By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert
It’s 2026, and yet somehow a lot of branded merchandise still feels like it was designed, ordered, and distributed in 1994.
That’s a problem—because merch hasn’t meaningfully evolved in decades, but the rest of us absolutely have.
Today, we can order almost anything we want online and have it delivered to our door in two days. We expect choice, personalization, and flexibility in nearly every buying experience. And yet, when it comes to promotional products and custom swag, many brands are still operating on outdated systems built for a totally different era.
Your team, your customers, and your community deserve better than 1994-era swag.
The Disconnect Between Modern Life and Outdated Swag
Most traditional branded merchandise still relies on:
- Bulk orders
- One-size-fits-all thinking
- Guessing quantities and sizes
- Hoping people actually want what you picked
That approach made sense decades ago, when options were limited and logistics were slow. But today, it feels wildly out of step with how people actually live, shop, and express themselves.
Modern audiences expect branded apparel and merch to feel intentional—not obligatory.
How Print-on-Demand Changed Branded Merchandise
With print-on-demand merch, branded merchandise has finally caught up to reality.
Instead of forcing people into a single option, brands can now design swag programs that reflect how people want to choose things for themselves.
Print-on-demand allows brands to:
- Offer real options instead of one default item
- Reduce waste from unused promotional products
- Update designs anytime without reordering inventory
- Launch merch drops without bulk panic or crossed fingers
This isn’t just more efficient—it’s more human.
What Modern Branded Merchandise Actually Looks Like
Modern branded merchandise prioritizes choice.
People want swag that fits:
- Their personal style
- Their body
- Their identity
They don’t want to be assigned a hoodie they’ll never wear. They want to opt into branded merch that feels like something they’d buy for themselves—even without a logo attached.
Print-on-demand makes that possible, without the leftover boxes, storage issues, or landfill-bound extras.
The Future of Promotional Products Is Flexible
This is what modern merch looks like:
- Fewer assumptions
- More flexibility
- Better experiences
- Smarter branded merchandise strategies
When brands stop treating swag like a bulk transaction and start treating it like a curated experience, everything changes—from engagement to brand perception to long-term value.
It’s 2026.
Your branded merchandise should finally look like it.