Understanding Promotional Headwear Trends
2022 was a record year for the promotional products industry — growing 13.1% and reaching $25 billion in sales volume, according to PPAI. These big numbers mean big opportunities for promotional product distributors. They can increase their sales by staying up to date on the latest products. Headwear is a popular category.
Caps are a great way to give the user a practical item while also allowing your brand or organization to stand out with a customized product. Experts offer advice on how to approach the category. They cover everything from customizing and trending styles, to consumer market impact and sales strategies.
What’s Trending
There are several key features to look at when identifying headwear trends. Fabric, structure or style, and features are all important.
Rhyen Cambell, communication and engagement strategist with Cap America in Fredericktown Missouri, said that the trend for fabric is lighter-performance fabrics, particularly white and other light reflecting colors. “These styles keep you cool and comfortable as we head into summer and are very hot items right now,” she says.
Cap America’s Poly/Cotton Mesh Cap
Style and structure vary from the popular unstructured trucker cap to a style with more structure. Style or structure is also influenced by the end use, and ultimately customer preferences. What may work in the building industry is not the same as headwear designed for the hospitality and sports industries.
That’s why it’s important to ask the client questions about the environment the caps will be used, sold, or given out.
You should also consider the mesh backing and moisture-wicking qualities, as well as hook-and loop versus snap closures, flat versus curved bills, or even how many panels there are. The No. 1 feature right now, according to Campbell, is one that dates back to the 1950s: “Rope caps are back!”
Tina Liu says the perforated panel trend has been very popular in recent months. This could be a result of retail taking up this style. “We’ve had several inquiries asking if we stock styles like this,” she says, “and also for custom orders to have holes on the side [or] back panels.”
Ben Roberts, head of marketing for Outdoor Cap, Bentonville, Arkansas, says Outdoor Cap’s design, development, and sourcing teams spend hundreds of hours researching to identify seasonal trends. In its 2023 spring market guide, the company highlights several, including styles inspired by workwear, the water sport market, and the heritage/vintage category. Workwear caps feature quilting, patches and earthy tones. Water sports hats with direct embroidery, rope detailing, performance fabrics and camo patterns are popular options for the right customers in the sports industry. Outdoor Cap lists vintage/heritage styles with patterns, ropes and five panels in vibrant colors. They also have an Americana feel.
As we enter summer, buckets and boonies will be in high demand, as well trucker and performance caps, visors, and sun hats.
“The bucket hat is especially trendy right now, especially with the younger demographic,” Campbell says. “These hats are everywhere on college and high school campuses.”
Liu says the most popular colors for promotional headwear are black, charcoal gray, and navy.
Impressive Imprints
What sets a promotional cap apart is its unique branding — whether it’s a direct-to-film (DTF) transfer, which is gaining more traction, patches, or direct embroidery. When pitching headwear to prospects, it’s important to understand the limitations and possibilities for decoration and design. This includes knowing the artwork and design requirements — from file format resolution to design size. Be sure to reach out to your supplier for a deeper understanding of what’s workable and what’s not.
PVR 100 Visor from Outdoor Cap
“As far as imprints and decorations that are trending, subtle seems to be the trending thing right now,” Campbell says. “We’re seeing a lot of smaller logos placed in the corner of one of the front panels instead of a larger logo displayed front and center.”
Consumer Market Impact
The promotional headwear market is feeling the impact of retail trends. Campbell claims that the consumer market is pushing the promotional industry to explore more trendy and adventurous styles.
“Consumers don’t want safe, traditional caps,” she stresses. “They want what’s new and trendy.” While a basic chino “dad cap” is a safe bet, she says many buyers prefer special touches like corduroy fabric, a rope accent, and ponytail openings. These are more “stylistic choices that might not appeal to the masses, but that definitely have a market,” Campbell continues.
Specifically, headwear and apparel. Liu claims that OTTO has observed the effects of perforated panel cap offered by retail brands Nike and Adidas.
Understanding and Selling Value Successfully
To sell headwear successfully to clients, distributors must have a basic knowledge of the available options. More importantly, distributors need to know the value of headwear. “Headwear can be daunting to sell — there are so many options when it comes to profile, visor shape, closure, fabric, decoration, etc.,” Campbell says. “The No. 1 thing distributors need to know about headwear is that there are very knowledgeable and dependable headwear suppliers out there that want to make it easy for them to sell headwear.”
Campbell’s recommends that all distributors have at least a basic understanding of the product.
Encourage them to rely on their suppliers for information, tools and resources.
Liu emphasizes that distributors should understand the value eye-level advertising.
“It’s usually one of the first things people see and notice,” she explains. “The imprint area is a decent size to be able to show a company’s logo in detail and be noticed right away as it is front and center and at eye level.” Further, she points out the sheer value of one hat — garnering more than 3,000 impressions in its seven-month lifespan with the wearer. “This is pretty good,” she states.
OTTO International 6 Panel Mid-Profile Mesh Back trucker Hat
A seasonal or limited edition sale is another thing to consider. “When you offer certain products at certain times or encourage your customers to buy seasonally, that can encourage sales,” says Roberts.
Upselling Opportunities
Imagine a client has money left in their budget. Or, they seem willing to spend more on a higher-end product. You can upsell by taking advantage of these opportunities. Campbell suggests that a worthwhile strategy to increase sales is to offer free spec samples. If a client wants a particular style, Campbell suggests showing them an upgrade option. “We actually have a great case study about this,” Campbell notes. “A Cap America customer placed a large order for a basic trucker cap. We sent him a i8502 luxury cap with his company logo as a gift for placing such a large order. He showed it to his customer, and they switched from the basic trucker to the Premium Line version with Flexfit technology because they loved it so much — even though it was a noticeable price increase!”
In a similar vein, the good, better and best approach is also available. “Like most products, there is a good, better, best option to choose from, based on budget,” Liu says, adding that the the client’s industry matters. “For example, if our hats are to be sold at a golf [or] We expect country clubs to have a larger budget, and we also sell additional performance features, such as UPF. [a] special performance sweatband that is moisture-wicking, and quick dry.”
Bundling has proven to be a successful upselling strategy. “You can offer a hat, headband, and lip balm or mug,” Roberts suggests. “Offering a bundle is sure to impress, and that cap on top will sell itself. Offering a bundle also increases your overall unit price.”
Roberts reminds the distributors that customization or decoration can also be upgraded. Adding a business’s founding year or a sub-logo can elevate a cap’s look while garnering that extra charge.
Headwear is a great promotional product, whether a distributor wants to pitch solutions to an organization or help a client plan a giveaway.
“A branded cap is a walking billboard at eye level,” Campbell says. “It will get over 3,400 impressions in its lifetime with a CPI of less than a tenth of a cent. And with almost 70% of consumers owning promotional headwear, you’re missing out on sales and doing a disservice to your customers if you’re not offering it.”