End buyers said supplier capabilities that would most improve their merch experience include better quality control (57%), better product innovation (48%), faster production (43%) and more reliable inventory (38%). Agencies prioritized a slightly different mix. Faster production and more sustainable products were both selected by 43% of agency respondents, followed closely by more reliable inventory (41%) and better quality control (32%). Differences aside, both end buyers and agencies value reliability. If a product is out of stock, substituted unexpectedly, delayed in production or inconsistent in quality, the impact can affect the campaign, the client relationship and the perceived value of the channel itself. Suppliers that help reduce uncertainty will create value beyond the product. That may mean better inventory visibility, clearer product data, stronger quality assurance, faster production timelines, more reliable decoration, better packaging and fulfillment support and clearer sustainability or compliance information. Product innovation also matters, but innovation shouldn’t be defined only as adding more SKUs. The more meaningful innovation is solving buyer and agency problems. By adding products that people actually want to keep, fit modern brand expectations, support sustainability goals and can be produced and delivered with confidence, merch firms will be able to deliver what agencies and end buyers truly want. Measurements Are More Important Than Ever The merch industry has long understood the power of physical brand connection. But marketers increasingly operate in environments where budgets must be defended, channels must be compared and campaign impact must be explained. That doesn’t mean merch should be measured exactly like paid search, email or programmatic advertising. It just means that the industry needs a clearer measurement language. End buyers are already measuring a range of outcomes. The most common were spendings or budget (53%), leads generated (49%), impressions or reach (48)%, event engagement (47%), customer retention (40%) and sales influenced (39%). Only 1% said they don’t measure branded merchandise at all. When asked which outcomes they would most like to measure better, 55% selected ROI, 37% selected customer retention, 36% selected sales influenced and 35% selected cost per lead. Source: PPAI End Buyer Survey Q48 Percent selecting What end buyers want to measure better ROI leads, but buyers also want better visibility into retention, sales influence and cost per lead. Must Read | Better Merch Is Better Marketing 50 • OCTOBER 2026 •
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