In Q2 2025, the branded merchandise industry continued to face big-picture challenges that started earlier in the year—like lower consumer spending, high interest rates, and the risk of new tariffs. Because of this, many companies cut back on marketing, and people became more careful about spending money on non-essential items, both at work and at home. But despite the uncertainty, there’s good news: online stores are showing strong results as a smart investment and effective way to sell more branded merchandise and boost sales.
The Q2 2025 Online Store Benchmark Report reveals that despite the uncertain economic climate, online stores showed remarkable resilience.
The highlights include:
- Cart abandonment rates for online stores decreased, signaling stronger purchase intent from shoppers.
- Companies selling branded merchandise are launching more online stores than they did in Q2 last year.
- Branded merch businesses are finding and winning new sales opportunities to meet their annual sales and growth targets.
All of this points to the fact that online stores are a strategic investment that empowers distributors, decorators, and dealers to adapt to market trends and achieve their business objectives.
Read the Q2 2025 Online Store Benchmark Report to get the full picture of how branded merchandise businesses are growing this year.
Let’s dive into the trends that shaped Q2 online store spending, and how OMG has helped power growth for branded merchandise businesses.
Mobile-First Buyers: Optimizing Your Online Store to Capture Today’s Branded Merchandise Buyer
The Q2 2025 report shows just how important mobile-friendly online stores have become—62% of shoppers now visit stores from their phones or tablets. That means having a mobile-optimized store with fast loading times and easy checkout is more important than ever, so people can shop from anywhere, anytime.
Shoppers using OMG online stores also showed strong buying intent, with an average cart abandonment rate of just 22%—much lower than the industry average. This suggests people visiting these stores are ready to buy.
OrderMyGear’s platform is built for a smooth mobile experience, helping stores lower cart abandonment and increase sales by meeting the needs of today’s mobile-first shoppers.
Beyond Basic Payments: How Klarna and Buy-Now-Pay-Later Solutions are Unlocking Higher Average Order Values
When looking at Average Order Value (AOV), the Q2 2025 report shows that certain product categories continue to lead the way. Specifically, Team Uniforms & Equipment and Employee Uniforms & Supplies brought in the highest AOV across distributors, decorators, and dealers. These types of purchases tend to be larger and more complex, which naturally drives up the order size.
A major factor behind higher AOV is flexible payment options. For instance, customers using Klarna’s Buy Now, Pay Later feature spent 63% more on average than those using credit cards on OMG online stores. Even with a slight dip in overall AOV in Q2, Klarna helped customers manage larger purchases by spreading payments over time.
This flexibility makes big orders more manageable and reduces checkout friction—leading to more completed sales and higher order values.
By integrating smart payment tools like Klarna and supporting high-value product categories, OrderMyGear helps businesses increase AOV and grow revenue, even in an uncertain economic climate.
The Print-on-Demand Revolution: Say ‘Yes’ to More Sales, Wider Product Assortments, and Zero Inventory Risk
OMG’s Print-on-Demand (POD) proved to be a game-changing fulfillment option in Q2. OMG POD Stores averaged $103 per order—$33 more than non-POD stores—and saw 3.1% year-over-year sales growth. This growth was fueled by increasing demand for quick-turn, hands-off fulfillment.
POD brings major advantages: no order minimums, faster turnaround times, and access to more products and decoration methods—without upfront costs or extra work. It helps businesses say “yes” to more orders and unlock new revenue streams.
More than that, it gives shoppers the Amazon-like experience they’ve come to expect from their online shopping experiences.
OMG’s POD solution automates the entire fulfillment process, making it easier for businesses to grow sales, boost efficiency, and expand their product offerings with less effort.
The Premium Play: How Professional Online Store Branding Directly Translates to Higher Branded Merchandise Sales
The Q2 report shows that strong branding can make a real difference in online store sales. OMG Pop-up Stores using Premium Layouts earned $445 more per store on average than those using Standard Layouts—a 9% increase. This boost suggests that professional, well-designed stores create a better shopping experience, similar to what customers expect from major retail websites.
With easier navigation, eye-catching visuals, and a clean, organized layout, shoppers are more likely to stay on the site longer, browse through more products, and feel confident in their purchases. A professionally branded store builds trust—it looks and feels like a real retail experience, which helps remove hesitation at checkout. When customers trust the store, they’re more comfortable adding higher-priced or multiple items to their cart. This leads to larger orders and more completed purchases.
OrderMyGear offers tools like Premium Layouts to help businesses improve their store’s appearance and performance—proving that investing in better branding can directly lead to higher sales.
OMG – Your Tech Partner to Discover Products, Generate Sales, & Manage Orders
OrderMyGear provides more than just online stores. We’re your all-in-one tech partner for selling branded merchandise. With OMG, you can discover products, generate sales, and manage orders all in one platform. Tools like Product Search, Presentations, and Order Management help you run your business efficiently from start to finish.
OMG has everything you need to turn today’s challenges into sales growth, and we make it easier than ever to sell branded merchandise.
