Why Travel Teams Are Turning to Online Stores for Spirit Wear

In the world of youth athletics, spirit wear is nearly as important as uniforms. Fan gear lets players, families, and fans show their team pride, creating a sense of community.

In the last few years, more travel teams, club programs, and competitive squads have been trading paper order forms for the convenience of online stores.

At The Athletic Shop, we’re seeing this trend in real time. Here’s the rundown on online stores to help coaches, boosters, and parents decide whether it’s right for their team.

The Traditional Approach And Its Limits

Before we look at the reasons teams are going online, it’s worth recalling how spirit wear is traditionally sold.

Let’s review the process:

• The team or booster group picks a handful of designs.
• They collect paper order forms and payments (cash or check).
• Someone tallies the totals, places one bulk order with a local printer, and waits for production.
• Once the items arrive, someone distributes them at practice or a team event. Sometimes extra quantities are printed to allow for last-minute orders, and leftover inventory is stored or sold at a discount.

This approach still works. But more often, teams run into challenges.

These include:

• Manual labor and coordination: Someone has to collect and count sizes and payments, place the order, and distribute inventory. That’s time-consuming and error-prone.
• Cash handling and payment logistics: Collecting checks or cash from dozens (sometimes hundreds) of families is messy, and sometimes people fail to pay or submit late.
• Inventory risk: If you overestimate demand, you end up with unsold stock. Underestimate, and you run out.
• Limited windows and order deadlines: Usually, teams must impose a firm ordering deadline to ensure time for collection and ordering, which can rush buyers or deter late customers.
• Distribution challenges: Getting all the gear to each family or athlete, especially if teams are geographically spread out, can be a logistical headache.
• Scalability issues: As teams grow in size or complexity (e.g., multiple age groups, sports, or travel squads), the process becomes more difficult.

Because of these drawbacks, many travel programs are reconsidering the status quo and discovering the convenience of online team stores.

What Exactly Is an Online Team Store, and How Does It Work?

If you’re used to the traditional ordering process, the idea of building an online team store can seem overwhelming. But before you dismiss this trend and stick with what you’re used to, let’s dive deeper into how online stores work.

What you should know:

• An online team store is a dedicated e‑commerce site for your team, club, or program, with your logo, colors, and selected products.
• Families, players, and fans can browse your offerings, choose sizes, personalize their apparel, and pay online with digital payment methods.
• Orders are typically printed or embroidered on demand (or produced in batches) and then shipped either individually to purchasers or to a central location for distribution.
• The team can choose the store window, such as dates when ordering will be open for a specific event, or arrange for their site to be open all season long.

Why Travel Teams Are Embracing Online Spirit Wear Stores

Have you ever scrambled to collect spirit wear orders, only to end up with missing sizes, late shipments, and a whole lot of stress? You’re not alone. That’s why more and more travel teams are turning to online spirit wear stores—and for good reason.

These platforms offer a convenient, efficient way to manage team gear and fan apparel, helping teams stay organized while boosting community pride.

This shift not only saves time for coaches and parents but also ensures that everyone can easily access custom gear anytime, anywhere.

Reduced Administrative Burden

An online store automates many tasks that once required manual effort. Instead of collecting paper forms, sorting, and tallying, the system does it for you.

Online checkout means payments go straight into an account, and the following are handled automatically:

• Order tracking
• Size summaries
• Reporting

Flexible Ordering Windows and Ongoing Sales

With traditional ordering, teams are bound to strict time periods, but with an online store, you can:

• Open and close the store for limited time periods, such as spirit wear season, a fundraiser, or a specific event.
• Keep the store open year-round so products can be purchased by players, families, and fans on demand. This flexibility means fewer missed opportunities and more consistent revenue.

No Upfront Inventory Means Lower Risk

You know, the riskiest part of ordering custom spirit wear is buying ahead, which can lead to over- or under-ordering. With online order fulfillment, many platforms support print-on-demand models, meaning you don’t have to front the cost of unsold apparel or find yourself short on stock when purchasing time comes.

Nationwide Reach, Consistency, and Brand Control

For travel squads, which often span multiple locations and age levels, an online store ensures that everyone has access to the same products at the same price. This also helps with brand consistency, unifying your team under one design and image for enhanced professionalism.

Transparency and Ease for Supporters

The process of online ordering is also smoother for families, friends, and fans:

• They can shop for apparel whenever it’s convenient for them.
• They can view all available items and see mockups, size charts, and photos.
• Payment is secure and immediate (no concerns about lost checks or late payments).
• Products can be shipped directly to them or to the team distribution point.

This transparency throughout the ordering process builds goodwill, increases accessibility, and reduces confusion due to miscounts or miscommunications.

Fundraising and Revenue Sharing Opportunities

Many webstore platforms allow teams to set a markup or margin so that a portion of each sale becomes revenue for the team.

At The Athletic Shop, we can donate a percentage of the proceeds back to your program, business, or nonprofit. This is an excellent way to raise money, all while offering an easy way for parents, players, and supporters to order branded gear individually.

Scalability for Growth

As programs grow, resulting in more players and products, online stores can easily accommodate team changes. Rather than scaling volunteer time, you scale the store.

Teams with multiple age groups, sports, or seasons can combine offerings in one platform. Some examples include “Fall Spirit Shop,” “Tournament Gear,” and “Winter Hoodies.”

Better Data, Insights, and Inventory Forecasting

Having all orders and purchasing behavior in one system allows for better insights.

You can see:

• Which styles, colors, or items are most popular
• Size demand distributions
• Repeat sales and which buyers are most active
• Seasonal trends to guide future designs and inventory decisions

This data-driven approach helps your team avoid waste in the following seasons and stock your store with exactly what your customers are looking for.

Reduced Distribution Burden

Because online stores can ship directly to purchasers, team members don’t have to handle distribution themselves.

If some orders are shipped to the team for mass pickup, such as at a tournament weekend or team event day, the burden is far less than distributing dozens or hundreds of boxes across many families.

Eco-Friendliness

Going paperless not only helps with organization, but it can also reduce your team’s carbon footprint.

Best Practices for Travel Teams That Want to Go Online

If your team is considering launching an online spirit wear store, here are the recommended steps and strategies.

Work With a Reputable Vendor (Like Us)

At The Athletic Shop, we host online team stores customized to your specific needs, goals, and messaging. This includes multi-sports stores with an array of clothing options and fundraising stores where a percentage of the proceeds goes towards your program.

Plan Design and Messaging Early

As soon as the season starts (or before registration), begin design discussions. Lock in logos, colors, design placements, and mockups well in advance. Use your store’s promo materials like teaser images, countdowns, and sneak peeks to build excitement.

Set Clear Order Windows and Deadlines

Even if you keep your store open year-round, you may want to establish “order by” dates for guaranteed delivery before tournaments, events, or holiday gifting. Communicate those clearly to purchasers.

Sales, promo codes, and pre-orders are also a great way to generate buzz around key events such as these.

Provide Size Guides, Mockups, and FAQs

For enhanced customer experience, upload size charts, mockups, fabric photos, and care instructions.

You can also provide a short FAQs section with common questions, such as “Can I order late?” and “What’s the return policy?”

Promote the Store Consistently

Use email and social media to promote your store. Also, remind families about the spirit shop at practices. A huge benefit of having an online store is that the link can be shared, so make sure you’re taking advantage of this feature to get the word out.

Incorporate Fundraising Strategy

Decide early whether your spirit shop is purely for gear or also intended as a fundraiser. If revenue sharing is part of your model, communicate that to buyers. For example, “$3 of every purchase goes to team operations.”

Monitor and Analyze Sales Data

Track what sells well and what doesn’t. Use that insight to refine future seasonal offerings. Drop designs that flop, expand sizes that run out, or introduce new merchandise. By paying attention to purchase behaviors and demand, you’ll become more efficient and profitable.

Maintain Customer Service Excellence

Quickly acknowledge order receipt, provide tracking, and handle questions with care. Word-of-mouth is powerful in the team community. Poor experiences with spirit wear stores reflect poorly on the team.

Your Valuable Apparel Partner

As a local athletic retailer with deep roots in the Chattanooga area, The Athletic Shop is well-positioned to support travel teams transitioning online.

Here’s what we offer:

• Local expertise and support: We understand the needs and challenges of teams in our region. We can advise you on timelines, sizing standards, and distribution logistics.
• Design and branding assistance: Our in-house experts will assist with logo design, artwork cleanup, and mockups.
• Customer confidence and trust: As a well-known, trusted local business, you can count on us to customize your apparel and build your online store.

If your team is ready to shift your spirit wear program online, we would love to partner with you. Let’s create a plan that fits your schedule and goals.

Build Your Online Store with The Athletic Shop

Travel teams today operate in a faster-paced, geographically dispersed world. Parents and players expect convenience. Coaches and volunteers can’t afford to be bogged down in manual processes. Teams need reliable revenue streams and consistent branding. Online spirit wear stores check those boxes.

That said, success depends on thoughtful planning, clear communication, good vendor selection, and an emphasis on user experience. If your travel team hasn’t tried an online store yet, don’t hesitate to reach out.

The Athletic Shop aims to make your online store builder and fundraising campaigns easy. We’ll host your store, tailored to your messaging, using the brands you love.

We proudly serve customers across:

• Chattanooga
• Signal Mountain
• Hixson
• East Ridge
• Red Bank
• Soddy-Daisy
• Ooltewah
• Collegedale
• And the surrounding areas

Don’t have products for your online store? No problem! The Athletic Shop also provides customization services, such as screen printing, embroidery, and sublimation. Whether you need custom uniforms, youth football jerseys, or volleyball team spirit wear, we’re here to help!

Contact us today to build your online team store!