It’s holiday prep season, and for a lot of founders and nonprofit leaders, merch gets treated as an afterthought. In 2025 that’s a mistake: supply chain shocks, from tariffs to port delays to factory closures, mean merch planning needs to be intentional rather than something bolted on in November.
The best merch strategy starts early and blends brand purpose, sustainability, and timing in a way that builds connection instead of clutter.
This year has been volatile. The U.S. has imposed substantial tariffs on key imports, driving price increases across consumer and B2B goods, while shipping times lengthen across the U.S. and similar markets. In Canada, logistics groups report port backups stretching delivery windows past a week, compared to just a few days in past years. Chinese New Year and other seasonal shutdowns need to factor into ordering calendars too, more so than usual given how fragile global freight already is this year.
The days of budget pens and bulk t-shirts as a marketing strategy are mostly over. Customers, donors, and employees increasingly expect merch to reflect real value and real alignment with identity; Deloitte’s research has found brand trust tracking more closely to authenticity than to traditional awareness tactics.
Planning early matters more than usual this year: starting at least six months ahead of key holidays, since factory shutdowns and tariff reviews can delay production without much warning. Purpose matters more than logo placement, choosing items people actually want to keep rather than just display, since reusable or higher-quality pieces reinforce the story instead of diluting it. Framing things around community rather than volume, through limited editions or milestone tie-ins, turns merch into a connection point instead of a giveaway. And vetting merch partners on shipping expertise and contingency planning matters as much as their design quality this year: a merch partner is a supply chain ally as much as a creative one right now.
A rough timeline: vendors confirmed and tariffs and Chinese New Year accounted for six to nine months out, designs and quantities finalized four to six months out, limited campaigns or milestone tie-ins launched two to three months out, and shipments tracked closely with allocations adjusted as delays emerge through the delivery window itself.
Merch reflects more than visibility. It signals whether an organization pays attention to detail, invests in sustainability, and adapts to external realities. In a year defined by turbulence, thoughtful swag is proof an organization can be resilient in small things, which is what builds trust for the bigger ones.