As per the Grand View Research Report indicated global custom T-shirt printing market was valued at $3.9 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.9 per cent from 2022 to 2030. Custom-designed T-shirts are increasingly being used by companies as a modern branding strategy to brand their company, products, or offerings. Companies use this technique, especially start-ups, to increase brand visibility and grab the attention of prospective customers. Therefore, the growing use of customized T-shirts as a branding tool is expected to be a major contributor to market growth over the forecast period.

Customized tees for branding

The fashion industry is witnessing a shift toward wearing customized clothing. Also, the increasing disposable income of consumers is enabling them to spend on customized clothes. As a result, people prefer wearing customized t-shirts with specific logos or slogans printed on them. The entertainment industry is contributing to market growth with a large number of people, especially movie fanatics, buying apparel with slogans or logos printed on them. For instance, TV series such as Game of Thrones and Big Bang Theory have a huge fan base. Fans willingly spend a good amount on buying T-shirts or other apparel with their favorite dialogues or slogan printed on t-shirts. This trend is expected to majorly contribute to the custom T-shirts printing industry's growth in the forthcoming years.

There is an increase in the use of custom printed T-shirts to create social awareness, raise a voice, and support a cause. However, specific designs and slogans printed on the T-shirts related to sensitive issues, such as diseases, gender, crime, and politics, are subject to criticism and legal actions. Further, customers from various industries, including hospitality, logistics, construction, industrial, and medical are increasingly providing custom printed T-shirts to their employees and customers which is used as a marketing technique.

Companies all over the globe are using it as an off-the-clock advertising tool. This advertising strategy has been observed to involve less investment as compared to other forms of advertising such as hoardings or TV. Therefore, companies are providing customized T-shirts to increase their brand identity as well as customer loyalty. Additionally, providing t-shirts with good quality material increases their shelf life, thereby helping the companies to gain visibility for a longer period, which in turn is anticipated to boost the market growth during the forecast period.

Demand growth fuelled by sports clubs

Sports teams and clubs of almost all sports have started to design and wear custom-designed t-shirts and jerseys with their unique logo and design. Various sporting clubs are following this trend to increase the visibility of their teams and to provide a unique appearance to their team players. Sporting activities across countries such as China, India, and Germany are witnessing considerable growth with increasing investments by governments of these nations in sports-related activities. As a result, demand for customized T-shirts is expected to increase in the years to come.

With recent COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a significant disturbance in most industries across the globe. While few industries experienced a contraction in their productions and businesses, others faced severe outcomes such as the shutdown of businesses and movement restrictions. For instance, the travel, entertainment, and hospitality industries had the most retrenchments, and on the other hand, healthcare, technology e-commerce businesses had an upsurge in demand. However, during the pandemic, the fashion industry experienced both a surge and decline all at once.

While various outlets and large brand stores experienced a drop in footfalls and clothing demand, there was an increase in demand for custom T-shirts from the e-commerce industry. Moreover, custom T-shirts printing business also witnessed several new entrants

during the pandemic.