8 min read
Published On: 2023-06-27
By:Lifesight
The global print-on-demand market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.6% between 2023-2031 and it's projected to touch $39,035 million by the year 2031, a report by Straits Research states.
This is the perfect time to take advantage of this industry’s massive potential and launch your print on demand store. Whether you’re passionate about designing or you simply want to explore the world of POD businesses, Shopify is a platform worth exploring. Trusted by more than 1.75 million sellers, Shopify offers a user-friendly interface and simple-to-use features that can help you get started from scratch and adapt quickly as the business grows bigger.
In this guide, we walk you through the steps to start a Shopify print on demand business. From setting up your online store to sourcing products, print on demand business ideas, designing custom merchandise, and marketing your brand, we share foundational knowledge and practical tips to kickstart your entrepreneurial journey, even if you don’t have any experience.
Print on demand (POD) is a business model that allows you to create and sell customized products without the need for upfront investments or inventory management. Instead of mass-producing items in advance, products are manufactured and shipped only when a customer places an order.
Why are Ecommerce merchants opting for print on demand products? Because the on-demand production process reduces operational costs, minimizes risks, supply chain wastage, and provides greater flexibility for sellers.
With Shopify, you can set up your print on demand store just the way you visualized it. The Shopify Theme store has more than 150 free and paid customization options, along with examples of stores you can take inspiration from.
You don't have to be a tech expert to navigate your way through Shopify. The process of launching a print-on-demand Shopify store is simple, and there are detailed video tutorials to make sure new shop owners have a smooth beginning.
Shopify is a fully hosted platform with over 1200 in-house applications and it supports integration with third-party software. With this, it becomes easier for you to manage the different aspects of an online store, including inventory management, shipping, customer relationship, marketing, and more.
Before subscribing to a paid plan, you can run a pilot with Shopify’s 14-day free trial. The plans are affordable, so in the early days of your business, you won’t have to make a hefty investment to start your online store.
District of Clothing’s print on demand Shopify store has a clutter-free user interface with ample white space to allow the products to do all the talking. The web pages are easy to navigate, you can seamlessly browse through their entire collection of t-shirts and hoodies, chat with the brand if you have any questions, and go through product reviews.
The website copy is just as straightforward, putting the spotlight on the powerful quotes featured on the products.
The Feminist Vibe’s brand ethos is deeply ingrained all over their Shopify store. The t-shirts, tank tops, sweaters, and hoodies carry the witty and powerful quotes that are very much aligned to the brand vision of creating ‘a better and equal world for all’.
To support its vision, the brand donates 10% of its profits towards human rights charities, and there is a dedicated page where they have talked about their commitment to philanthropic endeavors. The seamless user interface and clever copy enhance the browsing experience and directly appeal to their ideal customers, i.e., modern-day feminists.
While the Shopify storefront of this print-on-demand brand is absolutely basic, its way of doing business piques our interest. When you click on the products listed on either of the three product pages, you will be redirected to Amazon. Raccoon Brand doesn’t manage sales through its website—Amazon handles everything, including returns and customer support. This means the company has fewer responsibilities and fewer overheads, and they can focus on core business to make more profits.
Read in details about the latest Shopify trends to stay on top of your game.
As a powerful ecommerce platform, Shopify provides a comprehensive ecosystem to start and manage your print on demand business.
The steps to setting up your Shopify print on demand store are:
And with that, you’re a step closer to beginning your print-on-demand journey.
Choosing a reliable print on demand service is essential to the success of your business and important factors to consider are:
Some of the popular Shopify print on demand apps are: Printful, Printify, CustomCat, Gelato, and SPOD.
Popular Shopify print on demand business ideas
If you are looking to start a business with limited funds and resources, POD business is your best choice as you start producing items only after the customer has paid. Here are some print on demand business ideas worth trying:
In the saturated POD market, you can make your Shopify store stand out with unique designs that appeal to your specific target market.
Here are some tips you can follow:
Pricing your Shopify print-on-demand products appropriately calls for a delicate balance of maximizing profits while remaining competitive.
Here are some tips to arrive at a suitable selling price:
After setting up your print-on-demand business, the next step is to establish your brand presence and market it to the right audience.
Here are some ecommerce marketing strategies you can implement:
To start selling, you first have to know who you're selling to, what do they like, and how you can be more appealing to that audience.
Here are a few quick tips to identify your target audience:
A study conducted by Direct Marketing Association (DMA) found that email marketing generates an ROI of £42 for every £1 spent. It is a cost-effective way to connect with your target audience and promote your products.
Start building a mailing list and design email campaigns to tell your audience more about what you do and what’s your USP, and eventually convert them into customers.
When people willingly give you their email addresses, it indicates they are interested in what you have to offer. With active email campaigns in place, you can easily push time-sensitive offers, address cart abandonment, and drive more sales using upsell and cross-sell techniques.
Here are some tips to make effective email campaigns for your Shopify POD store:
Here’s an example from a DTC brand Zouk:
Let’s take this cart abandonment email from Red Raven for example—it has a clear CTA to address the issue of cart abandonment.
Learn more about how to transform your email marketing game.
When your store begins to gain momentum and your marketing efforts finally start to pay off, it’s time to scale higher. The key here is to embrace automation and use the power of data to make strategic decisions. Get started with a comprehensive customer data and engagement platform like Moda.
Here’s how Moda can help you scale to the next level:
Advanced customer insights: Moda unifies all customer touchpoints across systems, giving you insight into what your customers like, what makes them happy, and what they buy.
Segmentation: Using automation, Moda maps customers into different intelligent segments. You can plan targeted campaigns for specific segments and make sure they drive more sales.
Ready-to-use templates: Moda offers thousands of pre-built templates for all social channels, so you don’t have to start the campaigns from scratch.
Comprehensive reporting: Check data and analytics to track the performance of your campaigns and make informed decisions.
To establish a strong foothold in the industry, it is essential to prioritize customer satisfaction and deliver top-notch customer service.
Here are some tips and strategies you can implement:
Now it’s time to follow these outlined steps and dive into the exciting and profitable journey of your print-on-demand Shopify store.
It’s no rocket science — all you need to do is be diligent with your market research, come up with unique designs, partner with a reliable POD provider, and start selling.
Use Moda to leverage your Shopify storedata using AI, design automation campaigns with its pre-built templates, build lasting relationships with customers, and make data-driven decisions to grow your business, all within the convenience of a single platform.
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