DCI organizations to help cultivate ideas for the 2017 season and beyond.

Challenges:

As RCR was a new, up-and-coming organization, without the brand recognition of more established DCI groups, I had a very small budget with which to work, so I needed to be both very strategic about new product rollout and I also needed to find a vendor who would work with us and create product in small batches. Finally, I was charged with developing an appropriate price point that ensured an end-of-season profit for the organization, but was fitting for a newer organization that was building their brand from the ground up.

In addition, when I was asked to take over RCR’s merchandising, I discovered that there was no point-of-sale system for tracking sales or inventory, so I invested in a Square system, which allowed us to track sales and inventory in real-time and provided an accurate base to plan budgets for subsequent seasons. In the previous (2015) season, sales and cash were tracked manually, which could lead to inaccuracies of both when reporting end-of-season P&L.

Consultation:

After the conclusion of the 2016 season, I worked with RCR’s merchandise vendor partner to help identify products that would marry quality with affordability. I developed a plan for year-over-year product expansion along with some changeover of base brands to improve the guest experience regarding quality (example: softer, more lightweight cotton for tees). I developed both a start-of-season initial budget as well as a separate restocking budget for Board approval.

Upon developing my expansion plan, I pitched to the organization’s Director of Operations where I was given the go-ahead to “play with the brand” as I saw fit, and to expand on the original logo within our merchandise to provide a wider variety of styles and support sales. I then returned to RCR’s vendor partner to refine the product offerings for the next season and solidify the needed budget for the upcoming season, at which point I would pitch to the Board for budget approval.

Project Scope:

Refined the initially available products and improving the quality of the products offered
Expand the offered products after the first year – adding some much-asked-for accessories, like a Corps Bear, expanded clothing options, stickers, pins and youth tees
Expanded the color palette to both bring life to the brand and showcase the season’s production
Develop seasonal, show-specific merchandise to encourage additional sales year-over-year
Added Square retail to maintain and track inventory as well as streamline the sales process
Updated the layout of RCR’s merchandise canopy, which was brought to competition venues throughout the summer to make it feel more like a retail store, inviting customers into the sales space
Developed and commissioned a new branded merchandise canopy and related branded accessories to reflect the increase of prestige to the RCR brand