I just got back from a weeklong bike-packing trip around Tuscany, Italy. 𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐛𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 200 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐞. It was gorgeous, challenging, highly sweaty and adventurous 🚴‍♀️🚴🏼⛰

(Let’s just say, we did 𝘯𝘰𝘵 realize how HOT it is in Italy in July 🥵.)

Here are the Top 3 Ways to Engage with Branded Merchandise: Italy Edition

🇮🇹 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒: I saw *only* tasteful merch in Tuscany. There was no “I’m with stupid” or “my grandparents went to Tuscany and got me this dumb shirt”, no sexual innuendo, no political messaging, no shot glasses. Everything fit into the same general aesthetic and was pretty pleasing!

🇮🇹 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐘: Aside from a few mostly-tasteful items bearing the town name and lots of cheese-, wine- and olive oil-related products, there wasn’t a lot to choose from. Tourists have a smaller, more curated selection, even in the lower-end tobacco shops. Individual restaurants don’t offer branded merchandise.

🇮🇹 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐍-𝐅𝐎𝐂𝐔𝐒: It seems that the shops favor art featuring Tuscany, so you can find many items inspired by the vistas around Tuscany or gorgeous hand-painted pottery.

𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐓𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 Go To Market – Custom Print-On-Demand Branded Merchandise 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞: 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.

I didn’t find much to buy there because the aesthetic didn’t match my personal taste, but I can appreciate that 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. (And anyway, when you’re bike-packing you can’t buy anything bigger than your fist because you’ll have to bike with it the rest of the way.)

I ended up buying a very small leather wallet and two tiny rings for me and my daughter. We also bought and sent postcards of cats dressed up in regal royal outfits to our kids 😻 (𝘰𝘯-𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦)

Have you seen and bought branded merchandise from international travel? What have you noticed about it? I was surprised to see so much lower volume of branded merch outside of the USA!

FAQ

How does curated swag improve customer experience?

Fewer, high-end options eliminate decision fatigue and elevate the perceived value of the brand.

What are the key pillars of tasteful merchandise?

Cohesive design aesthetics, zero tacky gimmicks, and high-quality material craftsmanship.