Make love, not war: How big are hippie-themed t-shirts on Amazon Merch on Demand?
The 1960s and 1970s saw the emergence of the hippie era, with pacifist slogans, the onset of flower power, John Lennon, inspiring music, messaging, and beliefs. Yet, over half a century later, we still see a movement for global peace all around us. Whether a Quaker or a tree-hugging activist, is there scope on Amazon Merch on Demand to enter the hippie and peace-loving niche?
This article explores the market size, best-selling listings, and profitability to help you make a more informed decision.
Let’s delve into this topic in more depth below.
How big is the hippie niche on Amazon Merch on Demand?
Using Merch Informer’s “Products Search” module, we explored some of the top keywords in the hippie niche and their associated best-seller ranks (BSRs) as a starting point.
Our research process began by searching for the word “hippie” on the platform. It has a somewhat mediocre BSR of 5,783,676.
Next, we explored similar keywords to see if their BSR would be as high as the original seed keyword. Our findings indicate the following:
- “Peace shirt” (7,180,200)
- “Peace” (7,180,189)
- “Peace tshirt” (7,052,977)
- “Love” (7,036,568)
- “Peace sign” (5,946,612)
- “War” (5,874,102)
- “Quaker” (3,702,454)
- “Make love not war” (447,006)
Interesting to see from these results is that the lowest BSR item uses the famous words “make love not war”. In addition to this, we see multiple searches for t-shirts in particular as opposed to sweatshirts, tank tops, and v-necks, for example. Although, what will become apparent below is that there is indeed a high search for hoodies, too.
Keywords, search volume, and BSR
Our research wouldn’t be complete without also exploring related keywords, their associated search volume, as well as BSRs. Here’s what we found:
- “Hippie clothes”: search volume – 87,604; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippie”: search volume – 38,841; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippie hoodies”: search volume – 3,398; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippie flower”: search volume – 3,163; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippie at heart”: search volume – 2,674; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippie nature”: search volume – 2,346; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippy”: search volume – 2,339; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippie gypsy”: search volume – 2,136; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippies”: search volume – 1,580; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippie life”: search volume – 1,429; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippie top”: search volume – 910; BSR – 5,783,676
- “Hippy clothes”: search volume – 337; BSR – 5,783,676
From the above, we can glean that the overall category of “hippie clothes” gets the highest number of searches. Meanwhile the search, when narrowed down to “hippie”, gives us around half of the former in terms of search volume. Yet, we see the same BSR throughout.
It’s also evident that “hippie hoodies” and tops get considerably high search volumes, meaning that this is an area that you may wish to target as you approach this niche.
Listings saturation
Amazon.com is the ideal place to look for the number of listings available for some of the top keywords mentioned above. The results show that “hippy hoodies” gets 748 listings on the marketplace, which is not much to say the least. It’s already an indication that there’s potential in this niche.
Next, we narrowed down the search even further to find that “hippy hoodies for women” gets around 6,000 listings whereas “hippy hoodies for men” brings back only 200 listings.
We also explored the t-shirt product category to get a feel for the market offering at present. “Hippie t-shirts for men” brings back over 60,000 listings, “hippie t-shirts” brings back 9,000 listings, and “hippie t-shirts for women” brings back 70,000 listings.
From this, we can conclude that the hippie market is geared predominantly towards women as opposed to men. However, because of the lower market offering for men, there is an opportunity to target this segment in order to capture high-search volume queries.
Pricing
Finally, we also explored the different price ranges at which these merch items are sold. According to Merch Informer, the lowest priced t-shirt product for the “hippie” search query is $13.07. The highest price is $47.99. And the average price for such items is $18.31.
What are some of the best-selling merchants doing right?
Our research continues with a breakdown of some of the best-selling listings in the hippie niche. We found two sellers that have made a considerable number of sales.
Tie dye t-shirt bestseller
First up, we have the “Peace Sign Love 60S 70S Tie Dye Hippie Costume T-Shirt”. This item does not have a defined seller, which is a shame because its BSR is a low 120,981. It has made 21 sales at a price of $19.98.
Retro gift t-shirt bestseller
Secondly, we’ve got the “Stay Trippy Little Hippie Hippies Vintage Retro Hippy Gift T-Shirt” by Hippie Moments Tee. This product’s BSR is an impressively low 107,696 with 24 sales at a price of $22.95.
Well optimized titles
So, what have these two sellers done right to get in front of the peace-loving audience? Let’s take a closer look at their titles. It’s interesting to note that the second seller mentioned above has used both the word “hippie” and its incorrectly spelled version “hippy” to capture a wider audience search. This means that by incorporating both the correct and incorrect spelling of a seed keyword in the title, the seller is actually capitalizing on a broader search query.
Other than that, the titles seem to be well optimized. They describe what appears on the t-shirt well and incorporate some of the lower BSR keywords.
Proper descriptions
Furthermore, the descriptions indicate the decades in which the hippies were most popular (namely the 1960s and 1970s), as well as who the item is ideal for: gypsy souls, free spirits, those who love peace and are opposed to war, and more.
This is considered good marketing practice, as it directly mentions the target audience and its characteristics.
Thematic design
Regarding design, both sellers use a bright, vivid and bold amalgamation of colors to ensure that they cater to the colorful time period that led to the hippie movement.
The designs also feature smart uses of keywords and catchy slogans, as well as the peace sign, which is so emblematic for this generation of peace lovers.
Pricing around the average
Finally, we get to the pricing. Both sellers have priced around the average, not stepping beyond the $23.00 mark, and not going below $19.00. This is a smart move because it signals that the shirts are of a high quality and that they’re not overpriced, making them more affordable to the wider public.
What is the profitability in the hippie niche?
By exploring the two listings above, we can also gauge the potential profitability in this niche.
The first bestseller’s “Peace Sign Love 60S 70S Tie Dye Hippie Costume T-Shirt” has made 21 sales at a price of $19.98. This gives us a turnover of $419.58.
The second bestseller’s “Stay Trippy Little Hippie Hippies Vintage Retro Hippy Gift T-Shirt” has 24 sales at a price of $22.95, giving us a turnover of $550.80.
It is therefore plausible that you can make in excess of $400.00 if you accurately optimize your hippie listing and target this audience correctly.
Our recommendations
Based on the above observations, we can recommend targeting not just the “hippie” or “hippy” keywords, but also thematic words such as “peace”, “peace sign”, “make love not war”, and other similar hippie movement terms.
Knowledge of the hippie culture must be indicated in both the title and description of your listings, as this will not only grant you visibility for such search queries, but will also increase your chances of scoring a sale. The hippie audience seems well versed in the iconography of the movement, so positioning yourself as someone who is just as enthusiastic and knowledgeable as them will be a winning strategy.
Your price should be in the region of $18.00 if you want to be on the safe side. However, you can always ask for more if you’ve got the right design and product quality.
Speaking of design, it’s highly advisable to use the iconic peace sign on the front of your shirt. Focus on multicolored flowers and other emblematic insignia. Most importantly, use vivid hues.
In conclusion
In closing, we can say that the hippie niche on Amazon Merch on Demand has potential, although it’s not the largest out there. It’s best to use it to diversify your offering, and not as a primary market.
And if you’re wondering where you can get this kind of data, the answer is pretty straightforward.
Merch Informer’s multiple modules will help you do just that. For only $9.99 per month, you get millions of insights at your fingertips to help you on your way to Amazon greatness.
