Managing merchandise is a vital aspect of running a swim team. Whether you’re selling team t-shirts, caps, suits, or handling sponsorships and donations, SwimTopia’s Merchandise tab within the Manage Team admin console provides a simple way to organize and sell these items. This blog post will guide you through the key steps to manage your team’s merchandise effectively.
- Create a New Merchandise Item
- Essential Tips for Managing Merchandise
- Archiving and Restoring Merchandise
- Merchandise Reports
Creating a New Merchandise Item
To create a new item for purchase, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to the Merchandise Tab: Go to Manage Team > Merchandise in the admin console.
2. Click +Add Merchandise Item: This button allows you to start the process of adding new items to your store.
3. Enter Item Details: You’ll be prompted to input key information about the merchandise, including the name, description, and pricing, and upload an image to showcase the item.
4. Customization Options: You can also specify if your item has personalizable options (like names on t-shirts) or comes in different sizes or colors.
5. Configure Sizing: Enter Size options and price overrides if applicable.
6. Save and Publish: Once you’ve completed the details, you can save the item for sale.
Please watch our How-To video for further information.
Pro Tip: Want to collect donations in your team store? Visit our SwimTopia Community Section to learn how one team does just that: Using the Online Team Store to Collect Donations
Essential Tips for Managing Merchandise
Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when managing your merchandise:
- Merchandise is Not Season-Specific: Merchandise items in SwimTopia are not tied to specific seasons. That means if you need to make changes to an item, especially after sales have already occurred, it’s best to create a new item rather than editing an existing one. Editing an old item could alter the details for all past orders, which would interfere with tracking and reporting.
- Tip: Best practice is to name each item with the season for reporting purposes. Each new season create a copy of the prior season item, rename it to the new season and archive the older season item.
- Handling Order Limits: If your merchandise has order limits, SwimTopia counts the orders from last season as part of the cumulative quantity. Therefore, to maintain clear records and prevent over-ordering, it’s better to create new items each season.
- Copying Items: If the changes you need to make to an item are minor, you can save time by simply copying an existing item rather than creating a brand-new one. To do this, go to Manage Team > Merchandise, select the item, and click on “Copy.” You can then edit the copied item without affecting the original or past sales data.
Archiving and Restoring Merchandise
SwimTopia allows you to archive items, removing them from active sales without deleting them permanently. Archiving items helps keep your store organized by hiding old or outdated merchandise while retaining the item for future reference.
- Archiving Items: Once an item is archived, it won’t be visible in the team store or during registration. Any offers that use archived items will be removed from registration and the store.
- Restoring Archived Items: You can restore archived items at any time. Once restored, they will reappear in your store, and any offers linked to them will also return.
Merchandise Reports
SwimTopia provides comprehensive reporting options to help you track your merchandise sales and maintain accurate records. However, the specific reports you’ll need to reference will depend on where the items were sold. Here’s a quick overview:
- Registration Orders: These can be viewed from the Registrations > Registrants# page or accessed through the Reports section.
- Online Store Orders: View orders directly from the Merchandise > Orders section, with a convenient link provided on the Reports page.
- SwimOutlet Team Store Orders: Orders made through SwimOutlet can only be viewed within the SwimOutlet platform.
It’s important to note that if you sell merchandise both during registration and through the online store, you’ll need to run separate reports for each. Integrated reporting for both platforms is not available yet, though it has been requested. This separation can actually be helpful if you’re selling different items through registration versus your team store or if sales extend beyond the registration period.
Tip: To access additional merchandise actions, use the check box to select one or multiple orders – this opens two new buttons that allow you to access additional reports or allow you to bulk update the order status.
Our Help Center article Merchandise Reports – Orders Placed through Registration and the Online Store provides valuable details about this process.
Boosting Team Spirit with Hassle-Free Merchandise Management
Efficient merchandise management goes beyond just keeping your store organized—it enhances the experience for everyone involved. By using SwimTopia’s flexible and user-friendly merchandise management tools to boost team spirit and simplify fundraising efforts, you’ll have more time to focus on what really matters—supporting your team and ensuring a successful season!
You may also be interested in:
- From Spiritwear to Fundraising: How SwimTopia’s Online Store Helps Your Team Thrive
- Maximize Team Spiritwear Sales with Seamless Registration Integration
Published 09/11/2024. SwimTopia regularly releases new features, enhancements, and updates. Please visit our Help Center for the latest information on Merchandise and our Online Store.
