What is print on demand?

Print on Demand (POD) is a business model in which business owners contact the supplier of white-label products. Customize and design the products with their branding and send them to buyers after receiving the order. In this business model, you don't need to worry about packaging, and the shipping supplier will handle all this.

Before we discuss the print-on-demand business in detail, you need to understand "White Labeling".

White labeling

White labeling is branding the products of the manufacturer and supplier with your brand. As a marketer or purchaser, you buy products from manufacturers and design and brand them with your business.

You can sell the products, such as clothing, accessories, home décor, and more, which are typically printed using digital printing technology and are personalized based on the customer's specifications.

While a print-on-demand service provider handles all aspects of production, fulfilment, and shipping, you can focus on marketing and promoting products. This is why you should start a POD business, as it provides a low-cost, low-risk way to sell products online.

How to Start a Print On Demand Business?

Here are the steps to keep in mind to start a successful print on demand business.

#1
Choose a niche or product

First, you need to choose the right niche and products for this. Identify a target market, what products best-fit needs and interests, and what you can sell easily.

#2
Choose a POD platform

Now, choose a popular print-on-demand platform such as Shopify to host your store and handle the production process.

#3
Design your products

The third step is to design your products. You can use graphic design software like Photoshop or use a website such as Canva or hire a designer to create eye-catching designs for your products.

#4
Set up your store

Now set up a Shopify store, create a custom ecommerce store, or choose themes available on Shopify to showcase and sell your products. You can also hire a designer for Shopify website design for you.

#5
Market your products

Now time to market your product. You can use social media, influencer marketing, and other marketing strategies to drive traffic to your store.

#6
Monitor and improve

Continuously monitor your store’s performance, make changes to improve sales, and gather feedback from customers.

If you are having difficulties setting up a store, then contact us. We are a leading Shopify website design company offering Shopify setup and development services.

Pros and Cons of print on demand business

Print-on-demand (POD) is a great option for entrepreneurs who want to create and sell physical products without investing in large amounts of inventory. With POD, businesses can save money on production and storage costs and time associated with ordering and shipping products. However, businesses should consider some drawbacks to printing on demand.

Pros:

• Cost-effective: POD allows businesses like yours to order printed products in small quantities, which means you only pay for what you need and don't have to worry about stocking large amounts of inventory.
• Time efficient: With POD, businesses don't have to wait for the printing process to be completed before they can start selling products, as the products are printed on demand.
• Variety: POD allows businesses to offer various products, including t-shirts, mugs, and posters.

Cons:

• Lower quality: Print-on-demand services tend to have lower quality products than traditional printing methods, such as screen or digital printing.
• Limited customization options: While businesses can customize their products, the options are limited. This can limit businesses that want to create unique, custom designs.
• Low-profit margins: POD products typically have low-profit margins, as businesses have to pay for each order's printing and shipping costs.

To start a Print on Demand business, you need a supplier who can fulfill your audience's demands with customized products. Check out some of the best POD companies and their services.

Best Print on Demand Services and Companies 

Printify

Printify is one of the most popular print on demand (POD) platforms that allows e-commerce businesses to create and sell custom products without holding inventory. The platform handles the production process, shipping, and customer support, allowing business owners like you to focus on marketing and design. It easily integrates with Shopify.

Printify offers a wide range of products, including clothing, accessories, home décor, and more. Printify offers competitive pricing and a user-friendly interface, making it a popular choice for businesses of all sizes and startups.

Teespring

Teespring is another POD service provider; if you are social media influencer and have fans, then it’s the best business solution to sell products and become an entrepreneur without investing a single penny. You can sell apparel products such as T-shirts, Lagging, Hoodies, Caps, Bags, and many more.

Redbubble

Redbubble is a marketplace offering print-on-demand services founded in 2006. Redbubble has a wide range of product categories, such as clothing, stickers, phone cases, wall art, home living, kids, pets, accessories, office stationery, and gifts. So you have a wide range of products to sell.

Society6

Society6 is print on demand company founded in 2009 and have 450,000+ independent artist from more than 170 countries. Society6 has unlimited products in categories such as wall art, home decor, bed, apparel, kids, bags, furniture, tabletop, tech, and outdoor.

Printful

Printful is a top rated print on demand service on Shopify. It has 335+ products to customize and 17 fulfillment centers for fast shipping. Printful is easy to integrate on Shopify; you need to install the app by Printful and start selling customized products to your audience.

Product Design

Product design is an essential part of starting print on demand store. Your business success depends on how good your product design is. You can design products by using graphic design tools such as Canva, Visually, Adobe PhotoShop, and Adobe Illustrator. But if you are unfamiliar with these tools, you should hire graphic designers to create visually appealing and trending product designs.

Expert Tips for Maximum Profitability

Now, you have set up the store and started selling the products but not getting enough sales. To maximize the sales in your store, read the tips below from our experts, who have more than 7 years of experience in business growth strategy.

1. Optimize your store: Make sure your website is user-friendly, visually appealing, responsive, cross-platform compatible, and optimized for search engines to attract more customers and increase sales.
2. Leverage the power of social media: Utilize all social media platforms to promote your products and engage with your audience.
3. Offer promotions and discounts: Regularly offer promotions and discounts to encourage customers to purchase from your store.
4. Do email marketing: Build an email list and send regular newsletters and promotional emails to your subscribers.
5. Do influencer marketing: This is the modern way to reach the target audience. Collaborate with influencers, bloggers, or other industry leaders to promote your products and reach a wider audience.
6. Use high-quality product images: High-quality images can help make your products stand out and encourage customers to purchase.
7. Offer exceptional customer service: Respond promptly to customer inquiries and complaints, and ensure that the buying experience is as seamless as possible.
8. Create a clear brand identity: Develop a clear brand identity, including a logo and consistent color palette, to make your store and products easily recognizable.
9. Continuously evaluate and improve: Don't stick to a single plan. Evaluate your strategies and make changes as necessary to ensure that you are maximizing sales and profits. If it does not work, try a different plan.
10. Utilize Shopify's built-in tools: Take advantage of Shopify's built-in tools, such as abandoned cart recovery, upsell, cross-sell, and product reviews, to improve your store's performance and increase sales.

Conclusion

After reading the complete article, you can set up a successful print-on-demand store. But still, if you are not able to do so, then contact us for a free consultation. We have a team of expert Shopify designers and developers helping Shopify businesses succeed.