I designed a seven-product retro merchandise line for Go Adventure Hawaii, costed every item through Printful, and priced it inside tourist-shop ranges so each sale leaves a healthy margin.
The idea
A shark dive is a two-hour experience. Merchandise is how the brand stays with a guest after they leave, and how it travels: a tote bag on a beach, a hat in a photo. For a small operator it is also a second revenue line that needs no inventory.
The design direction came straight from the audience. Millennial couples, the plan’s core guest, respond to nostalgia, so the whole line uses warm retro sunset stripes, simple silhouettes and clean typography that feel vintage and modern at once, inspired by early-2000s media, old surf graphics and retro national-park posters.
“Modern retro” is a documented design preference for this age group, so the line reads as deliberate rather than touristy.
Most millennials say they prefer sustainable products, which is why the tote, the bottle and the towel carry the line.
Every item is useful on the boat or the beach, which means guests will wear it in the photos they post.
The line
Typical shop price: $35–40 in tourist locations
Embroidery lifts perceived value. Sun protection matters on a boat tour, and a navy outline keeps it gender-neutral so both partners will wear it.
Typical shop price: $30+ in Hawaii surf shops
Sustainability resonates with millennials, and the retro “Fish Are Friends, Not Food” print adds humour and nostalgia.
Typical shop price: $40–50
Useful on the dive and a lasting souvenir. Couples often buy matching hydration gear for travel.
Typical shop price: $50–70 in coastal shops
A full-print sublimated towel looks premium, works on the boat and the beach, and photographs well for social media.
A second headwear option, embroidered “Shark Side of Life” in the same retro colors.
Typical shop price: Impulse price
Very low cost and high perceived value. A tourist can add one to a laptop or bottle on the way out.
Typical shop price: $65–85
Oversized hoodies carry the highest ticket, and a retro DTG print supports the price. A top-selling category for couples.
The numbers
Each product was costed through Printful, then priced against what comparable items sell for in North Shore surf shops, the Polynesian Cultural Center gift shop and Haleiwa tourist stands. The goal was a price a tourist would accept without thinking twice, with a healthy margin behind it.
Sticker margins are the highest, but the hoodie and towel earn the most per sale.
| Product | Printful cost | Retail | Profit | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embroidered bucket hat | $19.79 | $36 | $16.21 | 45% |
| Eco tote bag | $15.56 | $32 | $16.44 | 51% |
| Stainless steel water bottle | $21.37 | $42 | $20.63 | 49% |
| Pattern beach towel | $28.82 | $55 | $26.18 | 48% |
| Vintage corduroy cap | $21.37 | $42 | $20.63 | 49% |
| Bubble-free sticker | $2.29 | $6 | $3.71 | 62% |
| Unisex hoodie | $38.21 | $68 | $29.79 | 44% |
| One of each | $147.41 | $281 | $133.59 | 47.5% |
Why the sticker matters more than its $6 price suggests: it has the best margin, it is an impulse buy, and it is the easiest upsell at the end of a tour. It gets the brand onto laptops and water bottles for almost nothing.
How it connects
The line is not a side project. The designs repeat the brand story: “Fish Are Friends, Not Food” reinforces the education-first message, and “Shark Side of Life” keeps the playful tone the social plan uses. Every product also doubles as content for the three-posts-a-week calendar.
The full merchandise chapter is part of the 50-page plan. Flip through it in the plan viewer →
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