8 Important Buyer Insights for Your Upcoming Holiday Gifting Season

Now is the time to be planning your holiday gift product lineup – whether that’s custom t-shirts, hoodies, bags or other items. If you’ve ever wished you could get inside your buyers’ minds to get insights into what they want from your t-shirt shop, you’re in the right place. Recently, CSO conducted a consumer survey that revealed a slew of insights to help small business owners plan for the upcoming holiday gifting season.

Be in the know this holiday season with these eight powerful insights from our survey and actionable takeaways to make this your most profitable winter gifting season yet.

Now is the time to be planning your holiday gift product lineup – whether that’s custom t-shirts, hoodies, bags or other items. If you’ve ever wished you could get inside your buyers’ minds to get insights into what they want from your t-shirt shop, you’re in the right place. Recently, CSO conducted a consumer survey that revealed a slew of insights to help small business owners plan for the upcoming holiday gifting season.

Be in the know this holiday season with these eight powerful insights from our survey and actionable takeaways to make this your most profitable winter gifting season yet.

More than 45% of respondents plan to shop with small businesses and creators for the upcoming winter holiday season. Roughly 87% of respondents say (to some degree) that they’ll shop at small businesses this holiday season.

Your Takeaway: That’s great news for your t-shirt shop! People love to support small (and local) businesses. If that’s you, then prepare for lots of holiday orders. However, it’s smart to let your prospects and customers know you run a small business. If you’re also woman- or -veteran owned, highlight that messaging. Don’t be shy about posting this information on your website, any platforms like Etsy where you sell products, in your emails and social posts, and on your business cards and other marketing collateral. If people associate your brand with being a small business they want to support, they’ll be visiting your store first when they’re writing their holiday gift lists.  

A whopping 77% of survey respondents purchased handmade or custom goods from a small business or maker in the past year. Of those, more than half shopped on Etsy (52%). Notably, more than half also shopped at in-person events such as pop-up markets, craft fairs and farmers markets (55%). While more people tend to shop online for other consumer goods, they do like the in-person aspects of shopping for.hand-made or custom products.

Your Takeaway: If you’re selling hand-decorated or custom t-shirts, we see that big smile on your face. More than three-quarters of people shopping for gifts this holiday season want to buy your products, rather than hitting a big-box store. Part of their desire to purchase hand-crafted or custom items adds to the gift’s appeal when they give it to their family and friends.

However, another key piece to grabbing these buyers’ attention is to show up at fairs and other holiday-time events to sell your products. If a buyer wants to purchase a custom item, they’re more likely to want to meet you and see the products first before making a purchase. Start making a list now of the local in-person events that you can attend to meet these buyers where they like to shop for holiday gifts.

Nearly 70% of all respondents say they shop at Amazon for special occasions. Plus, about 35% of consumer respondents purchased handmade goods from an online retailer like Etsy at least one or two times in the last year.

Your Takeaway: The big message here is to keep your website, and other online platforms like Amazon or Etsy where you sell your products, fresh, exciting and updated. This is the time to invest in high-quality product photography from different angles. If you sell t-shirts, take pictures of the t-shirt itself and of someone in your target demographic wearing it. 

Don’t forget your product copy: This is the valuable real estate where you get buyers excited about buying this particular t-shirt. Talk about the fabric, the color options, the inspiration behind the artwork and the decorating method. Remind them that a custom t-shirt is a great gift for the holidays, birthdays and other special occasions.

Nearly half (47%) of all respondents say they shop with small creators for home décor.

Your Takeaway: If you’ve considered add-on products, look no further than home décor items like coffee mugs, pillows, blankets and more. Buyers looking for custom t-shirts will be attracted to other custom items for their homes. These items also make great holiday gifts!

The most popular ways that people learned about handmade goods and creators were through social media (51%) and friends and family (52%).

Your Takeaway: If you’re not on social media like Instagram or Facebook, you need to create those business accounts today. Start posting holiday gifting ideas featuring your products now to plant those seeds early. Your buyers have a lot of choices of brands and gifts to choose from, so be first in line with your suggestions. Many people start winter holiday shopping in early fall.

Most of us will try out a brand or product if our family and friends recommended them to us. If you can, encourage your customers to refer you to earn a percentage off code for their next purchase. Also enable people to leave reviews about your company and products to encourage on-the-fence shoppers to hit the “buy” button. Use those reviews on your website, product pages, emails and social media posts. Even better, offer people an incentive like a discount on an upcoming order to leave a review and photo wearing your custom t-shirt.

Almost half of buyers (43.5%) are likely to buy t-shirts or tank tops for themselves or for gifts. Another 31% plan to buy sweatshirts or hoodies, and 28% have totes and bags on their lists.

Your Takeaway: If you’re figuring out what products and designs to offer for the holiday gifting season, you’ve just gotten some insider information. T-shirts and tanks should top your list, but don’t forget hoodies and tote bags – and you can score all of these items at low wholesale prices in one place at CSO.

When it comes to shopping for custom-decorated shirts, nearly one-third of respondents said that price matters most to them when it comes to purchasing hand-imprinted or custom decorated shirts. The design of the shirt came in second at 25%, and durability a close third at 24%.

Your Takeaway: We don’t advocate pricing your t-shirts so low that you sell tons, but you don’t make a profit. However, take a look at what competitor prices range so that you can select t-shirts that fit into that budget, but still allow you to make a healthy margin. Next, look at what designs your target market has bought from you the most frequently so you can plan the artwork or message art you want to offer. Third, it’s always a smart idea to stock t-shirts from reputable brands that are soft, fit well and will last through many washes and wears. You can find those t-shirts from brands like Bella + Canvas and Next Level at CSO!

Only 28% of respondents shop with small businesses and creators for weddings, and only 20% said the same for baby showers.

Your Takeaway: These occasions may not be the focus of your product offerings. However, if a holiday gifting buyer checks out your selection, show them you also offer wedding or baby shower products. That way, if they need those products, or know someone who does, your brand will be top of mind.

CSO is a great online destination for buying bulk t-shirts at wholesale prices to get ready for the holiday rush. If you’ve been shopping for blank t-shirts from a big box retailer, it’s time to stop. CSO offers generous discounts for customers who purchase t-shirts in larger quantities, which is perfect for the upcoming winter gifting season. Our bulk discount program starts at $110, and the savings up to 15% automatically appear in your cart when you bundle your items. You’ll also enjoy free shipping on orders $50 or higher, with always-fast delivery. 

Plus, unlike other retailers that tack on fees for everything from orders that don’t meet a certain purchase threshold, to packing your order to processing returns, CSO doesn’t do that. There’s no minimum order, returns are free for 30 days, and we’ll never charge you extra money to pack your order. So what are you waiting for? Start shopping and saving for the holiday gifting season today.

CSO recently conducted a survey of 1,000 consumers, the majority making between $25,000 and $49,999 annually. The age, gender and location of the recipients were fairly distributed and correlated to the current U.S. population.