One of the most interesting and profitable business models today is Print On Demand (POD). It is a way of selling products without holding stock. The number of units that you create is determined by the orders which you get. As such, POD depends purely on a customer’s needs. This type of business usually handles products such as t-shirts, mugs, bags, pants, hoodies and canvas, among others. It maximizes profits and minimizes risk. Today, you can enter this industry and begin to sell without having to create your own physical products.
Here is how to accomplish this.
● Find a niche that is profitable
As you begin a Print On Demand (POD) business, begin by assessing profitability. This is the most important step to perform. You can choose a product niche or a subject niche.
A product niche is where the main objective in your Print on Demand business is a specific product. For example, you can choose to sell t-shirts or bags. Pick one product and focus on it. While the designs that you print can be different, the product stays the same.
A subject niche is where you identify a trendy subject such as “Loving Pets”. After that, you can print designs which are related to this subject. They can be pictures, phrases or sayings. These can be printed on a variety of items.
Generally, a subject niche is more flexible than a product niche. This is because you can print on various types of items.
You can get a product or subject niche from many sources. Popular sources include the Amazon bestseller list, the most popular products on eBay or even the trendiest subjects on social media. There are various locations where you can get products or subject ideas for your Print On Demand (POD) enterprise.
● Create your designs and proceed to validate them
This is also a fundamental step in creating your own POD business. You need to create some designs. If you choose a subject niche, find the most popular fonts and implement them in your designs. On the other hand, if you choose a product niche, you can create designs which will fit your products.
After creating some designs, find out how popular they can be in the market. A design can look or sound great in your mind but be unsatisfactory to your target market. By using methods such as social media, POD forums and your own network of strategic influencers, you can request feedback on your designs. As you do this, disguise it a little. This keeps the design authentic and protects it from theft.
If you are not gifted in design, you can hire someone to create an image or a subject design for you. There are many freelance designers online who can develop images or subject designs for you at a small fee. As such, you do not have to be gifted in design so as to run a POD enterprise. As long as your designs are trendy and validated, you can achieve success.
● Build an online POD store
This is where the rubber hit the road. You can now embark on creating your own eCommerce store. Here, you can receive orders and fulfill them too. This online store will be the center of your enterprise. It will represent your brand. Therefore, it needs to be constructed well. There are many platforms online which can help you to set up a POD store. You can check the best print on demand sites here and pick the most ideal one for you.
When building a POD store, there are some important steps that you must complete.
Firstly, you need to register a domain name. As you do this, pick a name which is catchy, memorable and easy to type. After that, register it on GoDaddy.
Proceed to pick an eCommerce platform. This is an online module that helps to turn your website into a store. Some examples of such platforms include Etsy, Shopify or WooCommerce. They can easily be integrated into many types of websites today.
Construct your shop. By using pre-built templates, add-ons and plugins, you can construct your online shop. Add text, borders, frames, and images of the products into your store. Make sure to build all the required pages. These include the home page, contact page, about page, shipping page and FAQ.
As you build your shop, it is a good idea to think about buying a premium template. It will give your website a beautiful appearance and provide you with a smooth shopping experience.
Also, a premium template can make administration much easier for you. It can come with a built-in email marketing plugin to help attract potential and current customers to your web store. Also, a premium template can generate coupon codes for you. While it requires a financial investment, a premium template provides a great return in the long run.
● Pick a printing provider
While building your website, it is necessary to integrate a POD plugin. It allows you to integrate a printing partner into your web store. They receive and fulfill all incoming POD orders. Therefore, the printing provider directly determines the productivity and growth of your POD store. As such, it is important to pick a reliable printing provider. Some examples include Printify, Printful and Redubble, among others.
A unique business model today is Print On Demand (POD). In this type of enterprise, you don’t need to hold stock so you can run your online business. Thus, it reduces the chances of losses and maximizes productivity. The guidelines above show how you can construct your own POD business. By following and implementing them, you can begin to enjoy ample profits in no time!
