Succeed With Your First Fresh Prints Group Order Links With These 4 Tips!

POV: you got the designs for your Spring Rush merch approved by your exec team and you’re finally ready to get everyone to wear your event apparel! You sent out the Fresh Prints group order link and you’re waiting for people to place their orders. 

Wait, why have ONLY 10 people ordered a Spring Rush shirt!? Your order is def not tipping at this rate!

Breathe. You’re not alone. Your former apparel chair also faced this problem with their first group order. There’s another apparel chair out there worrying about how to make their Fresh Prints group order link for their Bid Day 2024 sorority shirts successful like you are.

Here are the secrets to getting everyone in your chapter to place an order using a group order link! 

1. Figure out why people aren’t ordering

Having honest convos with your besties is the best way to find out why they aren’t ordering merch!

Before you solve the problem, you really have to get down and figure out why you’re having difficulties getting people to use the order links.

When we talked to apparel chairs and CMs about the problems they face when getting people to order, one of the biggest problems with setting up group orders is when people think they can only get one type of merch. Not everyone wants sweatshirts or neon orange shirts (which totally clash with their skin tone), but when they feel like they do, they hesitate to buy.

Ask your closest friends in your chapter why they’re not ordering. Most of the time, it’s just a problem with miscommunication. But it helps a lot to know what exactly people misunderstand about the orders!

Once you have the reason(s) why people aren’t ordering their merch yet, you can start addressing them!

2. Offer other merch options

Y’all can be in sweatshirts, tank tops, and mini tees and still be besties!

What if your fraternity or sorority members like the design but they’re just not sold on wearing a shirt or a sweatshirt? Or what if they want a bucket hat, not a beanie? 

If the hesitation comes from thinking that you guys have to order only one or two types of apparel, they’re in for a nice surprise! 

Our group order links work at a design-based minimum, not a product-based minimum. As long as your chapter hits the minimum for the same design, no matter what product it’s on, then everyone can get what they want. They can even get a different brand for the same garment, like a Gildan instead of a Nike.

Make everyone aware that they don’t have to settle for apparel they don’t love when there are LOTS of options for them!

Disclaimer - this only counts if the design is the same size and print type on each garment. You are able to change the color of the design depending on the product that it’s on to add more variety, but it’s important that the design stays the same size. 

You and the other girls can get comfy sweatshirts, Heather and Sophie can have cute tank tops, and whoever else wants cropped tees can get them, too. And they’ll all still count towards the minimum you guys need to get production started!

3. Consider your chapter’s budget

When the brain can’t math…

Many chapters pay for the members’ merch for certain big events like Rush and Bid Day, but what about the other events when everyone is paying for their own merch?

Not everyone can allot the same budget for merch or spend as frequently as possible. These factors can affect how you can convince your chapter members to buy merch via your group order link. What you can do in this situation is to plan in advance.

Here are a couple of tricks you can use:

• Space out when you’re opening order links. It’s a lot easier for your fraternity bros or sorority sisters to buy an $80 sweat set if you give them time to prepare their budget at least a month in advance. 
• Offer other merch or brand options. You can refer to the previous point for tips on how to pull this off.
• Remind everyone that there are no hidden fees at checkout - what they see on the link is what they get. You can even put this disclaimer in your group order link description so everyone is aware.
• Use the individual price of the garments or merch when you’re urging people to buy instead of the total cost. You can say something like, “We need to order 100 Spring Rush shirts for $15 each,” which sounds a lot more convincing and less intimidating than if you say, “We’re buying $1,500 worth of shirts.”

4. Scare them a little (just a little!)

Felt cute, might make my chapter sisters panic later.

Let’s be real: what motivates most people (including us…) most of the time?

Deadlines. 

Deadlines make us jump out of our beds and finally stop procrastinating on that project that’s due at 11:59 PM tonight. 

I probably even crammed this article, too. Don’t tell my boss.

Use that little trick to your advantage! A week before orders have to be completed, remind people that they only have 7 days left before the group order link for your fraternity or sorority Spring Rush merch closes. 

Do it again every day that passes before the deadline, then remind them 2-3 times on the due date of orders.

Send reminders in your org group chats and continue to send pictures of how cute the available merch are. 

Announce and remind everyone about the group order link during your weekly chapter meet-ups so you get everybody’s attention.

Order a sample of the garment that you’re offering and bring it to the chapter house for people to try out 

Watch the panic settle in their eyes as they realize that they’ll be the only ones without the cutest merch while everyone else does and— Whoops, sorry, blacked out for a second there. But for real, while we can secretly extend the deadline for you, your chapter could use a little boost of adrenaline trying to beat the last day for orders!

U and the besties once your group order link succeeds!

Hopefully, you’re more than ready for Spring Rush now with your group order link up live. If you’re worried about potentially missing anything, we have a guide on what you need to do to prepare for Spring Rush as an apparel chair! Good luck!!