Helping Hand

Gloves Can Be A Natural Helping Hand

They aren't thought of in the same way as other wearables, even though most of us own several pairs for different purposes. Don't discount gloves as a possible profit maker.

Megan Hunt

For some distributors, gloves are an afterthought in the world of wearables. After all, how profitable can a pair of gloves really be? Actually, very. If you think about it, gloves are an easy sell: They’re universal. They're language everyone speaks whether they're small, medium, large, extra large, embossed, silk-screened, leather or canvas. Gloves are something almost everyone in the country as come into contact with more than once in their lives, and more likely way more often. Why wouldn't you sell them as a promotional product?

Not only are gloves universal, but they are marketable on several different levels. People don't tend to think diversity when considering the market for gloves, but that is exactly what it is. And it satisfies itself on a couple of different tiers.

The first level is a high-end customer. These are the people who want to give the bst brand of leather driving gloves, the trendiest outdoor gloves and the hottest designs for the slopes. They should be taken fairly seriously, because they're likely your biggest profit margin. But they are also probably the clients you will sell less frequently. To target this sort of client, you need to have your finger on the pulse of its community; its customer base and target audience. To do this, be sure to keep up on all of the latest fashion trends as well as keeping an eye on what the kids are wearing. The imprint here is best done very subtly (blind stamped or embossed), or place on the inside.

The next level, and most commonly sold to, is the middle range client. This group generally buys a wide variety of special-function gloves in addition to those for basic warmth: freezer, construction, mechanic, general work, driving, hunting and so on. Gloves of this caliber are usually purchased in larger quantities and are a great advertisement for any business. Why is obvious – if the gloves are used frequently, the imprint is seen each time. The most popular area for printing on a work glove is the cuff, just above the wrist of the glove.

When selling work gloves, there are a few different avenues to keep in mind. For example: if an oil refinery decides it wants to distribute logoed gloves to all of its employees, you first want to consider the type of work being done by most of the employees. Is it manual? Is it dangerous? Oil tends to be dark and/or murky, and hands, gloved or not covered in oil, will be hard to see. After pointing this out to the client, try to sell the idea of using a brighter color for the gloves, as opposed to the more traditional natural or gray. The pitch? The employees might initially see brighter gloves as a little odd, but they'll soon realize that colored gloves will constantly remind them of the location of their hands. Such creative suggestions will let the client know that you share their safety concerns.

Freezer gloves are another best seller, at least in certain circles. They typically feature a PVC tone on tone dotted palm that also improves grip. They've been hugely popular with supermarkets, ice cream companies and any other firm handling frozen products.

At the lower end, gloves offer a few different utilitarian styles. Among the most commonly seen are gardening gloves, which are a natural promotional add-on for any home or garden center or plant nursery.

But keep in mind that, in addition to gardening, people use gloves for many things: construction, roping, running, farming, and general warmth. Community clean-up programs are excellent events that offer a golden opportunity to use imprinted gloves. The program itself can give them out, or they can be contributed by a sponsoring business in the community. The latter is, naturally, a great opportunity to generate positive publicity for clients, no matter what their business. It’s a situation where a donation puts them in a good light, and gives them some free advertising while allowing them to support a good cause.

Gloves can be given away creatively as a way of spotlighting some more attention for company or event. When distributing gloves at an event or trade show, one of the oldest marketing ploys is still one of the more effective – give out one hand of the pair at the entrance of the event, then have a booth set up inside where recipients can retrieve the other hand to the pair. It’s still a proven method of driving people not only to a particular booth, but instilling in them, however subconsciously, a desire strong enough to take them there.

The materials gloves are made of are something else to be addressed in client discussions. When looking for a glove that has to be safe, leather is often a good answer. It's durable, resists tearing and can protect hands from excessive heat.

Cotton gloves can be imprinted in many different colors that can catch the eye easily and provide for a more colorful display in general. This alone makes cotton a popular glove material.

Don't forget the money aspect. When a distributor of 35 years was asked why he sells gloves, his reply was as fundamental as they get: "Because of the high profit margins." As with any other product, if you really believe in it, you tend to be more natural and sincere when selling it. Glove profit margins remain relatively high whether the gloves are high, middle or low-end. Their marketability and versatility is also very high. All that combines to make for a, well, hand-in-hand glove fit.