We recently produced an infographic of insightful data for our university retail clients, and we are now sharing elements of the learnings in our Forward Thinking series – this post focuses on 'Emotional triggers to purchase'
Step into a university shop and you'll usually find something for everyone: hoodies, mugs, tote bags, stationery. There's plenty of choice. But often, something's missing - that feeling of needing to pick something up.
It's not always just about the quality of the products. It's about the thinking behind them.
University merchandise tends to start from a branding perspective - "does this represent us?" But let's be honest the important retail question you should be asking is "why would someone genuinely want this?"
The four reasons people buy university merchandise
It turns out there are really only four emotional triggers that tend to drive a purchase:
Affiliation - "I belong here." The student who wants to wear their university's name with pride, or the family member who loves showing their support. This one's all about identity and community.
Achievement - "I graduated here." The alumni picking up a memento from one of the most meaningful chapters of their life. Pride, warmth, and a little bit of nostalgia all wrapped up together.
Aspiration - "I got in." For freshers and new students, a piece of branded kit isn't just clothing, it's a marker of something they worked hard for.
Nostalgia - "I'm attached to this." Long-standing alumni, parents who studied there, anyone for whom the university holds a special place. They're not just buying a product — they're buying a connection.
One product, one trigger
Here's a simple but useful idea: every product in a university's range should be designed with at least one of these triggers in mind. Not by accident, but by intention.
That means asking early on: who is this for, and what will it mean to them? A graduation keepsake speaks to achievement. A freshers' welcome pack taps into affiliation and aspiration. A vintage-style campus print is pure nostalgia. Each product has a natural home - it just helps to know where that is before it goes into production.
Thinking Like a Retail Brand
The universities doing this really well are the ones that approach merchandise the way a thoughtful retail brand would, with a clear sense of their audience, a considered product range, and an eye on what people genuinely connect with, not just what looks good or data tells them has sold well previously.
The shift from "branded stuff" to "things people actually want to own" doesn't require a huge overhaul. It just starts with asking a slightly different question at the beginning of the process - and letting the answer shape what gets made.
