5 Merch Table Ideas to Make Your Band Stand Out

It is getting increasingly more difficult for bands to stand out of the crowd these days. If you’re struggling, just know that you’re not alone. 

Making and selling band merch is more important now than ever before. Realistically, it’s hard to make money without merch unless you’re regularly booking a lot of gigs. Even if you have the coolest merch, selling it doesn’t come without effort. Just like you need to promote your music, you need to promote your merch. 

If you’re playing a music festival or venue that allows you to set up a merch table, do it. A merch table is the second best place within the music venue to represent you and your music, so make it awesome. How? We'll help you with that.

Here are 5 merch table display ideas that will help you stand out from the crowd and ultimately sell more merch. 

1) Dress Up Your Table with a Tablecloth

I’m not joking. Do you want band merch table ideas to make it look like you know what you’re doing? Invest in a tablecloth. We’re not talking about your grandma’s lace tablecloth, either. A simple black tablecloth is all you need to elevate your merch table display. 

For one, you don’t want to risk ruining your merch if the table is dirty or sticky with old gum or something. You invested time and money in your merch–protect it. The second benefit of a tablecloth is it will hide the area underneath the table so you can store extra merch out of the way. 

Here’s a bonus tip for you right off the bat: don’t overcrowd your merch table. You want people to be able to see the wares you’re slinging, so keep it clean. 

2) Light Up Your Merch Table Display 

Venues can be dark, which means it can be difficult for your fans (or curious patrons of the establishment) to see what you have available. If you have access to a nearby outlet, plug in some twinkle lights or a lava lamp, whatever fits your style. 

No outlet? No problem. You can buy battery-powered string lights or even glow sticks. There are a lot of luminary merch table display ideas that, much like a moth to the flame, will draw people to your table. And if someone is really into the glowsticks, give them away free with purchase. Why not? If someone walks away with a glowstick, people are bound to ask them where they got it from, and it might lead people back to your table. 

3) Make Your Signage Big and Clear 

Just like lights will add clarity to your merch table display, the idea of big, clear signage is for people to see what you have immediately. What are you selling? How much does everything cost? You can save yourself a lot of time and energy by pre-answering these questions through your signage. When you don’t have to answer mundane questions like the cost of a button, you can spend that time talking about more interesting things and connecting with your fans. 

Your signage doesn’t have to be boring. Use your logo for inspiration for the fonts and the color scheme (just make sure everything remains visible, especially in dim light). Keep it consistent and have your signs match all your other merch table ideas. If you spend the money upfront and invest in quality signs, you can bring them with you to every event. Just make sure you keep in mind that prices may change in the future. 

4) Use a Mannequin to Highlight your Merch 

We’ve all seen band merch tables with a pile of folded (or no longer folded) t-shirts. This is fine (as long as you’re using a table cloth!), but there are better ways to display your band t-shirts at your merch table. The best way, and what will really make you stand out from the crowd, is to use a mannequin. It will show off your rad t-shirt designs far better than keeping them folded on a table, and they will stand out more than hanging them on a wall. 

If you have the space, you can go with a full-body mannequin. You can even make him or her a part of your Tik Tok videos and your online marketing campaign. Who doesn’t love a good schtick? 

If you’re looking for something a little more practical, consider a torso mannequin instead. You can find them online for as low as $30, but your best bet is to look locally. When stores go out of business, there are usually mannequins to be found. Either way, this merch table display idea will really set you apart from the crowd.

5) Open an Online Store at MerchBooth.com 

We said it. An online store is the best merch table idea you can do right now. 

The truth is, you can only sell merch from a physical merch table during limited times (like when you’re playing a gig). But what happens when you’re not playing anywhere or if you run out of merch while still at the venue? Are those fans just out of luck? 

Don’t leave money on the merch table. Give your fans the opportunity to buy your merch from anywhere at any time with an online storefront at MerchBooth.com. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The best part? It’s completely free to launch an online store. 

If you have t-shirt designs already, we can print them on shirts for you. You don’t have to bulk order a bunch of tees up front, and hope your size ratios are correct. This way, you won’t get stuck with a bunch of xs shirts but be sold out of large. 

So the next time you’re slingin’ your merch at an event, and someone wants a shirt but doesn’t have enough money, send them to MerchBooth.com so they can support you later from the comfort of their home. 

Take your merch table ideas to the next level and start selling on MerchBooth.com!