The year 2020 has been very unusual because worldwide pandemic has changed so many aspects of our lives, including how we work, learn, communicate, and entertain ourselves.
Further, it seems that the year 2021 is going to be even more irregular since after losing their regular jobs, a lot of people are starting their own businesses online, and a lot of them choose to use a print on demand platform that does not require a lot of investments.
Thus, today, we want to share 10 things you need to know about print on demand because it is one of the best methods to make money online at the moment.
Tip #1: Figure out the Basics
Printify – one of the best services to create and sell custom products – has published an eCommerce statistics page. One of the sections mentions a survey in which 45% of respondents replied that they do not plan to return to a “normal” 9-5 job post-COVID-19.
Instead of returning to a regular job, they will seek opportunities to create a different source of income. POD is one of the available options.
Print on demand is creating your own designs and printing them on your chosen products. The list of products you can choose from is pretty long, beginning with t-shirts and ending with stickers.
Most of the processes, including production, printing, storage, packaging, and delivery, is taken care of by the print-on-demand platform, and you do not need to pay for these processes upfront.
Tip #2: Know Why You Should Go With Print on Demand
Using a print on demand platform to start a business has its benefits. First of all, you can create a product very fast. All you need to do is choose from the list of products and pick or create a design for it.
Secondly, using such a platform does not require large investments; you need to pay for your website and promotions.
Tip #3: Understand the Disadvantages of the Business Model
As using a print on demand has its benefits, it also has some disadvantages. To begin with, the costs per item are going to be higher because you are not working with a direct supplier that is sewing the garments for your t-shirts, and so on.
Moreover, by using a print on demand platform, you do not need to worry about shipping, but you also have limited control over it.
Tip #4: Start by Defining Your Target Audience
Targeting every single human being on the planet Earth has never been proven to be successful. Therefore, before starting your business, you must define who your target audience is going to be.
If you are working on this step before you create the designs for your products, then you will need to think about your target audience during the creative process.
Tip #5: Understand the Importance of Display
Once you have your products and designs created, you need to develop some good-looking mockups to display on your website and show off in promotional campaigns.
If you do not know how to create mockups, you can hire a graphic designer to do it for you. Mockups that look good is an investment worth making because it is the display that your potential customers will see.
Tip #6: Choose a Trustworthy Platform
There are quite a few popular choices of print on demand platforms that you would find on the internet, but it is crucial that you choose a trustworthy partner.
Therefore, make sure that you read reviews about each of these print on demand platforms and choose the one that fits your needs and your vision the best.
Tip #7: Order Some Samples
After choosing a print on demand service that seemed the most trustworthy for you, you still need to make sure that the product’s quality meets your expectations. And the best way to figure that out is to order some samples.
Furthermore, you might want to take some pictures for your website or social media yourself; thus, having a few samples lying around would come in handy.
Tip #8: Create Social Media Content
As during the Covid-19 pandemic, people are spending more time scrolling through social media than ever, do not miss out on your chance to reach your target audience by sharing your content on social media.
If you have chosen to work with print on demand, you will likely be selling a visually pleasing product; therefore, the best social media platforms to advertise such items are Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Tip #9: Be Careful With Shipping Terms
As you are not shipping the products to your customers yourself and have very little control over it, make sure you play it safe and never raise the customer’s expectations with an early delivery announcement when you are not sure about it.
Tip #10: Test Out Your Website
As you will be running a new website, make sure that it is fully functional, easy to use. Also, ensure that the contact information is easy to find for those cases when your potential customers only have one question before they convert.
More to it, invest in making your website responsive because more and more purchases are made by using a mobile phone. Fulfilling all of these points will help you reduce the cart abandonment rate and increase your early profits from a print on demand business.
