Why You Should Think Outside the Box for Back to School Merch

Aug 10, 2026

Educational

Introduction

Back-to-school merch can mean a lot of things. University employee uniforms, giveaways in the dorms, and general items to boost student morale are just some of the things that can be produced for back-to-school season. But when it comes to these subcategories, it’s ALWAYS important to think outside the box.

Why? Students and University staff tend to receive a lot of cool gear over their time involved with a school, but only a select few items survive longer than a full school year. Creating merch that is different from the average items makes your merch stand out amongst the crowd, making it a hot commodity across campus.

So what does thinking outside the box actually look like?

It's the difference between merch that lives in a drawer and merch that is used time and time again all four years of school. Same budget, wildly different lifespan. The stuff that survives isn't always necessarily the most expensive per se, but it's the stuff that earns its spot in a backpack, a dorm room, and even a daily routine.

Here are a few ways to be successful in creating merch that stays in rotation:

Make Your Merch Functional: A bag that also works as a laundry bag, a grocery run, and an "I forgot my backpack" backup is the one that gets used and seen on repeat. We love “IKEA” style tote bags for this exact purpose.

Make It a Keepsake: Leaning into "first week on campus" as a moment (not just a checkbox) turns an item into something students actually want to hold onto to remember their time on campus.