{"id":3118,"date":"2026-04-29T16:14:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T20:14:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/?p=3118"},"modified":"2026-11-04T15:05:29","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T20:05:29","slug":"drop-your-t-shirt-size-isnt-harmless-rethinking-choice-in-branded-merch-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/drop-your-t-shirt-size-isnt-harmless-rethinking-choice-in-branded-merch-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cDrop Your T-Shirt Size\u201d Isn\u2019t Harmless: Rethinking Choice in Branded Merch Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Takeaways<\/mark><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Asking everyone for a size sounds harmless, but sizing can bring up feelings about body image  and fit, and a group ask feels more like an expectation than a choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, send people to a curated company swag store and let them: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Choose the item they actually want <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Pick their preferred fit and size <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Opt out entirely if merch isn\u2019t their thing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDrop your t-shirt size.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s one of the most common messages managers send when it\u2019s time to roll out company swag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It sounds harmless. Easy. Efficient. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Asking for Sizes Is More Personal Than You Think<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve normalized it, but asking someone for their clothing size in a work setting is\u2026 personal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Why do we pretend it isn\u2019t?)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sizing can bring up all kinds of feelings\u2014about body image, fit preferences, or even past experiences with ill-fitting corporate apparel. And when it\u2019s framed as a group ask, it often feels less like a choice and more like an expectation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where even well-intentioned branded merchandise programs start to go sideways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good Branded Merch Respects the Person Wearing It<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The best branded merch strategies aren\u2019t just about logos, design, or product quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re about respecting the individual experience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because great swag isn\u2019t just something people receive\u2014it\u2019s something they choose to wear<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And choice is everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Problem With One-Size-Fits-All Swag Programs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When companies default to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Bulk ordering apparel<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Collecting sizes via Slack or email<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sending the same item to everyone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    They\u2019re optimizing for logistics\u2014not people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The result?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Items that don\u2019t fit quite right<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Styles people wouldn\u2019t pick for themselves<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Pieces that never get worn<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      And most importantly, a subtle shift from \u201cthis is a gift\u201d to \u201cthis feels mandatory.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Give People Control: The Better Way to Do Company Swag<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      If you want your branded merchandise to actually land, give people options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Instead of asking for sizes, try this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Send employees to a curated company swag store<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Let them choose the item they actually want<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Let them pick their preferred fit and size<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Let them opt out entirely if merch isn\u2019t their thing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        A strong custom merch program gives people autonomy\u2014because that\u2019s what turns a branded item into something they genuinely enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Choice Turns Swag Into Something People Actually Wear<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        When people choose their own merch:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • They pick styles that match their taste<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • They select fits they feel comfortable in<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • They\u2019re more likely to wear it outside of work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          And that\u2019s the goal of any effective branded merchandise strategy:
          create swag that lives beyond the office.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Mandatory Fun Doesn\u2019t Work (and Never Has)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          The second you take choice away, you change the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          What could have been a thoughtful, brand-building moment starts to feel\u2026 weirdly required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          And nobody has ever felt good about mandatory fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The Future of Branded Merch Is Personal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          If you want your company swag to resonate, it has to feel intentional\u2014and optional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Because the best branded merchandise programs don\u2019t just distribute products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          They create experiences people actually want to be part of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          And it starts with something simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Let people choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          By Amanda Hofman, Chief Swag Officer and Branded Merchandise Expert Key Takeaways Asking everyone for a size sounds harmless, but sizing can bring up feelings about body image  and fit, and a group ask feels more like an expectation than a choice. Instead, send people to a curated company swag store and let them:  \u2022 Choose […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"hide_page_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3118"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5013,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3118\/revisions\/5013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotomarket.studio\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}