From posters to customized designs on backpacks, books, and glassware, you can create your original design on everyday products and also sell them online. Print-on-demand product business is a good option if you are looking out to start an eCommerce business and you are not ready yet to commit your money to it or you lack the funds to do so.
The print-on-demand (POD) industry is growing steadily. In 2021, the global print-on-demand market size was estimated at $4.91 Billion and was predicted to reach $6.17 billion by 2022. Today the print-on-demand business has proven to be one of the low-risk businesses one can venture into.
This article aims to explain what a print on-Demand business is and to also share with you some tips on how to start a print-on-demand product business.
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What is print on-Demand Business?
A print-on-demand business is an eCommerce model that enables one to use the white label drop shipping option of selling customized made per- order products.
This is how it works. You partner with a supplier of white label products(shoes, hats, mugs etc.) to customize their products using your original design which you would later sell on a per-order basis to customers through a third-party printing service whose primary role is to fulfil the order.
The benefit of this business model is that you get to sell the products featuring your designs under your brand and this helps to build your brand confidence while enabling you to sample business ideas and strategies
Also, you won’t have to pay for the cost of the product to the supplier until you have made a sale. Suggests low risk of investment right?
The business model also takes away the risk of managing inventory which can be a tedious affair in business. It also bypasses time investment as everything after the sale which includes the digital printing and shipping of the order products to the customer would be handled by your supplier. The only thing you would have to do is customer service.
Sure to-sell print on-Demand products
There is a long list of sure things one can sell on a print and demand business as long as products can be customized with your designs and fulfills customer needs. Below is a list of some of them:
- Book printing
- Wall art
- T-shirts
- Glassware
- Phone and laptop cases
- Blankets
- Mugs
- Socks
- Hats
- Tote bags
- Shoes etc.
How to start a Print-on-Demand product business
Choose a niche and select audience
There are two niches you can choose from; a Product- based and a subject-based.
A product-niche business focuses on a single item such as; a Hat and aims to be the go-to-hat shop. A subject-niche business is dedicated to developing a subject theme which could be kitchen fittings and then develops a wide range of products with unique designs to satisfy the customers’ wants.
Researching trends will give you a better idea of your target audience’s needs which helping in your audience choice. Social media platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook, Reddit and Instagram are good places to begin.
Create your unique designs
Creating designs is the next thing to do after you have selected your niche and your target audience. There exist a wide range of design tools that would sharpen your designs and bring them to life. Canva, Illustrator, Design bundles, Shutterstock, and Photoshop are examples of the design tools you could use in this pursuit.
Create your original mockups
You might discover that using the standard mockups provided by your print-on-demand company reflects low quality as the templates look generic. Creating realistic mockups with designs of your products will give you a better advantage. Placeit offers thousands of mockups options you would surely love to use.
Set up your Shopify store
After you have successfully made your choice of your product design, setting up your Shopify print-on-demand store is the next thing to do. You will have to select a theme, you can add your personal touches if the theme you choose looks poor and does not measure up to your values.
Remember your website is a true reflection of your brand performance so your website should be tailored to answer all of your customer’s questions, address their every need and interest them to browse around.
Choose your Suppliers
Your business may not be successful if you don’t partner with a reliable supplier. When choosing your supplier you ought to make sure it is reliable, as your business reputation depends on your supplier’s performance.
Upload your designs and create listings
After you have selected your print-on-demand company(supplier), you will be given access to a portal relevant to your preferred POD company. There you will create a mockup, product titles and descriptions, set pricing and thereafter publish to Spotify to garner your target audience’s attention.
You must build high-quality and optimized listings to ensure customers find you a suitable plug for their needs and to also rank you on google searches. Providing descriptions of how the product is used and what the product is made for is one of the ways you could increase your business success.
Marketing your products
The marketing objective is to get your print-on-demand business known and to drive traffic to your Shopify site where they would be further convinced to buy from you through what they see. Therefore it is necessary to improve your marketing game and to stand out amongst other numerous print-on-demand businesses.
You can explore social media, use the Search Engine Optimization(SEO) strategy, reviews from customers, and publish relevant content and also influencers with a large audience to boost your print-on-demand business audience.